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January 11, 2021 12:41 pm  #1


CRTC Received 20,000 Submissions From Cdns. As CBC Hearings Begin

The CRTC hearing into the renewal of CBC's radio and TV licences officially began in Gatineau, Quebec Monday. This statement, made by Chair Ian Scott, in his opening remarks stood out to me: 

"The Commission received over 20,000 interventions from Canadians, as well as from a variety of interested parties. I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank all those who took the time to participate in this public consultation. Your views are important to us. They’re on the public record and will be taken into consideration by the Commission in our decision-making."

I was actually kind of surprised to learn that many people responded. My question: will the Commission take into account both the positive and the negative comments  - or just the former? This is a pretty much a rubber stamp, I would think, although the CRTC has promised to look into how well the CBC is meeting its mandate. 

CRTC CBC Hearings

 

January 13, 2021 1:44 pm  #2


Re: CRTC Received 20,000 Submissions From Cdns. As CBC Hearings Begin

Here's hoping that the 20,000 interventions are not weighted too much with the whiney and elitist "Friends of Canadian Broadcasting" crowd who want a much bigger budget for CBC with no commercials, no sports and focus more on the arts.  Please...CBC TV already has a ratings problem, lets not make it even worse.  They seem to think that because CBC radio is popular, TV should have similar programming...  Cue the eye rolling here...

And there is the Sun/Post media crowd who just hate CBC and want it, especially TV service gone.  Every couple of weeks their papers have been saying as much for about 25 years at least.  Since CBC TV has lousy ratings and supposedly a pro left slant on everything they should be dismantled or sold, demands Sun/Post Media.  And they also don't like the 200-300 million in ad revenue that CBC/Radio Canada takes in every year either.  Guess all those millions could buy a lot of newsprint for their papers.

Strange but years ago, when CBC TV was actually getting some decent ratings, this same group would scream about the "limitless taxpayer funds" and the "unfair advantage" over private broadcasters like Bell Rogers and Corus. It was no wonder CBC had the odd popular show with all this free money flowing in.  

Yes, hard done by Bell Media, the cable/satellite provider for millions with it's 109 commercial radio stations, 33 specialty and pay channels, 3 TV networks with 43 over the air channels, majority interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Canada's largest film studio complex, over 50,000 outdoor advertising billboards and various digital and app platforms.  Indeed, CBC is certainly holding all the cards and has the power compared to Bell and Rogers for that matter.  Cue second rolling of the eyes here... 

Still, 20,000 interventions is pretty impressive, so hopefully there is a good sampling from the average viewer/listener who simply wants to improve service and make CBC better.  It would be refreshing to hear from people who don't have an overpowering agenda.  Should be interesting to see how this happens and if the CBC mandate is updated, if it will be downsized, or if radical changes are coming.