PRIVATIZING THE CBC

[Bob1370]

Northwoods inaccurately opined, "My opinion is that it (NPR, CBC, all noncommercial broadcasters in North America) should have been cut off and privatized (same with PBS) for the reasons that it has a liberal bias and that the taxpayers should not be funding it not only for the reason of it's biased tendencies, but also due to the fact that the country in fiscal shambles, it's not a luxury the american taxpayer can afford anymore. Most importantly, the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business."

Fact; repeated content analyses by the nonpartisan, highly respected Pew Research Center found that NPR and PBS were the most inclusive and UNbiased broadcasters in North America.

Fact; In the USA, the federal government is NOT in the broadcasting business. Neither PBS nor NPR are government agencies or government-owned entities. Nor is NPR dependent on federal funding (99% of the network's funding is private). NPR, and most of its affiliate stations except for the regional networks owned and run by a few mostly southern and western states, are already private nonprofit entities overwhelmingly dependent on membership revenue pledged by individual listeners, along with underwriting from private businesses.

CBC is more dependent on federal revenue simiply because that's apparently the way Canadians want it. They also seem to support it, which explains why a CBC Radio One affiliate is typically one of the top two or three stations (and often #1 overall) in cume in most BBM major market surveys.

 

[nocomradio]

Public broadacasting in any form to me (and this is just an opinion) is boring, at best. The monotone announcers and subject matter that NPR takes on is meant for the masses, rather than a true presentation of something factual, interesting, and different.

Public television (here in the U.S.) along with public radio tends to fund drive almost constantly anymore and drag in things like Ken Burns produced junk with no concern for its failure to present proper history or information. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them actually have to stand on their own legs for a while and then look at how well they are doing in say, six months or so.

 

[w9wi]

Public broadacasting in any form to me (and this is just an opinion) is boring, at best. The monotone announcers and subject matter that NPR takes on is meant for the masses, rather than a true presentation of something factual, interesting, and different.

Public television (here in the U.S.) along with public radio tends to fund drive almost constantly anymore and drag in things like Ken Burns produced junk with no concern for its failure to present proper history or information. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them actually have to stand on their own legs for a while and then look at how well they are doing in say, six months or so.

It's certainly not the "in your face" presentation that's common on commercial radio stations. (regardless of format music vs. talk vs. sports, and regardless of political stripe among talk stations) The fact that thousands donate cash to keep these things on the air -- and that businesses contribute thousands to the same end -- suggests there are an awful lot of listeners who like what they're hearing.

I suppose the amount of fundraising varies from market to market. It's really quite inobtrusive on radio around here (Nashville) and doesn't interrupt the program to any distracting extent.

I do have to concur with your comment with regard to TV though. Maybe my opinion is colored by their tendency to preempt my favorite PBS programs during pledge drive in favor of programs that seem aimed at viewers older than my mother. (she's 81..)

 

[Blackroc]

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2011/111003/nerw.html#can
I missed the CBC Windsor station going off. It came in surprisingly well to NEngland for only 10k watts. I would guess there's no CBC/Am station receivable on the east coast now?

Moncton,NB 1080 was my favorite, 50k and came in terrific and the only "Atlantic" TZ station I've ever received. When that went off a few years ago Windsor was all that remained.

 

[Mrtraveler01]

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2011/111003/nerw.html#can
I missed the CBC Windsor station going off. It came in surprisingly well to NEngland for only 10k watts. I would guess there's no CBC/Am station receivable on the east coast now?

Moncton,NB 1080 was my favorite, 50k and came in terrific and the only "Atlantic" TZ station I've ever received. When that went off a few years ago Windsor was all that remained.

Not sure if you'd be able to pick it up or not but I've been getting the CBC station from Winnipeg recently here in Missouri. Not sure how far their signal travels out east though.

 

[azumanga]

Not sure if you'd be able to pick it up or not but I've been getting the CBC station from Winnipeg recently here in Missouri. Not sure how far their signal travels out east though.

The 990 signal is a 50kw, Class-A signal -- during the day, the signal goes as far east as around Thunder Bay, and as far south as the northeastern corner of South Dakota; at night of course, it travels much farther than that, though I don't know how much exactly.

 

[w9wi]

Some nights CBC WInnipeg is pretty good down here in Nashville. (one night last week I was able to enjoy a half-hour program) Other nights it's pretty noisy. But yes, it's by far the best CBC signal down here.

(unfortunately, in the summer I'm far more likely to be able to hear one or more of the CBC *FM* signals via E-skip than anything on AM...)

