Time to shake things up a bit: Jonathan Crowe's farewell thoughts

Just over three weeks ago, I told my boss I was leaving. Since then, pictures have been showing up on my desk, dropped there by current and former colleagues.

My favourite is a contact sheet of publicity photos. The skinny kid in the grey suit is me: 26 years old, not long after I started out.

• Jonathan Crowe leaving Here & Now after 11 years as co-host

I grew up at the CBC. And now this wonderful, maddening 31-year ride is over.

In two weeks I'll be attempting to distil three decades into something I can pass on to journalism students at the College of the North Atlantic. 

I have a new career waiting. So I'm indulging myself, and taking a look in the rear-view mirror.

How I got from there to here

I'm tempted to editorialize about the CBC and its future. However, too many have already, and I'm not in the mood to give myself a headache.

Instead, I'll tell you about my journey through the place and how proud I've been to be a part of something that I believe still matters to Canadians.

I started out with the germ of a career. A dead-end office job during the week and a contract job at the CBC in Montreal on weekends. 

It was scut work, but I loved it. I couldn't get enough of it.

I started out shotlisting hockey games, which involved taking notes of what happened during the games with the corresponding time noted so that video editors knew where to find the goals. 

It was scut work, but I loved it. I couldn't get enough of it.

I was a small part of something magic. I worked in a newsroom, playing a minor role, sharing the same air with people I'd seen on TV, like sportscasters Bob McDevitt, George Athans and a young Tom Harrington. I rubbed shoulders with future stars on their way up, like Wendy Mesley and Tom Kennedy.

In those days, Newswatch in Montreal rolled credits on Friday night. What a thrill to see my name up there for the first time!

I soaked it all in. I learned from the best in a sort of casual process of osmosis. 

The guys in the sports department let me voice highlight packs, while the reporters allowed me to tag along on assignments and put together stories for my growing video reel.

Bench-clearing brawls and other attractions

By the summer of 1987, I had a mock sportscast on tape. It landed me a job in St. John's.

I knew nothing about the place. As it turns out, neither did HR; they sent my tape and resumé to Saint John, New Brunswick! 

Anyhow, I got here and I loved it. I was on the air every night for the first few years, hosting and producing a nightly sportscast.

The local sports scene was a dream — jam-packed with colourful characters and unbelievable events. Senior hockey was the province's version of the NHL.

There were bench-clearing brawls, crazy fans and colourful characters … lots to report on.

The length and breadth of the place

Over the years, I have travelled the length and breadth of Newfoundland and Labrador, on all kinds of stories. 

I've searched for coyotes on the west coast, ridden through Gros Morne National Park on a mountain bike, seen the sun set over the Gaultois Passage, covered sled dog races in Labrador and experienced the wonders of Mistaken Point. 

The search for a good story has taken me off the island, to Iceland, Montana, Montreal, Toronto, Maryland, Qatar. If there was someone from this province doing something interesting somewhere, I had the opportunity to go and tell their story.  

Putting down roots

I never planned to stay here this long, but things changed when I met my future wife back in 1992. We had three daughters and before I knew it, my roots were firmly planted in this place. 

Since those early days I've served stints as a news reporter, a producer, even the host of a short-lived show about food. That last show had so few viewers that I joked we were TV's version of the witness protection program.

The CBC can be an unkind place. I was yanked off the nightly sportscast in the '90s, when someone decided local sports didn't matter anymore. I almost quit over that.

I was almost laid off a couple of times. Saved the first time because I was the region's only sports reporter and dodged the second cut because I was one of a new (but now common) breed of videojournalists, or reporters who shot their own stories. 

And there are Debbie and Ryan 

The secret to surviving here is to come to work every day until someone tells you to go home. The CBC seems to be in a never-ending state of cutbacks. 

Most of you know me as the cohost for the last 11 years of Here & Now — the bookend to my dear friend Debbie Cooper, and the (often unintended) comedic partner for another great friend, Ryan Snoddon.

This is the job I've done longer than any other.

I have seen so much and done so many stories — more than 5,000 by my last count — but I don't remember many of them.

What I leave here with are the images of folks I've worked with over the years. The reporters, hosts, shooters, editors and producers. I've copied them, learned from them and count them among my dearest friends.

The time has come

One day, not so long ago, I realized It was over. Time to move along, shake things up a bit. 

Twenty-six to 56 had come and gone, a three-decade blur of stories, faces and  experiences. 

Then, a couple of weeks ago, the phone rang — a chance to move on and be the slightly scared rookie again. 

• Read more articles by Jonathan Crowe

And finally, last but not least: To all of you who watched me grow up on your TV screens every night, thanks for watching.

My time at the CBC is forever a part of me.