Letters and Editorials 2007 Views Peter Tremblay

CBC and TVOntario as public broadcasters are complete frauds



I support the idea of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a taxpayer-supported public media enterprise which serves Canadians coast to coast to coast.

However, this noble ideal of the CBC is not a reality today.

Instead, what we as Canadians have been given is an organization which takes money from taxpayers and serves the egos of the cocktail circuit of baby boomers and yuppies which runs this organization.

The CBC's basic attitude to Canadians is "don't call us, we'll call you" — unless you happen to be the likes of Justin Trudeau, Margaret Atwood or a representative of some "in-group" which is linked to government interests.

Unfortunately, the CBC has become a Pravda-like state broadcaster which represents various entrenched interests and does not equitably represent the voices of average Canadians.

And TVOntario is just as bad, if not worse. TVOntario is just as politically incestuous as the CBC.

Let me give you an example of why both the CBC and TVOntario ought to be regarded as "anti-public" broadcasters.

So, we started a local festival which got a lot of support from artists and authors alike.

As you know, the success of any grassroots festival relies on publicity.

When we called Rogers TV, they called us back to get more information.

The local affiliate of CTV was also very interested in our new festival and interviewed us.

Even Public Broadcasting Service(PBS) affiliates from the United States immediately began to contact us to get more information on what we were doing.

Public Radio International in the U.S. called us within 20 minutes of receiving our email.

In sharp contrast, both the CBC and TVO, after having received detailed information about our festival, wouldn't even take the time to piss on us.

CBC and TVOntario to this day have totally ignored us because they apparently could not trace our festival to being controlled by the political in-group that they seek to support.

And have you ever tried visiting a CBC facility? You're more likely to get a better welcome from CSIS or a National Defence facility.

The CBC and TVOntario totally lack the system of public accountability and public participation found in PBS stations in the United States.Moreover,all private broadcasters in Canada welcome contact from Canadians in ways which far exceed both CBC and TVOntario, which seem to lack interest in having any contact with average Canadians.

If the CBC and TVOntario want to improve their ratings, they should start by listening to average Canadians at all levels of its broadcasting operations.

The only show that I watch on CBC that also has been my favourite is Murdoch Mysteries.

Ever since broadcaster Peter Mansbridge retired,the CBC program The National, along with the current drivel that CBC Radio calls "current affairs programming," has become the most visible representation of the sad egos which are running the CBC to the ground. CBC News, like the rest of that network and TVOntario, are failing in their supposed public broadcaster role miserably.

It is about time that CBC and TVO began to use taxpayer dollars to represent Canadians equitably — and that includes support for cultural activities and community initiatives.

CBC and TVO ought to be ashamed of themselves that American public broadcasting affiliates are more willing to publicize Canadian grassroots initiatives than both of these self-serving organizations.  There's nothing public about the CBC and TVOntario except for where they get their money to spend.

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