 

[Tincap]

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2011/111003/nerw.html#can
I missed the CBC Windsor station going off. It came in surprisingly well to NEngland for only 10k watts. I would guess there's no CBC/Am station receivable on the east coast now?

Moncton,NB 1080 was my favorite, 50k and came in terrific and the only "Atlantic" TZ station I've ever received. When that went off a few years ago Windsor was all that remained.

If you have a receiver with shortwave band(s), you should be able to pick up CBC St John's Newfoundland (CBN) via CKZN 6160 kHz. There's also CBC Northern Quebec, which carries a mix of Radio One and Première Chaîne, along with programming in a couple aboriginal languages, on 9625 kHz.

~BG

 

[Bob1370]

Nocomradio says "Public television (here in the U.S.) along with public radio tends to fund drive almost constantly anymore and drag in things like Ken Burns produced junk with no concern for its failure to present proper history or information. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them actually have to stand on their own legs for a while and then look at how well they are doing in say, six months or so."

You already have your wish in about 90% of the country where state and local government neither owns nor operates public radio and TV. The reason for the fund drives several weeks a year is twofold; 1)no government operating money, and 2)reliance on contributions from individuals and private businesses because the government money isn't there.

 

[azumanga]

Nocomradio says "Public television (here in the U.S.) along with public radio tends to fund drive almost constantly anymore and drag in things like Ken Burns produced junk with no concern for its failure to present proper history or information. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them actually have to stand on their own legs for a while and then look at how well they are doing in say, six months or so."

You already have your wish in about 90% of the country where state and local government neither owns nor operates public radio and TV. The reason for the fund drives several weeks a year is twofold; 1)no government operating money, and 2)reliance on contributions from individuals and private businesses because the government money isn't there.

Furthermore, the quality of pledge specials has gone downhill, many of them bumping their normal schedule for weeks and instead, showing the same specials featuring old concerts, health cures and get-rich-quick schemes, with pleas to give to their station if they want to see more of the same.

Personally, for fundraising, PBS stations should just do what they already do best -- just show the normal schedule, with occasional specials and pleas to donate. A PBS station in Houston is already doing that:

http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2011/11/kuht-8-makes-some-changes.html

 

[Goldilocks94941]

Public radio doesn't fundraise for nearly as long as TV does, and it usually follows regular programming, since most public radio shows offer fresh fundraiser-versions of their shows twice a year. FYI, the way public radio and public TV operate is nearly opposite when it comes to strategies for fundraising in the program schedule. My TV colleagues have told me they have to run these specials (not unlike infomercials, really) to get results, but I have to think they're reaching beyond the point of diminishing returns by now. TV also seems to go into two to three week "pledge" periods every two months. The secondary publi TV station in Tacoma, Washington actually runs all fundraising programs every Sunday evening for the past couple of years now.
We're years past the need for an endowment for public broadcasting, but the congressional mouthpieces for jealous commercial right wing media types keep hijacking the conversation in Washington so that they're several steps behind that goal for creating a more stable funding model right now for the de-centralized model that non-commercial media operate with in the US.

 

[Tincap]

Nocomradio says "Public television (here in the U.S.) along with public radio tends to fund drive almost constantly anymore and drag in things like Ken Burns produced junk with no concern for its failure to present proper history or information. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them actually have to stand on their own legs for a while and then look at how well they are doing in say, six months or so."

You already have your wish in about 90% of the country where state and local government neither owns nor operates public radio and TV. The reason for the fund drives several weeks a year is twofold; 1)no government operating money, and 2)reliance on contributions from individuals and private businesses because the government money isn't there.

Furthermore, the quality of pledge specials has gone downhill, many of them bumping their normal schedule for weeks and instead, showing the same specials featuring old concerts, health cures and get-rich-quick schemes, with pleas to give to their station if they want to see more of the same.

Personally, for fundraising, PBS stations should just do what they already do best -- just show the normal schedule, with occasional specials and pleas to donate. A PBS station in Houston is already doing that:

http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2011/11/kuht-8-makes-some-changes.html

On the radio side of things, the station which I support financially, WCNY 'Classic FM' does five day blitzes known as "The Frantic Five Days", twice a year. Canadians figure into the contribution side of things, with American public stations along the border. It would be interesting to see if the percentage of Canadian contributors have gone up, since CBC Radio 2 ditched a lot of their classical programming, for the current Indy/AAA format. If CBC wants to scoop listeners from the commercial radio side of things, then they might as well take the commercials too, to pay for it.

