Time to change channels at the CBC?

[fellowtraveller]

The CBC was not an issue during the campaign, but I recall hearing as aside from Harper that maybe the time had come to look at dumping the parts of the network that were available commercially.

That likely means English language TV...

What do you think?

[geoffrey]

The CBC was not an issue during the campaign, but I recall hearing as aside from Harper that maybe the time had come to look at dumping the parts of the network that were available commercially.

That likely means English language TV...

What do you think?

Ya the CBC needs to be completely privatized. Public media ownership is a bad idea, always.

[Riverwind]

Ya the CBC needs to be completely privatized. Public media ownership is a bad idea, always.

I see no reason why public ownership of media is any different than private ownership. There is a potential for conflict of interest in both cases. Personally, I feel that have both types of news sources ensures Canadians have access to a wider variety of information and entertainment than we would have if we only had private broadcasters.

English TV is a problem and needs a re-work so it becomes less dependent on sports broadcasts for money.

[tml12]

Sell it to Rupert Murdoch...

No but seriously I think CBC should be privatized and run like PBS in the States, they get their funding from donations, right?

[Riverwind]

No but seriously I think CBC should be privatized and run like PBS in the States, they get their funding from donations, right?

1/3 to 1/2 of the funding for PBS comes from the US government. PBS would not exist if it did not have public funding. Furthermore, PBS has 10 times the market to draw donations from. It would be next to impossible for CBC to replace its budget with donations.

[tml12]

No but seriously I think CBC should be privatized and run like PBS in the States, they get their funding from donations, right?

1/3 to 1/2 of the funding for PBS comes from the US government. PBS would not exist if it did not have public funding. Furthermore, PBS has 10 times the market to draw donations from. It would be next to impossible for CBC to replace its budget with donations.

So you agree CBC funding should be cut from the Canadian gov't?

[Riverwind]

No but seriously I think CBC should be privatized and run like PBS in the States, they get their funding from donations, right?

1/3 to 1/2 of the funding for PBS comes from the US government. PBS would not exist if it did not have public funding. Furthermore, PBS has 10 times the market to draw donations from. It would be next to impossible for CBC to replace its budget with donations.

So you agree CBC funding should be cut from the Canadian gov't?

Where did you get that idea from. I said English TV need to be re-worked which means its budget could go up. The most important thing it to make sure that CBC has enough funding to provide programming that many Canadians want but they cannot get from the private broadcasters.

[tml12]

No but seriously I think CBC should be privatized and run like PBS in the States, they get their funding from donations, right?

1/3 to 1/2 of the funding for PBS comes from the US government. PBS would not exist if it did not have public funding. Furthermore, PBS has 10 times the market to draw donations from. It would be next to impossible for CBC to replace its budget with donations.

So you agree CBC funding should be cut from the Canadian gov't?

Where did you get that idea from. I said English TV need to be re-worked which means its budget could go up. The most important thing it to make sure that CBC has enough funding to provide programming that many Canadians want but they cannot get from the private broadcasters.

Sorry I misunderstood...

[geoffrey]

Seperation of powers. Media that has their budget controlled by the ruling party is a ridiculous idea.

CBC could be profitable if they aired things that were publically enjoyable, instead of damned "Au Courant" and "Andrew and Suhana on Sundays".

[Canuck E Stan]

Twenty-Five percent of the press gallery is CBC, that would be the first change that should be made.

[Riverwind]

Seperation of powers. Media that has their budget controlled by the ruling party is a ridiculous idea.

Why is it any different than having judges and policemen with salaries controlled by the 'ruling party'?

[geoffrey]

Seperation of powers. Media that has their budget controlled by the ruling party is a ridiculous idea.

Why is it any different than having judges and policemen with salaries controlled by the 'ruling party'?

It isn't any different, just there you can't do anything to stop it.

[Riverwind]

Twenty-Five percent of the press gallery is CBC, that would be the first change that should be made.

Why does that indicate a problem? CBC has four services: French/English Radio/TV. That means CBC should be one of the largest groups in the press gallery. Furthermore, the mandate of the CBC is to provide in depth news converage instead of the info-tainment that passes for news on commercial channels.

[Riverwind]

Seperation of powers. Media that has their budget controlled by the ruling party is a ridiculous idea.

Why is it any different than having judges and policemen with salaries controlled by the 'ruling party'?

It isn't any different, just there you can't do anything to stop it.

Sure you can. The police and courts could be privatized. Why should't people should be free to choose their own security service instead of having to deal with a government monopoly? I am sure that competing private police forces that are free from the perception of gov't influence would make everyone feel safer.

[newbie]

Ya the CBC needs to be completely privatized.

Yep, kinda like the unbiased Fox news.

[geoffrey]

Ya the CBC needs to be completely privatized.

Yep, kinda like the unbiased Fox news.

I'm not saying bias is a problem. I'm saying me paying for bias is a problem. And the government in power controlling the funds of a media company is problem.

I don't care if the CBC is leftist, I watch the CBC all the time.

