The federal government will commit $60 million for Canadian programming to CBC for each of the next two fiscal years. The Corporation has received this money each year since 2001, but it’s always been positioned by the government as “one-time funding.”
News of the funding came Friday when CBC president spoke to the Heritage committee. He told them if CBC is to “reach its potential and be the public broadcaster Canada needs, it needs a new contract with Canadians.” This contract would lay out the obligations that CBC/Radio-Canada owes to its 32 million owners over a ten-year period. It would be based on the following:
- The broadcasting system should remain a mixed public/private system;
- The public broadcaster should have programming independence;
- Its programming should be distinctive;
- It should serve all Canadians;
- It should have the resources needed to meet the agreed-upon requirements.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is at a turning point that no one-year answer, no one-dimensional response will resolve,” Rabinovitch said.
What do you think of that proposed five-point contract with Canadians? Should CBC’s programming be distinctive, or should it offer programming similar to the current fare offered by private broadcasters? Should CBC continue to find private sources of funding to supplement its programming needs, or should Parliament offer more money to the Corporation?
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I think it would be great for the CBC to have a clearly set out mandate as “simple” as the five points. (Simple in that all Canadians will understand them, not necessarily simple in implementation.) This would be a great opportunity for the CBC to have stable, predicatable funding that would enable planning that doesn’t seem to be happening now–at least not in a way Canadians can see/understand.
I think the CBC should be distinctive - distinctly Canadian, but it can still be similar to the other networks. I think that Dragons Den and Test the Nation are both great programs that are similar to American programs, but have uniquely Canadian. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact I would say that they are probably the two best Canadian shows I have seen in a long time.
If the CBC really wants to appeal to the majority of Canadians they will put my show on the air, Happy Hour with Mark McKay: http://www.youtube.com/markmckay
Mark
What do you think of that proposed five-point contract with Canadians?
Excellent. Everyone will know what the purpose of our pubcaster is.
Should CBC’s programming be distinctive, or should it offer programming similar to the current fare offered by private broadcasters?
I’d have to say a bit of both. It’s got to have popular widely-based programs to keep the institution relevent, but also needs the niche programs that the private broadcasters won’t touch.
Should CBC continue to find private sources of funding to supplement its programming needs, or should Parliament offer more money to the Corporation?
Ideally parliament should offer more money. If they don’t/won’t, then I think it’s acceptable that the CBC do what it needs to do in order to finanace the telling of Canadian stories to Canadians.
Jason Paris said: “Ideally parliament should offer more money. ”
Jason, it’s not parliament’s money! It’s mine and your’s and all Canadians’ money. The CBC takes $1 billion a year off taxpayers. The CBC is blatantly left wing, which insults and offends about half of its unwilling benefactors.
Enough is enough. Shut it down or let it find its funding (voluntarily) from people who share its political beliefs.