~BG

 

[JimmyJames]

Because independent Canadian music and adult alternative/eclectic are such "commercial" formats.

Public broadcasting has to adjust in demographics, and the inclusion of independent and triple A music is a great way to do that while still appealing to an educated audience who supports the mission of public broadcasting. CBC Radio 2 did the right thing to move forward.

 

[Goldilocks94941]

The "new" Radio Two presumes that classical music is only for old people, and that younger audiences only care about sonething with a beat. What passes for "AAA" is weak, to my trained ear. What Radio 2 calls "jazz" is often soul-less. And the new announcers sound like pests, instead of genuine personalities. I've programmed a station with a mixed classical / AAA format, and formerly promoted including "crossover" music to make a classical presentation less formal. CBC Stereo was the best example of that, in my opinion. And even Radio 3 had some legs to it. But this? Come on. People in Toronto can do better that this gooey mix.

There are many hours when there is no classical music, or any sort of "fine arts" programming, on the radio in most of Canada now. Neither on CBC Radio 2, or on Espace Musique, if you're lucky enough to have one of their transmitters in listening range. Seems like the listeners are being sold short, with the new "dumbed down" CBC presentation and content. Perhaps its a reflection of what the management now in charge thinks is "cool." Perhaps it's a political influence from the top down. Whatever it really is, it isn't bringing significant increases to the listenership, from what I've read. Good thing there's commercial radio to fill the void, no?

 

[mjlarochelle]

I think that the CBC should become more reliant on private support but still operate as a non-profit entity. By private support, I mean the following:

- Most stations, both on radio and television, should operate as private entities and should be able to solicit donations from viewers, organizations, and businesses. They would operate similar to NPR and PBS member stations. They would also be able to draw on government funds, but would need to become more reliant on viewer/listener support and underwriting.
- The largest stations, such as in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, would continue to be government-funded and would produce the bulk of network programming, complemented by viewer donations and underwriting. Some smaller stations would contribute programming.

I would never be in favour of privatizing the CBC as they do provide programming services that the private, for-profit sector would never touch, but I do agree that they need to become less reliant on government funding.

 

[Tincap]

Because independent Canadian music and adult alternative/eclectic are such "commercial" formats.

Public broadcasting has to adjust in demographics, and the inclusion of independent and triple A music is a great way to do that while still appealing to an educated audience who supports the mission of public broadcasting. CBC Radio 2 did the right thing to move forward.

Actually Jimmy, regarding your first paragraph, you'd be surprised. We have commercial 'alternative' stations here in Canada, in both large and medium urban centres, covering a majority of the Canadian listening audience. Cancon regulations encourage these stations to support and showcase local Canadian talent. As well, in Canada, many colleges and universities operate 'college' stations, which strongly support the Canadian alternative/independent/eclectic scene (conversely, numerous US university based stations, are 'public', carrying national syndicated programming). Both of these venues, although catering to a small segment of the Canadian demographic, do play an important role in promoting Canadian alternative/independent/eclectic music. What CBC has done (or attempting to do), could actually hurt these other venues...that's if they can manage to cut into the already meager ratings of those, with similar formats, whom they are 'competing' against.

As for the Canadian classical music scene...keep in mind that not only has CBC cut back on classical music, but also the funding of programs for Canadian talent. With only three commercial classical music stations in Canada (with only one of them serving an English language audience, though it consistently hands Radio 2 its hat, in the Toronto ratings), IMHO classical music listeners are being underserved, unlike those who have a choice of commercial alternative (here in eastern Ontario, I receive CKLC-FM 'The Drive' and Ottawa's CILV 'LIVE 88.5', along with five Canadian 'college' stations), while Radio 2 serves up a five hour block of classical music, on week days. If I want to listen to classical music beyond that, I'm fortunate enough to receive WCNY. And, irony of all of all ironies, what did I hear announced on WCNY just recently? Julie Nesrallah, host of CBC Radio 2's 'Tempo', would be performing at a concert venue in Kingston, Ontario...

Canadian alternative/independent/eclectic has its place and it has already been well served. However, for Radio 2 to butcher it's classical music content and try to compete for that market share...well good luck. I've tuned out. Along with my continued support for one of Ottawa's two university based 'college' stations, I now also support WCNY. Having said all that, my taxes are still paying the wages of these ageing ex-MuchMusic types, now at the helm. So...just because I don't listen to Radio 2 any more, it doesn't mean I'm not ready to give them a piece of my mind.

~BG