The conservative case for the CBC - Jen Gerson

[dimsum]

Jen Gerson: The Conservative case for the CBC

The CBC needs a radical overhaul that includes an extensive mandate review. Defunding solves nothing.

www.readtheline.ca

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I want to see CBC North and the archive kept, the rest of it I don't care if it's overhauled or scrapped.

 

[Remius]

I want to see CBC North and the archive kept, the rest of it I don't care if it's overhauled or scrapped.

Personally I would like to see the CBC support smaller locales, keep the news and radio parts but ditch the rest. Get rid of show content and production as well as things like GEM etc.

 

[lenaitch]

I want to see CBC North and the archive kept, the rest of it I don't care if it's overhauled or scrapped.

As far a TV goes, sure. I'm partial to CBC Radio though. It is often the only station you can get in the boonies.

Personally I would like to see the CBC support smaller locales, keep the news and radio parts but ditch the rest. Get rid of show content and production as well as things like GEM etc.

GEM is their streaming platform and these days streaming goes hand-in-hand with broadcast. It provides access for those who don't want/can't afford satellite TV. In order to serve the smaller locales, like they used to, they would have to re-establish their rebroadcast network. When the world went digital OTA from analogue, they dropped their entire network (save, perhaps the large markets) citing lack of funding.

I like Gen's argument. How do we tell our stories to ourselves? How do new Canadian's become part of the equation? Or is our world just what the US networks tell us?

 

[Brad Sallows]

I like Gen's argument. How do we tell our stories to ourselves? How do new Canadian's become part of the equation? Or is our world just what the US networks tell us?

How do we stop a public broadcaster designed to tell our stories to ourselves from becoming another CBC?

 

[Kirkhill]

How do we stop a public broadcaster designed to tell our stories to ourselves from becoming another CBC?

Which stories do we want to tell ourselves? And who gets to decide?

 

[The Bread Guy]

... How do we tell our stories to ourselves? ...

How do we stop a public broadcaster designed to tell our stories to ourselves from becoming another CBC?

Which stories do we want to tell ourselves? And who gets to decide?

And is everyone's entire reality (or a reasonable sample thereof) being represented and portrayed? Judging by coverage of my home town (Thunder Bay) on CBC national media, I suspect there's far more nuance to the realities being faced in other cities/towns in Canada I hear stories about that we could be hearing/seeing, but ain't.

 

[lenaitch]

And is everyone's entire reality (or a reasonable sample thereof) being represented and portrayed? Judging by coverage of my home town (Thunder Bay) on CBC national media, I suspect there's far more nuance to the realities being faced in other cities/towns in Canada I hear stories about that we could be hearing/seeing, but ain't.

Part of the rut CBC (radio anyway) has been put into is budget cuts have forced the local to become regional. CBC Northern Ontario is now everything from about Parry Sound north and west to the Manitoba border. I think they retained a host/correspondent in TBay but production is out of Sudbury. That's a huge area and a lot of stories.

I don't think it's just the CBC. Outside of local media, it seems all any of the national media outlets cover about TBay is about your police service (again). If it bleeds it leads I guess.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Part of the rut CBC (radio anyway) has been put into is budget cuts have forced the local to become regional. CBC Northern Ontario is now everything from about Parry Sound north and west to the Manitoba border. I think they retained a host/correspondent in TBay but production is out of Sudbury. That's a huge area and a lot of stories.

There’s still a morning show out of TBay - for now - but yeah, most of the 705/807 news is outta Sudbury.

I don't think it's just the CBC. Outside of local media, it seems all any of the national media outlets cover about TBay is about your police service (again). If it bleeds it leads I guess.

Unlike in the old days when national news services would do stories on people losing fingers in snowblowers here