Cutting the Corp.

CBC needs to find new ways to raise funds

CBC’S proposed slashing of popular programming, and worse, the introduction of commercials on radio, should be met with some static.

This is the wrong direction for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., as it seeks to absorb $115 million in federal budget cuts.

CBC’S mandate is very clear — to provide distinctively Canadian programming that “contributes to shared national consciousness and identity.”

On radio, television and the web, the CBC’S job is to reflect this diverse country and its regions back to Canadians. The mandate also says programming should “actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression,” and has to be in both English and in French.

Of course, all of this costs money, and we commiserate with the situation the national broadcaster finds itself in. Like all traditional media, the industry is undergoing challenging times. The federal government, which funds about 64 per cent of the CBC budget, or $1.15 billion a year, is cutting that amount by 10 per cent, phased in over three years. That amounts to about $115 million that has to be found.

The way forward for CBC, however, isn’t to make itself more like private media, competing with them for advertising dollars. It needs to be true to its founding principals, maintaining the depth and diversity of its news and current affairs programs. CBC Television already looks much like a private-sector commercial station, and now, it looks like CBC Radio risks moving in that same direction.

The plan was outlined this week by CBC president Hubert Lacroix, who says viewers can expect to see less original programming, more reruns and, for the first time, ads on CBC Radio.

Local programming expansion plans in the regions will also be delayed. That’s a sure way to lose more fans, and become even less relevant to Canadians. CBC has applied for permission to run ads on CBC Radio Two and Espace musique, both music stations. How long, though, before it seeks to put commercials on Radio One, its current affairs and news programming channel?

CBC could instead raise extra money by using a U.S. -style funding model, which seeks contributions from listeners, charitable foundations, corporations and various other sorts of sponsorships.

The United Kingdom’s system is also worth examining. The BBC is primarily funded through a television licence fee, determined annually by the British government.

CBC has an important role to play in Canada. It benefits even Canadians who don’t directly listen or watch its programming, because indirectly, the mainstream news agenda is often reacting to stories the CBC breaks through its investigations.

The plan outlined this week, we fear, is a recipe that does not benefit this vast country. It risks moving CBC away from its fundamental mandate — to tell the stories of Canadians in every remote corner of the nation where most private broadcasters do not tread.

THE PLAN OUTLINED THIS WEEK, WE FEAR, IS A RECIPE THAT DOES NOT BENEFIT THIS VAST COUNTRY.