A middle-age television crisis
In its 50th year, in a 500-channel universe, is CBC TV still necessary?
September 8 marks the official 50th anniversary of CBC television and, like most middle agers reaching that mark, it’s prompting some serious reflection.
A nation-wide party – including an open house, parking-lot bash in Calgary on September 10 – will do little to hide the fact that the venerable network has seen better days. But after more than a decade of budget cuts, criticism and revamp after revamp, the public broadcaster is again showing signs of life.
Recent years have seen CBC TV generate some notable successes. The programs Canada: A People’s History and Trudeau were both critically acclaimed and ratings winners. The network's flagship newscast, The National, is the best in the country, and has improved thanks to some recent format changes. The federal government has stabilized funding for the public broadcaster, and is even hinting at an increase.
But that doesn’t mean the CBC is soaring. A recently poll says most Canadians still haven’t forgiven the CBC for cutting regional programming in the mid-90s.
Jim Thompson of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, which commissioned the poll, says budget cutbacks – mostly under Chrétien – have seriously affected the ability of the CBC to provide meaningful regional programming.
"Regional programming and (local supper-hour) newscasts have taken a tremendous loss in viewership," Thompson says. "When you look at the competition, it’s just so much better when they cover the local scene. The CBC has no money to do that sort of programming and it’s showing."
There’s also a larger issue as the CBC enters its sixth decade – is there still a place for a public television station in a country with two strong national private broadcasters and access to 500 channels?
If you ask executives at CTV and Global, you’ll get an quick answer: No way. They’ve lobbied hard against the CBC, complaining its taxpayer funding creates an unfair advantage, and the CBC’s mandate is too broad to maintain equal competition.
But supporters say in a 500-channel universe, the need for Canadian content and a publicly funded station is even greater.
These days, even the Canadian Alliance isn’t ideologically opposed to the idea of a public television broadcaster. B.C. Alliance MP Jim Abbott, the party’s heritage critic, says some big questions need to be addressed about the CBC before its fate is decided.
"Right now, CBC TV is a mongrel," Abbott says. "A mongrel that’s costing in the neighbourhood of $500 million to $600 million. Are we getting good value?"
Abbott says he likes CBC radio because it generally provides good programming for its cost, but says CBC television has "completely, totally," lost its way when it comes to local programming. He thinks private cable companies do a better job.
However, he stops short of saying he supports a full privatization of the network. He’s holding out judgment on that until a federal committee studying the state of broadcasting in Canada does its work.
Abbott says he hopes that committee’s work will help him, and his party, formulate an answer to the big questions about public broadcasting and the future of the CBC – specifically related to the need to ensure Canadian content, defining Canadian content and the need for a public broadcaster.
"These are real questions that have to be addressed and wrestled to the ground. This is a totally different world with the 500-channel universe."
But Thompson thinks he already knows the answer to those questions. His organization’s poll showed huge support for the CBC among Canadians, as high as 81 per cent when asked if the CBC provides value for taxpayer money.
"Should we be promoting culture and Canadian identity? People see a role for government in that," Thompson says. "When you offer a high-quality program that can compete with the tidal wave of shows south of the border, you’ll find an audience for it."
Thompson says he’s optimistic the CBC can continue to play a role in helping Canadians define themselves, and even expand that role on a local and regional level if its funding is beefed up. He says the network is in a unique position because it doesn’t have to chase a profit, as private networks do, which inevitably leads to the simulcasting of American programs.
"The CBC has a very distinct role to play in the new television universe that isn’t so different than it’s always been," Thompson says. "That’s as true today as it’s ever been."
From September 6 to October 10, CBC TV will feature special programming to celebrate its 50th anniversary. A party will be held September 10 in Calgary at the CBC studio on Broadview Road. Viewers can also log on to vote for their favourite CBC program, read about the CBC's past & future from Knowlton Nash & Evan Solomon, and more at www.cbc.ca/tv50th/. |
