Without getting into a one-side-versus-another debate, I've never really understood conservatives' disdain for the media in general, esp. when the majority of news media outlets on this continent are owned by right-wingers, i.e. their own people. Not long ago I commented on a YouTube video of an old promo from a CTV station, where another commenter had accused today's CTV of being "left-wing". I replied to the commenter, saying that CTV is right-owned, and they snapped back, arguing that CTV is "not right-wing enough" and is "still left-wing".

So you like your news far-right?

What surprised me from the article attached in the first post, was the fact that CBC/Radio Canada generated almost $500 million in revenue in 2023/24 ($493..5).  This includes more than just selling  advertising time.  Cable revenue, program sales, studio rentals, and any land or buildings sold etc would be included in this. 

 Also they may have a hit show with Saint- Pierre.  I watched the show last night and monitered the top 5 trending shows on my Bell Fibe.  For what it is worth, for the entire hour the show ranked #2, only trailing NFL Football on CTV.  Murdoch Mysteries the hour before also was in the top 5, usually at #5, and at times out of the group. 

I don't agree with the defunding, and any national surveys I have seen,  the  majority of Canadians (including a majority of Conservatives) want CBC to continue and hopefully improve.  

So if defunding comes it is likely more for ideology and to appease a  loud minority of anti-public broadcasting groups that have been around for years.   However, as also mentioned, cuts or even defunding could also happen now because of the huge national debt and the committment to a much increased military budget.

But politics being the strange animal that it is, with the incoming Trump government and all the talk about Canada becoming a 51st state, could actually help galvanize support for CBC and make it that much harder to defund or slash the budget for the English network or the whole organization.    

Does anyone know how TVO is doing with its viewer supported membership. I'm wondering if this is still an option for CBC. The money raised would be an additional source of revenue. They could then decrease the amount of government funding or tv broadcast hours of paid advertising.
But I'm wondering how much money would be left after you set up a whole new department to collect and administer this idea.

It's not a matter of funding. Poilievre wants the CBC just plain gone.

I have lived to see how other Tory PMs, specifically Mulroney and Harper, chopped away at the CBC's funding in the late '80s and 2012 respectively, but they weren't so hellbent on completely destroying it like PP is.

Last edited by Forward Power (January 14, 2025 2:38 pm)

Defunding the CBC will cause a huge economic problem - think about all the supporting industry around the CBC that will be impacted that Pierre isn't thinking about