The CBC shouldn't compete with commercial broadcasters and it shouldn't be dependent upon winning revenue-generating blockbusters like football and hockey in order to survive. If TSN wants to broadcast the CFL and The Grey Cup - let them. If Rogers Sportsnet, The Score or TSN want to bring us hockey on TV - let them. We need the CBC to bring us the programming that others won't.
There's an increasingly large void in Canadian programming as private broadcasters increasingly turn to cheaper foreign (i.e. U.S.) content. We need the CBC to fill that void. Instead, the CBC made a disastrous foray into the world of foreign content itself this past summer with the short-lived airing of the equally short-lived ABC reality show The One: Making a Music Star. The rationale behind this was that this would form the spring-board for a Canadian version of the program. If there was any doubt that the CBC was adrift, this move, which would have seen The National bouncing around the schedule (in parts of Canada), was clear confirmation. National news programming is as quintessentially a part of a nation's identity in the free world - and CBC clearly lost sight of the importance of this. Bumping the news for hockey or the Olympics is, arguably, acceptable, but doing so for an American reality show is completely beyond the pale. Furthermore, the CBC is not providing a service to Canadians by bringing U.S. reality programming into our living rooms -we've enough of that happening already. And the plan to introduce Canadian reality programming to the network is an act of desperation - reality programming is, relatively speaking, cheap to produce. Does it add value to our lives? Is it reflective of our national fabric? Will it have an enduring value as a legacy for future generations? The answer, I think, to all of these questions is a resounding "no".
While the CRTC contemplates the role of Canadian private broadcasters, and, possibly re-considers the 1999 move away from mandatory Canadian content spending conditions-of-license, one thing is clear: we are witnessing the end of television as we know it. We are moving into an on-demand world. In fact, I call 2007 "the year of on-demand". The concept of network-scheduled programming is going to increasingly give way to self-programming. While some on-demand delivery channels will fall under the jurisdiction of the CRTC, many won't, and government-mandated Canadian content requirements will become increasingly ineffectual soon.
Which brings us back to the CBC. The mandate of the CBC should be to produce content that is uniquely and distinctly Canadian - the content that no one else is producing. [In French Canada, this is less of an issue as French-language broadcasters commission and air much more original domestic content than is the case in English Canada]. That mandate must be clear, reasoned, viable, and in the interest of Canada and Canadians.
The economics of producing Canadian content are a challenge. Consumers today truly have a world of content from which to choose. Canadian content must compete against global content sources. There's no question that good Canadian content exists that is on a par with the best of the rest of the world, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to make money producing this. The Canadian market is small, and without foreign sales, it's very difficult to make a profit in the Canadian content business. Of course, the CBC's mandate isn't to make a profit and the CBC shouldn't be measured like a conventional business, but, like any business, the CBC can't operate at a loss. The CBC needs serious funding to pursue that mandate. The government - and Canadians - need to decide whether uniquely Canadian programming is important to us. Adequate funding must be a priority if we are to preserve our national identity by way of high-quality Canadian television production. Repeated funding cuts have stripped the CBC of the wherewithal it needs to fulfill this mandate. Restoring proper funding is the only way to ensure that we have a viable, relevant public broadcaster.
The CBC has proposed to the CRTC that it shut down most of its over-the-air transmitters rather than undertake the expensive conversion to digital transmission (or, even more expensive, operate simultaneous analogue and digital transmission facilities). In today's world, transmitters are an unnecessary expense that are of benefit to few at an enormous cost. CBC research shows that few in rural areas use the over -the-air signals, as satellite usage in these areas is very high. Perhaps surprisingly, CBC's submission to the CRTC says that most over-the-air television reception occurs in urban areas. As a result, the CBC proposes that only these areas would continue to be serviced by over-the-air transmission.
However, these are the very areas that are already best-served by alternate distribution mechanisms including cable, satellite, and, increasingly, IPTV from telephone companies. High-speed Internet, too, is readily-available in these areas and provides an increasingly-viable alternate distribution mechanism. So... in fact, the CBC should take things a step further and be allowed to discontinue all over-the-air transmission - it simply doesn't make sense for CBC (or other networks) to spend massive amounts of money maintaining or upgrading the physical plant for the exclusive benefit of a small minority of the viewing audience. While eliminating any transmission capability will certainly arouse the ire of a vocal minority, the reality is that over-the-air transmission is no longer necessary given that all Canadians who receive these signals can also receive the content via alternate means. [Note, though, that at the present time, satellite services don't carry all local stations (this, too, is part of the puzzle the CRTC is trying to sort out).]
Lastly, we need to consider whether the CBC is making the best possible use of its funds and revenue opportunities. While CBC TV has long been subsidized by advertising, CBC radio programming remains commercial-free and generates no revenue in return. The inequity between these two worlds seems illogical - why, on the one hand, is CBC television programming subsidized by advertising content (like most broadcast television) yet on the other CBC radio programming is delivered commercial-free and subscription-fee-free to consumers (unlike virtually all other radio content)? Yes, the CBC needs more government funding to survive and deliver on its mandate, but it must also act with fiscal responsibility and must pursue other available revenue opportunities that don't conflict with that mandate.
