Our PSR PROSALESGUY Dave Warawa reviews Canadian media book written by Richard Stursberg, called The Tangled Garden
Very interesting opinion about the state of the Canadian Broadcast Industry. Here’s the review Dave has put on Amazon…
Enjoy…
Customer Review
As a former Canadian broadcaster, I was attracted to this book after watching Richard Stursberg interviewed on BNN. Stursberg has a history in the industry (particularly CBC) and suggests that Canadian media is in serious financial jeopardy and potential extinction as advertiser dollars are leaving local TV, newspapers, radio to be placed with the FAANG companies – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. While other countries have done a great deal to support their national broadcasting companies, Canada has done little.
So what of it you might say? Well, there are two sides to that story. You could say that the free enterprise system and individual choice should be allowed to dictate market trends. This was largely my opinion before reading this book. After all, the book is available on Amazon and I’m writing this review on it.
Then again, if the current course of Canadian media deterioration continues, where will we get national, regional and particularly local news? Do you really want to totally rely on our neighbor to the south for the source of reporting, opinion and entertainment? I must say reading this book has been an eye-opening experience.
What do you think, Puget Sound Radio Audience?
Your comments are most welcome!
Not having yet read the book, Dave, and its not that I’m not concerned about the survival of Canada’s media, I am, but first off what concerns and creeps me out is Justin Trudeau and his political interference Bribe of almost $600 Million dollars to mainstream media here in Canada, not to forget the annual gift of over 1Billion dollars he bails out the CBC. Is this a joke, or what? Once we toss these bums out, lets get a government who will sell off the CBC, a move which would then provide mainstream media with a ‘fair playing field’ once again… btw, CBC Should Never have been allowed to play the ratings game, NEVER
I saw Richard Stursberg on TVO a few weeks ago and he does not agree with the proposed $600 million help for the print media, at least the way that the government is proposing. He does say that print media could be given a tax break rather than actual money, or the money would only be for reporting, design, photography and nothing else. But again he didn’t like the current proposal. He felt it was too subjective.
CBC I don’t have big issues with. The $1.2 billion is not a gift, CBC is a public broadcaster. Why would CBC not be allowed to play the ratings game? BBC does and even more than CBC. BBC1 and 2 radio are the highest rated radio networks not only in the UK but Europe, and they are very, very commercial sounding. CBC radio 2 and 3 (or CBC music) does not compete that much with commercial radio at least musically. Radio 2 and 3 tend to play mostly alternative Canadian music, and often 100% cancon in many day parts.
CBC receives about $1.2 billion per year and from advertising, program sales and cable fees about $500 million for a total budget of $1.8 billion for all CBC/Radio Canada services.
Just to compare the BBC receives over $6 billion from the taxpayer in the UK and another $2 billion in advertising, program sales and cable fees for a total of about $8.4 billion in Canadian dollars.
Also BBC TV on their various networks is not all high brow. They understand (better than CBC) that some programs need to be mass appeal and even low brow. This is why their programming is sought out world wide. Ever see a BBC production of the Brit Awards? They know how to make an awards show entertaining, funny, a little campy and always focus on the music and bands that the public wants to see and hear. They stick to the “hits” on the Brit Awards.
If anything I wish CBC TV was more mass appeal in some programming and this would sharpen up both Global and CTV. Just because they are a public broadcaster doesn’t mean programming should be elitist. That is what CBC Radio 1 is more suited for and they are very successful with this judging by their audience across the country.
I’m sure CBC could trim their budget, but you get what you pay for. I turned off NW News some time ago, frustrated at all their repeated old stories and female Newsreaders who can’t string two words together without mispronouncing at least one.
Have to agree with Ron. Despite the high cost of the CBC, I’ll take their radio News any day over these so-called News stations who’ve definitely gone on the cheap.
When I worked in Canadian broadcasting, I hated the idea that the CBC would be supported by taxpayer dollars while competing directly with privately owned and publicly traded companies. Now, as a listener, I appreciate the CBC and their contribution to national programming that comes directly from Canada.
Unfortunately, the state of the industry is in financial turmoil and having a subsidized broadcaster that will prevail in this country no matter the state of advertising revenues is important.
I urge anyone interested to read the description of the book with an open mind. Google The Tangled Garden by Richard Stursberg and read the “About Section.”
Thanks for everyone’s opinion.