CBC asks: Tell us what the CBC means to you

[bandaid]

I have tried to like CBC, really I have. I guess I am just not old enough to appreciate it.

[kevind]

I miss Peter Gzowski.

[Beefitarian]

I have tried to like CBC, really I have. I guess I am just not old enough to appreciate it.

Sometimes I have enjoyed CBC Radio for over an hour at a time myself.

[Icebound]

We do keep forgetting that "democracy" means the inclusion of everybody and not just "majority rules" as many of you would wish.

That means that, even if ratings don't match Dancing With the Stars, or whatever, there is still room for programming that reaches a minority of listeners/viewers. Having the "entire country".... that means you... support it, is one of the costs of having a pleasant country to live in.

The suggestion that we adopt American-style "money-raising" efforts to fund it, is somewhat peculiar if it is money-saving that we want.... Money-raising efforts eat up as much as 80% of many charities' resources... Not only does it reduce the resources available for production, but it reduces the end-user's entertainment and informational experience.

Speaking of Dancing with the Stars, (or any other "reality" show").... CBC's Dragon's Den was way more educational and entertaining, but who watches it? Yet.... in spite of our protestation that "nobody" watches CBC, it is difficult to go very far in day-to-day life, before finding someone who does.... at least some of the time.

[robertsailor1]

Good point you'd think for a billion dollars someone would be watching or listening, the lefty's must think money is grown on trees. We have public health care that needs money, social services and you want to put it into the CBC..good choice!

[JakeYYZ]

Should tax payers be forced to subsidize "artists" who can't get a decent job elsewhere? If their art is so precious, how come so few care to watch it? Really, you think the Republic of Doyle is a symbol of Canadian culture that tax payers should be forced to pay for even if they don't watch the show? It's pretty clear that Canadians aren't buying what the CBC is telling them they should be - indicated by their ratings. There's NO good reason CBC should be getting a dime of taxpayer money. It should make it on its own merits or become extinct like the dinosaur it is.

[Rockie]

Promoting and protecting Canadian culture is something every Canadian government does in ways you probably aren't even aware of. The CBC is just the most visible. All of Canada including you benefits from it in ways you aren't aware of as well.

You might scoff at the arts, but without them Canada would be a pretty sterile place. As a country we would resemble Pearson airport instead of Vancouver's. That to me is worth the money spent, and I think if a poll were done most Canadians would agree. Otherwise under Harper the CBC would have lost all their funding years ago.

[Icebound]

Good point you'd think for a billion dollars someone would be watching or listening, the lefty's must think money is grown on trees. We have public health care that needs money, social services and you want to put it into the CBC..good choice!

Actually.... a lot of money comes out of thin air..... But that's for another thread.

I do commend you for at least suggesting the money be moved to other social services.... many of the posters here, would rather just send it off to the Cayman Islands...

But the CBC IS a good choice.... if you consider Canada as an important entity worthy of holding together. It is the one non-political entity in the Country that both hires and serves French and English, Northern and Southern, Indigenous and Immigrant, rural and urban, artsy and macho.

ALL Canadians can find something for or about themselves on the CBC. ...and without having to endure endless repetitive rants.

Rush and Bill and Ezra are Soapbox pretending to be News.

Any media which tries to actually tell the story....well, that's "leftist"...

I am pretty confident that Canadians will see through the soapbox crowd in the long run. My generation was complacent and let them get away with it, but Jack has re-energized a new young crowd. Its going to get interesting.



....

[Rockie]

The CBC is at it's best and actually serving its function with news, arts, documentaries and other information type programming. The funding it gets is under pressure just like anything else the public pays for which is only right, which means it has to get smarter about what it spends public money on. I have to agree that we could probably do with less republic of Doyle type programming when money is tight. There is no reason pure entertainment type programming like that shouldn't earn it's keep and save public funds for meatier stuff that would never see the light of day in a private network.

You right wingnuts will probably fall off your chair when you read this.

[The Old Fogducker]

You right wingnuts will probably fall off your chair when you read this.

No Rockie ... no loss of balance on my part, but your ignorance of the broadcast media is showing as brightly as a "Night Sun" light installed.

The Old (Radioguy) Fogducker

[Rockie]

Easy there foggy. Your hatred of all things Rockie is going to eventually give you a stroke if you're not careful.

[mcrit]

Promoting and protecting Canadian culture is something every Canadian government does in ways you probably aren't even aware of. The CBC is just the most visible.

The CBC is a tool used to attempt to shape Canadian Culture into a form that has been dictated by a small segment of the population.

You might scoff at the arts, but without them Canada would be a pretty sterile place.

Agreed. But he wasn't scoffing at the arts. He was scoffing at the idea that this particular dancer was worth government subsidies. To suggest that art would disappear without government funding is asinine in the extreme.

[Rockie]

To suggest that art would disappear without government funding is asinine in the extreme.

It's a good thing I didn't suggest that then isn't it?

You know we would probably disagree less if I knew how to write in a language you understood, but unfortunately I only know english.

