Help the CBC

In spite of the all of the issues raised and publicity generated by the 2005 CBC lockout, none of the federal parties has put increased funding for the CBC into it's platform. It is even possible that the Conservatives (who seem poised to win on some level at this point) will actually reduce funding further.

According to their platform “a Conservative government will ensure that the CBC and Radio-Canada continue to perform their vital role as national public service broadcasters.” But, according to Arthur Lewis of Our Public Airwaves

"...in the context of statements by Stephen Harper during the last election as well as views expressed more recently by some Conservative candidates. It could easily mean that a Conservative government will cut the CBC by eliminating all services which it feels are already provided by private broadcasters. That could include elimination of CBC’s local and regional programming and who knows what else. "

Lewis' group is conducting a support CBC" campaign, to let all of the party leaders know that increased funding for the CBC is, and should be, an issue. If you have a moment, please pay Our Public Airwaves a visit and send your postcard to the party leaders.

Plan A

Over the past several months, I and many others have been very critical of the CBC. Some of this is deserved, but the reality is that the CBC is what it is and faces the limitations that it does. When push comes to shove I am an advocate for the CBC and for public broadcasting in general.

PBCA is now going to seek to try something new. A internet based national public broadcaster (or more appropriately public netcaster) without the limitations of the CBC. For example, as long as we stick to the internet we do not need a tower, massive infrastructure, a government imposed mandate (we'll write our own) or a license from the CRTC.

Below is an outline for plan A - it is obviously still subject to change, but is based on the discussion so far.

Content

The content on PBCA will be 100% Can Con (audio, video, text, and more) - by Canadians, for Canadians (though not always exclusively about Canadians). It will all be free, and published under some form of Creative Commons licence. Content creators will have full control of their work. This means full editorial control and ownership. PBCA will retain the right to distribute and promote any work in it's archives, but other than that the owner will retain full rights to redistribute, and/or to take their project elsewhere.

PBCA will also be as real as possible. Every effort will be made to include viewpoints from a wide variety of viewpoints, regions, lifestyles, ages, and groups. Only hate speech will be excluded. While PBCA will not be biased, most of the content will in one way or another. Everyone has their biases. Some hide them better than others. Since PBCA's contributors will have complete editorial control over their work, they will not be asked to conceal their biases, on the contrary they will be encouraged to be up front about them.

Organization

The plan is to set PBCA up as a not-for-profit co-operative, with revenues (above expenses) shared among the members. It will be operated democratically, with each member of the co-operative acting as an equal shareholder. Some form of day-to-day management will likely be elected, but can quickly be unelected if members lose confidence. It will also be decentralized. While it is possible that, should it succeed, PBCA will require offices or small studios at some point, it will not be headquartered anywhere.

Revenue

While PBCA's content will always be free, it will depend largely on donations, and smaller forms of revenue such as Google ads and possible a Cafe Press shop. But under no circumstances will PBCA accept funding that compromises it's content and mission or that turns any control of the organization over to other interests.

Advocacy

PBCA will continue to advocate for public broadcasting, and public broadcasters, as well as issues around free speech, a free press, more open copyright laws, and other issues of interest to public broadcasting.

This plan is not finalized yet, and will take quite some time to get underway once it is, but should PBCA be successful, it could be of tremendous benefit to other public (and even private) broadcasters and netcasters - first of all because it will be an advocate, but also because, as mentioned above in content, others will be free to take PBCA's ideas, content, and even talent. This is not an attempt to compete, nor is it an attempt to diminish others, it is an attempt to promote ideas, talent and above all the Canadian voice.

Please distribute this message widely and if you have any interest, on any level, in any capacity in helping with the idea, Join the discussion or drop me an email

Canadian Media Guild - News

January 13, 2006

Campaign silent on the future of the CBC

Ten days before the federal election, only the Conservative and Green parties mention the CBC in their platforms, despite the fact that the national public broadcaster’s future will be on the table when its license comes up for renewal at the CRTC at the end of this year. But there are more questions about the vague position of the front-running Conservative Party than answers.

“I recognize that this election campaign has been fought on a handful of core issues. But it is troubling that the future of Canada’s largest cultural institution is being virtually ignored, even though reaction to the recent lockout showed us all that the CBC is a valued part of Canadians’ lives from coast to coast to coast,” says Lise Lareau, national president of the Canadian Media Guild.

“We are seeing lots of grassroots support from candidates across the country, but the main parties all seem to want to avoid public debate on the CBC. And this is the time for it. It’s wrong to leave the future of a major public service in the hands of the CRTC alone.”

More at CMG

The Bulletin Board is Back

The PBCA Bulletin Board is back for those who want to use it. The old one had become infested with spammers, but new precautions have made this less likely to happen in the future. You now have to be registered to post and have to verify your registration with a valid email. Some of the spammers, may go to these lengths but it is far less likely.

To those of you who were deeply interested in where to get the least expensive fake viagra, pirated software, or were making their fortures from lotteries they didn't enter or the former Royal family of Sierra Leone I appologize.