Dutch Broadcaster Confirms Identity of Someone Running an Alberta Separatist YouTube Channel ⇥ bnr.nl

Aäron Loupatty, BNR (in Dutch, as interpreted by Safari’s translation feature):

Because Canadian media have taken it out so big, Youp now says he is changing course. “This came out of nowhere for us. It is clear what it has brought about. If I had known earlier that this was a problem, I would have adjusted the content accordingly.’ Contrary to what the universities claim, Youp says there is no coordinated network that wants to fuel separatist sentiments in Alberta. According to him, many of the videos are created precisely because channels look away from each other, but there is no collaboration there.

“Youp” is Youp Licher, who was originally identified by CBC News. I have no reason to disbelieve him in claiming that this is simply a financial play, and not a deliberate effort to meddle in Alberta politics.

One of the YouTube channels in question — the Canadian Reporter — has accumulated around 15.5 million total video views since it was created on May 1 last year. Using an approximate number of 44,000 daily views with Social Blade’s earnings estimator suggests a range of USD $3,960–$63,360 in annual revenue from ads alone. That is a huge range, to be sure, but even the lowest number is a successful side hustle for how little work actually goes into this stuff.

More traditional media organizations — BNR and CBC News being two examples — attempted to separate the business side of what they do from the news side. Paying writers based on clicks used to be a noteworthy exception, but then traffic bonuses became part of the compensation package at some outlets. It eventually paved the way for the YouTube-native model of almost entirely traffic-based compensation. Historically powerful human gatekeepers have been replaced by the singular platform of YouTube, which means anyone can make money and possibly a living if they have a large enough audience. A fandom parlays into other revenue streams, of course; Canadian Reporter sells paid subscriptions on YouTube from $1.50–$10.50 per month, and has a “Buy Me a Coffee” link in the bio albeit with just two subscribers.

In the way this new economy has pushed out the old, it is unfortunately fitting that one of the inadvertent faces of one of these channels is Matt Berry. Berry made an audition tape without knowing how it was going to be used because he had a profile on freelance talent site Upwork. But Berry is no long-term freelancer. He was, until 2021, the award-winning music director at X92.9, Calgary’s alternative rock station. I cannot find any comment from the station’s owner as to why he was among those laid off at the time, but it feels a little on-the-nose that a former broadcaster found his likeness being used without permission to market some clickbait A.I.-generated videos and boost someone else’s AdSense revenue.

(Thank you to reader Sanel for sending me this link.)