Private rivals argue CBC is disrupting ad market
A review of the CBC’s licence renewal applications entered its second phase Monday, with some organizations and individuals presenting their call for greater accountability and transparency from the public broadcaster.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, which represents private broadcasters, expressed concern about the public broadcaster “being marketdriven rather than mandate-driven,” arguing it’s focusing too much on attracting more viewers and advertisers.
“CBC/Radio-Canada’s avowed focus on a market-driven strategy comes at a significant public policy cost,” Kevin Desjardins, president of the CAB, said in the virtual hearing run by the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission.
Desjardins also said that by selling ads on TV and its digital services, the CBC is disrupting the advertising market negatively for private broadcasters.
“It diverts from its core mandate and disrupts private broadcasters’ ability to meet their regulatory obligations,” he said, noting “the ad market right now is incredibly tight, especially in local advertising.”
The hearing began Jan. 11 with the CBC asking the broadcast regulator for greater “flexibility” as it tries to meet audience needs and makes a bigger push into the digital world.
CBC chief executive Catherine Tait said last week that if the public broadcaster is to remain relevant, it must “embrace change.”
The CBC is asking that the corporation be free of detailed financial reporting obligations around resources put into online content.
The watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting was among the other intervenors who presented Monday.
In an interview before the hearing, Friends executive director Daniel Bernhard said the CBC’s request for less scrutiny over its digital activities, and its performance at the commission thus far, signals “they don’t fully appreciate that public service media is about public service.”
CBC/Radio-Canada is asking for a five-year renewal of its current licences, which expire on Aug. 31.