There's an increasingly large void in Canadian programming as private broadcasters increasingly turn to cheaper foreign (i.e. U.S.) content. We need the CBC to fill that void. Instead, the CBC made a disastrous foray into the world of foreign content itself this past summer with the short-lived airing of the equally short-lived ABC reality show The One: Making a Music Star. The rationale behind this was that this would form the spring-board for a Canadian version of the program. If there was any doubt that the CBC was adrift, this move, which would have seen The National bouncing around the schedule (in parts of Canada), was clear confirmation. National news programming is as quintessentially a part of a nation's identity in the free world - and CBC clearly lost sight of the importance of this. Bumping the news for hockey or the Olympics is, arguably, acceptable, but doing so for an American reality show is completely beyond the pale. Furthermore, the CBC is not providing a service to Canadians by bringing U.S. reality programming into our living rooms -we've enough of that happening already. And the plan to introduce Canadian reality programming to the network is an act of desperation - reality programming is, relatively speaking, cheap to produce. Does it add value to our lives? Is it reflective of our national fabric? Will it have an enduring value as a legacy for future generations? The answer, I think, to all of these questions is a resounding "no".
While the CRTC contemplates the role of Canadian private broadcasters, and, possibly re-considers the 1999 move away from mandatory Canadian content spending conditions-of-license, one thing is clear: we are witnessing the end of television as we know it. We are moving into an on-demand world. In fact, I call 2007 "the year of on-demand". The concept of network-scheduled programming is going to increasingly give way to self-programming. While some on-demand delivery channels will fall under the jurisdiction of the CRTC, many won't, and government-mandated Canadian content requirements will become increasingly ineffectual soon.
Which brings us back to the CBC. The mandate of the CBC should be to produce content that is uniquely and distinctly Canadian - the content that no one else is producing. [In French Canada, this is less of an issue as French-language broadcasters commission and air much more original domestic content than is the case in English Canada]. That mandate must be clear, reasoned, viable, and in the interest of Canada and Canadians.
The economics of producing Canadian content are a challenge. Consumers today truly have a world of content from which to choose. Canadian content must compete against global content sources. There's no question that good Canadian content exists that is on a par with the best of the rest of the world, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to make money producing this. The Canadian market is small, and without foreign sales, it's very difficult to make a profit in the Canadian content business. Of course, the CBC's mandate isn't to make a profit and the CBC shouldn't be measured like a conventional business, but, like any business, the CBC can't operate at a loss. The CBC needs serious funding to pursue that mandate. The government - and Canadians - need to decide whether uniquely Canadian programming is important to us. Adequate funding must be a priority if we are to preserve our national identity by way of high-quality Canadian television production. Repeated funding cuts have stripped the CBC of the wherewithal it needs to fulfill this mandate. Restoring proper funding is the only way to ensure that we have a viable, relevant public broadcaster.
The CBC has proposed to the CRTC that it shut down most of its over-the-air transmitters rather than undertake the expensive conversion to digital transmission (or, even more expensive, operate simultaneous analogue and digital transmission facilities). In today's world, transmitters are an unnecessary expense that are of benefit to few at an enormous cost. CBC research shows that few in rural areas use the over -the-air signals, as satellite usage in these areas is very high. Perhaps surprisingly, CBC's submission to the CRTC says that most over-the-air television reception occurs in urban areas. As a result, the CBC proposes that only these areas would continue to be serviced by over-the-air transmission.
However, these are the very areas that are already best-served by alternate distribution mechanisms including cable, satellite, and, increasingly, IPTV from telephone companies. High-speed Internet, too, is readily-available in these areas and provides an increasingly-viable alternate distribution mechanism. So... in fact, the CBC should take things a step further and be allowed to discontinue all over-the-air transmission - it simply doesn't make sense for CBC (or other networks) to spend massive amounts of money maintaining or upgrading the physical plant for the exclusive benefit of a small minority of the viewing audience. While eliminating any transmission capability will certainly arouse the ire of a vocal minority, the reality is that over-the-air transmission is no longer necessary given that all Canadians who receive these signals can also receive the content via alternate means. [Note, though, that at the present time, satellite services don't carry all local stations (this, too, is part of the puzzle the CRTC is trying to sort out).]
Lastly, we need to consider whether the CBC is making the best possible use of its funds and revenue opportunities. While CBC TV has long been subsidized by advertising, CBC radio programming remains commercial-free and generates no revenue in return. The inequity between these two worlds seems illogical - why, on the one hand, is CBC television programming subsidized by advertising content (like most broadcast television) yet on the other CBC radio programming is delivered commercial-free and subscription-fee-free to consumers (unlike virtually all other radio content)? Yes, the CBC needs more government funding to survive and deliver on its mandate, but it must also act with fiscal responsibility and must pursue other available revenue opportunities that don't conflict with that mandate.