CBC on edge of its “biggest crisis”: Knowlton Nash
An editorial by Knowlton Nash
The CBC is confronting the biggest crisis it has faced in its more than 70 years of existence. In spite of CBC executive cheer-leading assertions that the public broadcaster is “by no means beleaguered,” it nevertheless is under assault from a horde of fateful challenges:
- From sharp-elbowed private broadcasters who lust after CBC-TV sports and other money-earning CBC programming;
- From the skepticism bordering on contempt of Prime Minister Harper;
- From the suicidal inclinations of some inside as well as outside the CBC who seem to have limited understanding of the purpose of public broadcasting;
- And from a shrinking and largely discontented creative staff.
Altogether, it’s far from an encouraging environment for the CBC and certainly smacks of beleaguerment.
I hate to sound like a grumpy old sourpuss prattling on about the so-called “good old days,” but to me, as an ardent but saddened advocate of public broadcasting, the odds these days appear to be running against the CBC.
It won’t collapse with a big bang but rather, I fear, with a painful whimper as it is dismembered, piece by piece, with target number one being English language television. The CBC’s basic problem is that it is under-funded and over-mandated. The reality of that dilemma is now being studied by the House of Commons heritage committee, which is examining “The role of a public broadcaster in the 21st century.” CBC President Bob Rabinovitch says he’d like to see such a study done every 10 years to spell out what Canadians expect from the CBC and with a government commitment to finance those expectations. Not a bad idea. Actually, we’ve been doing this kind of CBC role examination since the Aird Report of 1929, followed by the Massey Report, the Fowler Report, more recently the Lincoln Report and a dozen or so other major reports, studies and Royal Commissions. But for the most part, the recommendations have carried a price tag the politicians are reluctant to acknowledge and rarely, if ever, provide.
To help strengthen our sense of nationhood, we need to develop a sharply defined public broadcasting mandate with a realistically calculated budget. The prospects are limited, however, because the political and public support that gave birth to the CBC in 1936 is hard to find today. No longer heard are the 20th century voices of influential CBC champions such as Mackenzie King or Mike Pearson, Graham Spry or Alan Plaunt, Davidson Dunton or Leonard Brockington. They recognized that to maintain cultural independence from the giant next door, Canada needs a publicly-financed broadcast system that tells our own Canadian stories, showcases our own music, drama and comedy, and provides news and public affairs with a Canadian perspective.
The purpose is not to prevent Canadians from watching American TV, but rather to provide a home-grown creative experience.
That experience has been haunted by government budget cuts amounting to 20 per cent in the past 15 years. Canada, in fact, is among the world’s lowest per capita spenders on public broadcasting. This at a time when publicity is needed more than ever because of the fierce competition on our fragmented airwaves. As a result, we have a pallid star system and a reduced awareness of what CBC programming is available.
But the ultimate question is: Is the CBC worth what it costs?
Are we content to save the money, relax and succumb to the lure of the mostly American shows that private broadcasters offer in prime time? There is nothing wrong with our thirst for American shows, but are we satisfied with being a little Sir Echo to American programming displaying all the lifestyles of our southern neighbour and little of our Canadian culture?
Culture defines a nation and a country that does not respect its own culture is a country that is for sale.
Knowlton Nash, a member of the Osprey Writers Group, is the former anchor of CBC’s The National.
What do you think? Do you agree with Nash’s essay?
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I was glad to see Nash making this case. The CBC is supposed to be about our culture. Culture means creative people being given the chance to do their thing. What they do creates the culture: They are us. We are Canadian.
When you kick the creative people enough they do eventually drift away. The lockout, the crappy pay, the lack of opportunity: horrible really.
So the content suffers, so the managers drive the remaining souls harder, so the content suffers.
There may never be a real political will for true public broadcasting ever again. All along we have never been free from the spectre of the CBC’s death by a thousand cuts.
Nash probably wouldn’t want this, but I’m tired of CBC trying to constantly do more with less. Instead of CBC spreading its forces thinner and thinner, it may be time to officially do less – but do it effervescently well. Find a core and return to it. Pay people enough to let them own homes and raise families. Give them a chance at advancement. Watch the brightest minds spark again.
In answer to Nash’s ultimate question…well, you probably saw my answer coming from a continent away: yes, it’s worth what it costs. And worth far more than that, too.
