And so, I have decided that this is the first problem that should be tackled. What exactly should be going on the CBC's air, how much of it and when are all issues that can be debated but prior to the Heritage Committee Hearings next year I would like to get as many signatures as possible on this petition which calls on Parliament to simply double the funding the CBC receives and then set that funding to rise with the rate of inflation.
In total the petition reads:
To the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC);
Whereas the CBC's funding has declined by 33% since 1990
and Whereas the CBC currently receives 1/3 to 1/4 of the funding received by the BBC - while being required to cover a larger geographical area in multiple languages
and Whereas while the CBC's funding has dwindled, the cost of doing business has steadily gone up - not only in terms of inflation but in terms of technology and the competitive market for viewers and listeners
and Whereas accurate, balanced, informative news and current affairs programming is perhaps more important now than at any point in human history
and Whereas in a global media marketplace the Canadian voice in terms of arts and culture is at risk of being drowned out, even within Canada
and in recognition of the love and respect Canadians have for the CBC as a source of information and entertainment as well as a national treasure, a historic record keeper and a cultural institution,
We, the undersigned urge the members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, the Prime Minister of Canada and the larger Parliament to immediately and permanently double the annual funding received by the CBC from the Government and taxpayers of Canada and to include provisions that will see this funding rise with the rate of inflation.
With funding set at this level, virtually any decisions made with regard to content will be achievable and the CBC will once again have the capacity to carry out it's mandate.
I urge everyone to call or email friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and anyone else you can think of and urge them to sign it as well.
I have also created this button
Which can be added to any website with the following code.
Please use it and distribute it freely!
3 comments:
Surface area is one concern, of course, but if you're going to compare CBC to BBC (again!), you should be doing it per capita.
And BBC produces materials in many more languages than CBC does. You don’t seriously believe BBC does English only, do you?
Obviously I make the comarison Joe, and I'm not alone. I frequently hear that the CBC isn't as good at the BBC, doesn't produce as much drama, not as good at 'overseas' coverage (ignornig the fact that England is overseas and much closer to Europe, Asia, Africa and the M.E.)
The BBC receives more funding both per capita and in total - one of the reasons I suspect why they produce more drama and have 'better' overseas coverage.
They do cover a smaller geographic area (except via satellite and cable) and while BBC does offer some foreign language services, you cannot pretend that they devote the time, energy and percentage of resources to these that CBC does to French.
I should also add that I say none of this to belittle the BBC at all, just to demonstrate that additional resources can improve the finished product.
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