[Sheila]

It means to me, a channel I can watch and I know it will be Canadian like 22 minutes and Coronation street. When I want to see local news and weather that's where I go. If I want culture I go to the gas bar and get lotto tickets. This past weekend I was in Thompson and there was a full serve gas bar, and the gas jockey put oil in my car for me. Isn't that from the old days when there were nothing but full serve gas stations? I think I'll join the Co-op so I can have full serve like so many canadians, or is it just in Manitoba, that company? blah blah blah.

[grimey]

It means to me, a channel I can watch and I know it will be Canadian like 22 minutes and Coronation street.

Get Netflix Sheila. There are literally thousands of Coronation Street episodes on there, going back 8-10 years.

And Coronation Street isn't Canadian, it's British.

[Indanao]

It means to me, a channel I can watch and I know it will be Canadian like 22 minutes and Coronation street. When I want to see local news and weather that's where I go. If I want culture I go to the gas bar and get lotto tickets. This past weekend I was in Thompson and there was a full serve gas bar, and the gas jockey put oil in my car for me. Isn't that from the old days when there were nothing but full serve gas stations? I think I'll join the Co-op so I can have full serve like so many canadians, or is it just in Manitoba, that company? blah blah blah.

In our little town, Richmond, B.C., there is a bylaw saying they must have pump jockeys. It's make work for the needy. I don't like it.

But, the CBC..? What CBC radio means to me, having worked in 7 Provinces, NWT, and the High Arctic - I found it the same all across the country. Peter Gzowski, Sheila Rogers etc. etc., sort of makes me feel at home where ever I am and that's pretty darn nice when you can only tune in one station most of the time.

[mcrit]

]

mcrit wrote:

To suggest that art would disappear without government funding is asinine in the extreme.

It's a good thing I didn't suggest that then isn't it?

Hmmmm.....Jake makes a comment to the effect that government funding of the arts is not the best use of money and you respond with:

Promoting and protecting Canadian culture is something every Canadian government does ......

.......You might scoff at the arts, but without them Canada would be a pretty sterile place.

Jake says we shouldn't fund the arts, and you respond by talking about a Canada without the arts. Seems like a pretty clear suggestion to me.

[Rockie]

Seems like a pretty clear suggestion to me.

To you maybe, but you have a well established record of misinterpreting most everything I say.

Think about this for a couple of seconds mcrit. I know you think I'm pretty stupid, but do you believe I'm stupid enough to think that if the CBC disappears then all art in Canada would disappear? Is anybody that stupid? I mean come on man, put a little thought into these things so you don't embarrass yourself.

[JakeYYZ]

Here are the top 30 programs (August 08-14, 2011). Show me the “Canadian culture” contribution the CBC adds.
http://www.bbm.ca/_documents/top_30_tv_ ... 082011.pdf
It’s a 1 page PDF.

[Rockie]

Sad isn't it? Not a documentary or arts program on there. Does this mean we should only show "big brother" and "So you think you can dance Canada" full time, all the time on TV? You know, make it as stupid and brainless as we can.

Is that what you're advocating here Jake?

[Indanao]

Something the CBC is very good at.

As for Rex Murphy; If the CBC were a country club in the deep south circa 1975, Rex Murphy would be the token non white. He's just there so that they look balanced.

Does anyone really understand WHAT Rex Murphy says ?
Or, what that guy up there just said?
lol Maybe they are both too far from center - left/right.

[Indanao]

It's a toilet bowl, into which we toss our tax dollars.

There is more content in that picture.

[JakeYYZ]

What I am trying to point out is that the CBC programming that attracts eyeballs is anything but Canadian produced programming. Doesn’t that speak to you that it’s broken? 1.3Billion dollars of tax payer funds, that some say is integral to maintain an “identity”, and the top shows are American game shows.
Despite the ample evidence, that the CBC is not reaching their audience, they persist in throwing money down a rat hole. I would posit that there is no accountability for failure. That has to change. Nepotism and incest are a large part of the problem as well.

[Rockie]

The CBC budget you quote isn't just for television Jake, it's for the whole ball of wax all of which is provided in english and french. According to the 2011 CBC report about 20% (30% in the following news article) of their income comes from advertising as well so they do attract commercial advertisers.

It's interesting that people complain about the quality of programming in the same breath as they say the budget should be cut back. The Conservative Heritage minister (who reduced funding) also says CBC radio should not be allowed to commercially advertise and the CBC should provide more Canadian content in both official languages vs American TV.



Where does he expect the money to come from if he doesn't want them to advertise and he isn't willing to provide it?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/media/story ... moore.html

[robertsailor1]

The CBC is as you say a different horse. Personally as I said in another post I think a Billion dollars can better be spent in other social programs that are really many times more important than the CBC. There are other areas in Government that are going to have to be looked at with an eye to cutting back or shutting down as Government spending is no longer under control and hasn't been for some time.

Its tough making these types of decisions because everyone loves to spend on new programs and no one likes to cut back but the days of big spending are over. Our health care system is really under huge pressure and most Canadians want to save it and the only way to pull that off is to reduce spending on other less important programs.