[Riverwind]

I don't care if the CBC is leftist, I watch the CBC all the time.

The CBC will not exist if has all of its funding cut. PBS and NPR in the US depend on govt funding and huge endownment funds that have been built over decades. Furthermore, donations from viewers would be much smaller in Canada since there are only 1/10th of the number of people (and only %75 of those speak English).

[geoffrey]

I don't care if the CBC is leftist, I watch the CBC all the time.

The CBC will not exist if has all of its funding cut. PBS and NPR in the US depend on govt funding and huge endownment funds that have been built over decades. Furthermore, donations from viewers would be much smaller in Canada since there are only 1/10th of the number of people (and only %75 of those speak English).

So then they'll have to make programming that is relavent to enough Canadians to sell advertising spots.

[rbacon]

Sparhawk you are a quick study. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing TV programming, let the consumer pay. Taxes are too high now. Sell it off and disband the CRTC at the same time. We are all adults who can decide for ourselves what we want to watch. It's only socialists that are frightened. Let them pay directly. They can use Paypal every week to keep up the CBC.

[Canuck E Stan]

2002

- Parliamentary operating appropriations: $840.4 million (includes $60 million in additional, one-time funding for programming initiatives)

- Employees: 6,929

- Services: four commercial-free national radio networks (English and French); two national TV networks (English and French); radio and TV services in Northern Canada (in French, English and eight aboriginal languages); two all-news TV services; two multi-layered Web sites (English and French); English interactive Internet sites; French interactive Internet site; digital pay audio service; shortwave radio service; digital TV channel; partner in specialty TV services.

All this for 5.8% Audience Share.

We are being forced to pay for what we refuse to watch.

Hardly good value for the buck.

[geoffrey]

2002

- Parliamentary operating appropriations: $840.4 million (includes $60 million in additional, one-time funding for programming initiatives)

- Employees: 6,929

- Services: four commercial-free national radio networks (English and French); two national TV networks (English and French); radio and TV services in Northern Canada (in French, English and eight aboriginal languages); two all-news TV services; two multi-layered Web sites (English and French); English interactive Internet sites; French interactive Internet site; digital pay audio service; shortwave radio service; digital TV channel; partner in specialty TV services.

All this for 5.8% Audience Share.

We are being forced to pay for what we refuse to watch.

Hardly good value for the buck.

Give me $840mil a year and I'll make a live presentation in each city every hour. Think a huge dramatic theatrical (spelling?) satire. Think like Greek and Roman plays...

In fact, I'll even build each major city a collesium, it could be a make-work project too!

[Canuck E Stan]

Add in a former announcer from the Winnipeg airport,who I heard gets over $300,000 a year plus perks,all just to spit out the news on the national and you can see how the CBC thinks they're more important than the public thinks they are.

Time to cut back,way back.

Put the bucks where it would do more good,and I'm not talking about the gun registry.

[fellowtraveller]

It would be next to impossible for CBC to replace its budget with donations.

Why do you say that? TV: Every network in Canada does just that, except they call it advertising revenue. Except the CBC. Radio: here is an example of an outstanding public radio stationCKUA that exists almost entirely on subscriptions/donations from listeners, plus a small amount of advertisng revenue. It was formerly an expensive outlet financed by the Alberta government. Now it is a popular and very good station - and I send in $50 to $100 as do many others.

I'm not saying bias is a problem. I'm saying me paying for bias is a problem. And the government in power controlling the funds of a media company is problem.

I say both are a problem - the bias and me paying for it. In the Mulroney era, the CBC was criticized as being a Tory tool. Same accusations for the last 13 years of Liberals. Bias, the possibility of bias, and the perception of bias are all equally damning. State propaganda organs have no place in a modern democracy.

Dump TV entirely, and let the avid and loyal listeners/supporters of CBC fund CBC Radio themselves. Put your money where your mouth is.

This is not 1930, and radio technology is hardly cutting edge - we are not reaching far into the faint ether to touch the hearts of settlers in sod huts.

[tml12]

"In the Mulroney era, the CBC was criticized as being a Tory tool. Same accusations for the last 13 years of Liberals."

Maybe it favours the governing party at the expense of change? Because I was young and incoherent during the Mulrooney years...

[Riverwind]

So then they'll have to make programming that is relavent to enough Canadians to sell advertising spots.

The need to please advertisers is what makes most commerical programming crap.

here is an example of an outstanding public radio stationCKUA that exists almost entirely on subscriptions/donations from listeners, plus a small amount of advertisng revenue

NPR in the US does not earn enough from donations/limited ads - it needs govt funding. It is unreasonable to assume the a national CBC radio services would do much better. I am not adverse to having CBC use donations to supplement its budget - I am just saying it unrealistic to expect the service to continue without gov't support.

All this for 5.8% Audience Share.

We are being forced to pay for what we refuse to watch.

Stats I have seen show that 30-50% of Canadians watch/listen some CBC programming regularily. I can think of many things that the gov't pays for that I do not want or use - so just because you don't want it does not make it an unreasonable expense.