Perhaps reality TV shows and Kevin O'Leary weren't the Canadian cultural touchstones and content cash cows the CBC hoped they would be.
The public broadcaster announced Thursday it would be cutting 650 staff to make up for a $130-million shortfall, thanks to losing the NHL broadcast rights, lower than expected ratings and good old-fashioned government cutbacks.
This "starve the beast" mentality is being sold as fiscal prudence in an age of austerity, but on a per-resident basis, the monthly subsidy for the CBC works out to about $2.70.
By contrast, if you're excited to see what Trevor Linden is going to do with the Canucks in the next couple years, Rogers is going to require that you hand over a small monthly fortune to subscribe to their premium sports channels.
Some, however, are gleeful at the blood on the floor at CBC. It is frequently the target of accusations of left-wing bias because its reporters have the audacity to run stories about climate change, or attempt to ask questions of Stephen Harper. Those same CBC opponents probably don't recall when many of those same reporters led the charge against the Liberals during mid-2000s sponsorship scandal when $100 million in taxpayer dollars disappeared into Liberal-friendly ad firms.
The fact is, the Mother Corp., as they call it, has provided tremendous value - whether you're into sports, arts, knowing about government shenanigans or moronic reality TV shows starring Kevin O'Leary. And, let us not forget, CBC has been the only link for small towns and outports for decades. Long-running features such as Land and Sea have kept the Canadian quilt from fraying when U.S. dogma appears to be saturating every media outlet in the nation.
Every time we cut from the CBC, the whole of Canada shows the scars.
- Guest editorial from the North Shore News
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