Report recommends sweeping changes to CBC

[foodnut]

"A Senate committee report has recommended that CBC-TV undergo sweeping changes in order to transition to a truly commercial-free, public broadcaster."
"If the CBC dropped advertising, it would likely require a major funding increase to cover the lost revenue -- possibly as much as $400 million."
"The CBC's annual budget is close to $1 billion."

IMHO, there should be no taxpayers' funding for the CBC at all. If this organization can not exist on its own merit (IOW: air the kind of programs that will attract enough viewers so that it can attract enough advertisers to pay its own way) it should cease to exist.

I would urge all who agree with this sentiment to make your positions known to the Federal government, you MP, and the Minister in charge of the CBC.

This report will have to be dealt with in some way (accept all recommendations, accept some, shelf it, or whatever).
Enough input from enough frustrated taxpayers could help then make the right decision.

 

[vulpine]

It didn't mention anywhere that it was proposing to do this because the CBC couldn't pay its bills via advertising revenue, i think the idea is to create commericial free source of information and entertainment for Canada in the same vein as the BBC in Britian which is totally commercial free,

I think the real issue here is the possible conflict of interest when one of Canada's only forums on television for political themed programming is funded by the government

 

[#juan]

Every industrialized country in the world

has at least one publically funded TV network. CBC is so much a part of Canada that any federal government that has ideas of scrapping it had better think about it very carefully. The backlash woul kill that government and rightly so.

 

[vulpine]

again, it never said anywhere it wanted to scrap it, in fact i think they're proposing working the CBC's budget into the federal budget, thereby ensuring it's livlihood for as long as the government can or chooses to fund it

i want to know what people think about possible conflict of interests regarding government funded television networks

 

[Jo Canadian]

:scratch: I'm wondering if the PBS channels in the states rely fully on public money, or do they get some support from the state or govt? I'm curious to know.

If the CBC goes into that direction, we'd just have to put up with the occasional week every month or so where they have a beg-for-money-telethon. :lol:

 

[#juan]

If the CBC can raise half of their money from commercials, the government should pick up the other half. I would rather spend a half billion on CBC than a billion on gun control.

 

[gc]

RE: Report recommends swe

I like the CBC, but I don't undersand why it needs to be commercial free. I think the way it is run now is fine, with commercials to generate some revenue and since it is not profitable I don't mind the government picking up the rest of the cost.

 

[vulpine]

again, there wouldn't be any telethons, the only reason PBS do this is because they rely strictly on public funding, whereas, under this proposal the CBC would be entirely government funded, we already have a publicly funded station, in Ontario anyway, TVO

 

[foodnut]

The problem is that the government has no money except that which belongs to the "public", the taxpayer.
If they should want to turn the CBC into a "PBS", where only those who choose to do so would contribute - OK.
As a taxpayer I object to the fact that my taxes should pay for what often is perceived to be a "government propaganda machine”.

 

[#juan]

I hope we all know that the government has only ourmoney. There have been many things our government has spent big money on that I haven't agreed with. I happen to think the CBC is one of the better things we have in Canada. The CBC was probably harder on the Liberals than the so-called private network. All that aside, the CBC does some great work in the north that probably can't be replaced.

 

[Jo Canadian]

All that aside, the CBC does some great work in the north that probably can't be replaced.

That's true man. For the longest time the only channel one could pick up in the northern communities if you had a good antenna was CBC.

Besides I'm not following the propaganda thing. I can't quite see how the Nature of things, fifth estate and other such programs (including comedy...they trash everyone). As for news they are critical of any side, I don't quite feel like I'm being 'Sheepleized' watching CBC as I feel when I flip by Fox sometimes.

 

[Toro]

:scratch: I'm wondering if the PBS channels in the states rely fully on public money, or do they get some support from the state or govt? I'm curious to know.

If the CBC goes into that direction, we'd just have to put up with the occasional week every month or so where they have a beg-for-money-telethon. :lol:

I think (think!) the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - which runs PBS and National Public Radio - has a budget of $2.5 billion, of which $400 million is a grant from the government. (I could look it up, but I'm lazy.)

NPR BTW is by far and away the best radio network in America. Its left-leaning and even I think so - that's how good it is! It also blows CBC Radio out of the water.

http://www.npr.org/