Canadian taxpayers cough up a billion dollars annually to fund the CBC. Now the CBC is in Ottawa again, cap in hand,, because of a drop of 65 million dollars in advertising revenue. The CBC says this short fall could affect jobs, services and programming.
But what about affecting salaries? The CBC has 10,000 employees. Their average [pay is $75,000 a year. Could not some of these jobs be cut? Could not some of these salaries be reduced?
And there’s something else. The CBC has spent oodles of money for American programs like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. These are supposed to entice viewers tyo the CBC and then hang onto them for prime time
Do y ou think Ottawa should give more m o ney to the CBC?
Do you consider yourself a CBC fan?
What are your favourite CBC programs?
This is an easy one: No.
I was just going to blog about this.
CBC/Radio-Canada. The CBC part I do not frequent very much, but i’m a regular of Radio-Canada. From what I have experienced and by looking at TV schedules I would venture that R-C is more creative and by it’s viewership has to be. Mere translations of American shows is not enough.
I used, before our dollar went through the floor, to suscribe to PBS. If our state Radio and television would give me the same quality of programs, I would not mind paying a subscription to finance part of it. When I was a child I remember that we paid a licence fee that went to finance our public broadcaster. CBJ Chicoutimi was then part of CBC/Radio-Canada.
The unspoken reality is that Canadians get more “Canadian content” by watching American TV than they do from watching Canadian-based channels.
Let the CBC earn its own way.
I love CBC radio – but the switch that radio-2 made several months ago means I only listen to radio-1 (I used to love the classical music on radio-2, but since they no longer play classical I don’t listen to it).
Radio-1 is my station of choice.
I don’t watch much CBC tv… and wouldn’t miss it.
As much as I love radio-1 I don’t think we need to be pouring more money into this thing… I’ll miss it, but we should let it die (or survive if it can manage).
C.B.C., radio, and t.v. are Canadian symbols and programming that give me a sense of a homecoming the moment I switch away from commercial only funded channels.
The last I heard they weren’t asking for a bailout they are trying to making the necessary adjustments to remain viable.
Certainly a Conservative Government would be ready to dump them.
Harper is probably biting at the bit thinking the population would support him. It remains to be seen.
“The last I heard they weren’t asking for a bailout they are trying to making the necessary adjustments to remain viable.”
That’s the way they’re spinning it – but this “necessary adjustment” includes a “forward” of tens of millions (around $70 million I think) of dollars. They (the CBC) are saying this money would come out of future budgets – but that’s a dream (to imagine the future would be rosy enough that taking $70 million out of the next year’s budget wouldn’t HURT!).
It looks like a bailout to me…
Peter – puh-lease.
They consistently make bad decision after bad decision. Just the other day Montreal hosted a historical soccer match and the CBC opted to not show it. Here’s a “Public broadcaster” who’s mandate is to “promote” Canadian “culture” and they miserably failed with a simple one. But if it was Toronto FC – whoa!
They signed a massive deal with FIFA to show soccer games. FIFA expects its sport to be promoted at every turn and the CBC turns around, no doubt not comprehending that CONCACAF is part of FIFA, and shows the game on tape delay at midnight. Real smart.
Pure joke.
They’re a waste of money, I wouldn’t miss them and let them earn their way as Tony said. They don’t even know what their mandate is anymore.
Better yet, as I said many moons ago on my blog, make them earn their money through pledge drives like PBS as Paul said.
Put you money where your mouth is and then we’ll see just how really good they are.
And you know what else? PBS offers better programming. They hold true public values. The CBC is a public broadcaster masquerading as a corporate entity.
I willingly (and happily) give money to PBS by the way. I give to CBC without my consent. So yes, it annoys me these people get paid the way they do.
Sorry “whose” mandate. Not “who’s.” My bad.
And one last thing, this notion the CBC being a sense of “home” is as fluffy as a Tim Horton’s commercial.
Peter Mansbridge is just a guy to me. Not a bridge and defender of Canadian culture – whatever that is.
This blog which I like very much and don’t plan on leaving is filled with a bunch of Right Wing Idealogues.
Canadians Since” Hockey Night In Canada ” have enjoyed C.B.C. and Peter Mansbridge is the greatest Host anybody could ever have. He was offerred American opportunities, and refused them.
The problem with you Commentator is you look at everything objectively, get alive and appreciate the fine things in life like CBC.Fluffy, maybe, but home it is. Blessings, this is Sunday, God is Great.
No. Kill the CBC. And I don’t mean wait for it to die on its own, either. I mean take a big stick and beat it to death.
If the public wants that much insipid drool, they can pay for it themselves, like with PBS — which, by the way, unlike MotherCorp, has some pretty awesome programming!
Chimera wrote:
No. Kill the CBC. And I don’t mean wait for it to die on its own, either. I mean take a big stick and beat it to death.
Yup.
That about sums it up for me.