Submissions

Ideas Guide To Preparing Proposals

Please Note: Our next submission deadline is Friday, January 11, 2008.

 Printable Version of Ideas Guide to Preparing Proposals


IDEAS is CBC Radio's program of contemporary thought. The show is an hour long and is broadcast nationally – Monday to Friday – at 9:05 p.m. on CBC Radio One.

The show’s content is wide-ranging. From the French thinker Simone Weil to ideas about oceans. From ice cream to Einstein. Dante to spy novels. Robin Hood to the culture of pain. Almost any subject can become an IDEAS program, as long as there's an important idea at the core and a fascinating story to be told.

Our approach is eclectic, but we focus on the documentary, using story-telling and narrative techniques to convey ideas. Our attitude is one of open exploration tempered by skeptical inquiry. We look for original perspectives and draw on the knowledge, insights and character of our contributors in shaping our programs.

Our aim is to create programs that are insightful, informative, provocative, quirky and entertaining – programs that will appeal to a wide audience.

HOW IDEAS WORKS…
IDEAS is organized by a core unit in Toronto and an Edmonton-based producer responsible for developing programs from the prairies. We also have contributing producers in most other CBC production centres across the country.

We encourage freelance contributions, and many of our programs are based on proposals we receive from freelance contributors. We accept proposals from freelance contributors once a year in January. Specific deadlines are given later in this document.

PROGRAMS AND SERIES...
IDEAS produces both individual episodes and thematic series. Most of our series are two shows long; some are three. For big, big themes, we will go longer than three shows, but these are exceptions. If you're new to the show, single episode proposals only, please.

IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA...

• Listen to the show so you know what we do.

• Look at our past schedules to make sure you're not proposing something we've already done. Our schedules are posted on the IDEAS website.

• Write a proposal. We make production decisions only on the basis of written proposals. We do not, as a rule, accept proposals from writing teams.

IN YOUR PROPOSAL, WE WANT TO KNOW…

• What your idea is: Tell us what the program is about and why you want to do it. This is your chance to tell us something about how your mind works.

• How you would treat the idea: What will we hear? How will the story be told? Whom will you interview? The list does not have to be complete, but we want some idea of the people we would hear in the program.

• If you are proposing a series: a focused description of each episode.

• If you have to travel: we can arrange to interview almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world from a local CBC studio. But sometimes you have to travel to get the material you will need. Where do you have to go? We have a limited travel budget so don't tell us you have to go to Paris, Cairo and Beijing to make your program. We can't afford it. And if you're a first-timer, we will not send you on a major international trip. Focus on sources closer to home.

• Something about you: a short bio, especially if you haven’t contributed to IDEAS before. No radio experience is required, but we'd like to know about any journalistic and broadcasting experience you may have. We’d also like to know what, if any, special expertise you have in the subject you are proposing.

• When you would be available to work on the programs.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOUR PROPOSAL BE?
Three pages max: a page for the idea, a page for the treatment, and a page about you.

SEND US YOUR PROPOSAL…

E-mail your proposal OR send it by regular mail. You do not need to do both.

• by e-mail to ideas_proposals AT cbc.ca (change the letters AT to the @ symbol and remove the spaces when sending to this address)

• by regular mail to IDEAS, Box 500, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1E6.

• Send the proposal either as an MS Word document or as main text within the e-mail itself. Be sure to use "Ideas Proposal" within the subject line of your e-mail. Please do not send us Word Perfect documents.

• Tell us where you are. Include your mailing address and phone number on your proposal.

• If you live near a production centre outside Toronto, copy the proposal to the regional contributing IDEAS producer nearest you.

• Send ten (10) copies of the proposal directly to IDEAS, Box 500, Station A, Toronto, ON, M5W 1E6.

• Make sure your name, address and phone number are on the proposal itself. If you send us more than one proposal, put your name, address and phone number on each one.

• If you live outside Toronto, be sure to notify the contributing producer in your region that you are sending a proposal to IDEAS. You do not have to send him or her a hard copy.

• Please do not send proposals by fax. We will not read them.
  

WHEN TO APPROACH US…
In 2008, our deadline will be Friday, January 11. IDEAS will have only one proposal review session in 2008.

Your proposal must be received at the IDEAS office in Toronto by the deadline.
E-mail proposals must be received by midnight Eastern Time, at the end of the day of the deadline.

If your proposal arrives after the deadline, we will hold it for a subsequent review period.

Please note: it’s your responsibility to get your proposal to Toronto by the deadline. Delivery to the contributing IDEAS producer nearest you doesn’t count.

AFTER WE GET YOUR PROPOSAL…
We will hold it for the next review period. We will respond to all submitted proposals recieved in January in early April.

IF YOUR PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTED…
You will be assigned to work with an IDEAS producer. He or she will discuss production details with you and guide you through the whole production process.

WHAT WE PAY…
Most of our programs are commissioned under the collective agreement between the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) and the CBC. The amount you are paid depends on what you are commissioned to do: provide consultation, research, interviews, commentary, or rough-cut tape documentary.

FEEDBACK...
Because of the large number of proposals we receive, unfortunately we are not in a position to give feedback on individual proposals.

IDEAS CONTRIBUTING PRODUCERS

Vancouver
Kathleen Flaherty
P.O. Box 4600,
Vancouver, British Columbia,
V6B 4A2
(604) 662-6127

The Prairies
Dave Redel, Senior Producer
P.O.Box 555
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2P4
(780)468-7429

Ottawa
Sharon Workman
P.O. Box 3220, Station C
Ottawa, Ont.
K1Y 1E4


Montreal
Jane Lewis
P.O. Box 6000
Montreal, Quebec
H3C 3A8
(514) 597-4498

Halifax
Stewart Young
Network Producer
5600 Sackville Street
P.O. Box 3000
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3E9
(902) 420-4127

St.John's
Marie Wadden
Network Producer
P.O. Box 12010, Stn. “A”
St. John’s, Newfoundland
A1B 3T8
(709) 576-5276

IDEAS Toronto unit
P.O. Box 500
Station A
Toronto ON M5W 1E6
(416) 205-6029

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