All the CBC has to do is present Canadian programming and news without all the flavor. Canadians want TV programming to reflect our values not TV that attempts to program us with new values. I believe that more Canadians would support a politically neutral CBC but since they don’t seem capable of operating without trying to redefine our culture it is past time we threw the CBC to the wolves. The CBC does not reflect Canadian culture and will therefore continue to lose market share either way.
No, the CBC is not worth what it costs.
We certainly don’t need the CBC to show Olympics and hockey, the private broadcasters can do that just as well.
Broadcasters, like everyone else, should earn their money, not receive a free cheque. When I pay my taxes, the CBC is the last place I would like to see the money go. But of course I have little say in the matter.
Some of the shows on public Canadian television funded by government subsidies are very poor quality. But as long as the producers have the right connections and they know the right people in the government bureaucracy, there is an unending stream of other peoples’ money (government subsidies) for these projects.
When I watch a television show, I watch it primarily because of the quality and the entertainment. If Canadians truly believe they can make quality television, then they should be able to compete without the free money. Our Canadian actors and our Canadian singers have shown the ability to compete, so why can’t our television producers?
If the CBC is allowed to wither, Canadian television will actually get better.
Mr Nash,
Please enjoy your retirement and your pension. Our country is just fine.
I am not worried about an American takeover. How long are we going to keep on beating on that drum?
We have plenty of Canadian culture. Many channels of Canadian content. Ever watched TV lately? The aboriginals even have their own network on cable!
When is the last time I saw a TV show on CBC Prime time spoken in any aboriginal tongue, or in Italian, German, Portugese, Spanish, Polish, Ukranian, any tongue from the middle east, or asian tongue? (subtitled in English or French). Let me think: NEVER!
If I tune into OMNI 1, or OMNI 2 I will find this. Those channels are excellent reflection of true Canadian society. And let’s see, they aren’t wholly subsidized by the Canadian taxpayer.
Hurrah for Knowlton Nash. CBC is losing sight of its purpose. One only needs to look at the quality programming being done by PBS or the BBC to notice that CBC is being surpassed by other public broadcasters.
Please shut the CBC down. I can’t stand my hard earned tax dollars being spent on such a left wing propaganda machine.
$1 Billion a year is too much to offend me every day!
@Mike:
I understand your concern. Therfore, I would like to help you: I will be collecting donations to give you your CBC Refund. Since there are 32,894,100 people in Canada, if each citizen supported the cost of the CBC equally ($1 Billion, as you have claimed) then the price would be about $30.40 per person.
If you feel truly deprived by your loss of $30.40, I will be happy to send you your CBC refund in the mail.
As for your other issue: If the CBC offends you “every day”, I would suggest that you stop listening to/watching it.
Not while I’m a citizen of Canada, “Mike”.
Mr. Nash,
A nation is defined by its culture, unfortunately for you and other CBC supporters, Canadians are voting with their clicking thumb to say they don’t support CBC’s version of our culture.
CBC is now the third most watched national television newscast behind number 1 Global National and number 2 CTV News with your old colleague Lloyd Robertson. CBC seems to offer very little in the way of hockey or news that most Canadians are itnerested in watching. Instead of trying, as a previous poster put it, to reprogram our culture with new values or trying to reach out to young people with ever more hip and vulgar programming, why not program for the masses. Yes that is right, the great unwashed. CTV imports a great deal fo American programs, it virtually owns the top 20 shows, but it also invests in Corner Gas, Robson Arms and other programming that does seem to be finding an audience.
CBC Television uses more resources, has more money and more people and yet produces a product fewer people want to watch. Something must change, unfortunately I doubt the people that operate the CBC headquarters would know how to change in a way that will find an audience.
As for CBC Radio it is not under fire because it works. There are many who would like to see it go away because they don’t like subsidizing a mainly left-wing political view, but CBC Radio has found an audience. It used to be that CBC Radio only showed up in ratings in smaller centres without their own major media. Today, CBC Radio is competitive in markets such as Ottawa and Toronto which each have their own strong private broadcasters offering information programming.
Is CBC worth the cost? Maybe for radio, but considering the massive cost of CBC Television and the low ratings for anything outside of Hockey Night in Canada, it is time to privatize the CBC. As much as you Mr. Nash may not like it, those American shows on CTV are part of our culture as much as Coronation Street on the CBC.
Now where’s that remote, Kevin Newman should be reading the news on Global soon.