CBC

A friend recently told me he’d seriously consider any of the parties currently running in Canada’s national election if would shut down the CBC. “There’s such waste there and what do they do anyway?”
OK, can’t argue the waste factor. But as for the “what do they do there” question, I figure the CBC deserves to stay around (albeit with some serious fixes). They offer an important reflection of this country that is so difficult to attain when faced with the world’s biggest media juggernaut south of our border. The U.S. has a huge presence on the world stage and it’s certainly tough for us to be able to withstand that and recognize our own unique qualities as Canucks. But the CBC has always helped do just that.
 
Now, I’m not a huge TV consumer so won’t comment on the CBC’s presence there. But I am a big listener to CBC radio and feel they have some excellent shows. But that waste factor… well, it’s gotta be dealt with. Consider the line up for one of the Corp’s radio shows recently broadcast at the end of an episode. It included…
 
Host
Writers
Director
Producer
Associate Producer
Assistant Producer
Technical Producer
Executive Producer
Senior Producer
Audio Technician
Digital Producer
CBC Producer
 
What? Surely all these people are not necessary to get a show on the air. We definitely need somebody to go in and clear house and get these programs functioning on smaller crews. It is possible, trust me.
 
But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. CBC helps define what it is to be a Canadian. We need that.

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