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courtesy AllAccess.com September 23, 2015 at 4:10 AM (PT)
- Financial difficulties at the CBC have prompted the network to tell its staff that it will be selling all of its property nationwide, according to the CANADIAN MEDIA GUILD, and the proposal has the union voicing its concern. But the network denied the CMG’s claim of a total selloff, telling the TORONTO STAR that it is continuing to follow the earlier-announced plan to sell half of its facilities.
- “The decision to close down production centres is of great concern for our members as it should be for all Canadians, and seriously jeopardizes the CBC’s ability to do meaningful production in the future,” said CMG CBC Branch President MARC-PHILIPPE LAURIN. ‘Our members believe the public broadcaster can’t only be a distributor, it has to also be a producer. This plan threatens the ongoing legacy of award- winning documentaries, drama and other quality production at CBC and RADIO CANADA.”
- CMG National President CARMEL SMYTH added, “It makes no sense to plan this now, when three of the four national parties are promising to restore or increase funding to CBC. Just today the LIBERAL PARTY committed to increasing CBC funding by $150 million. In recent months the GREEN PARTY committed to an increase of $285-million, while the NDP says it will reverse the $115-million budget cut. Why rush into such an irreversible decision now?”
– See more HERE
Maybe somebody should tell the people in the higher-ups and in the news department at the CBC the old adage about not biting the hand that feeds you. They obviously either don’t know it or choose to not believe it. They’ve been blatantly biased against Harper and the Conservatives ever since they were elected, then wonder why the Conservatives want to destroy them. Meanwhile they openly favour and electioneer for the Liberals. The CBC is Ontario-centric and they desperately want an eastern-based party in power. Remember it was the Liberal Party that appointed most of the people at the top of the CBC and they want to return to those golden days. Harper, despite his background in Ontario, is seen as a westerner, while the Conservative Party is still seen as an offshoot of the western Reform Party. Their obvious partisanship comes across in their news and public affairs programs and turns many people against them. Maybe they should try some objective non-biased news reporting if they want to survive.
Bias, like beauty is usually in the eye of the beholder. If you love Harper you hate the CBC. Does anyone actually think Fox is “fair and balanced”? More like unfair and seriously unbalanced to me.
Personally, I find Mansbridge and Soloman (then) to be pro conservative. I lived in Northern BC and in the interior and grew to appreciate the CBC, especially CBC radio which connects us from sea to sea to sea. I think Canadians who have always lived in big cities don’t appreciate that. I listen to late night radio and find it sad that Ireland, Australia, Germany and Holland, among others still have strong National Public Radio that broadcast internationally. Harpers cutbacks did away with CBC International years ago. Now it’s “scorched earth” in order to do as much damage as possible until October 20th.
Aren’t the facilities an asset. Why sell them off?
Mulkuk, I agree. It always seems like s short term boost of cash at the expense of more costs in rent for the rest of time. Seems terrible. Unless you’re planning to close down the operations that go along with the buildings.
Same with when governments start selling buildings to balance a budget. Seems like short term thinking.
Make CBC Canada’s PBS and get it over with.
Who’s running the CBC when it comes to this decision….Mike deJong?
I totally disagree, Rick. The task of the press (print and electronic) in a democracy is to hold whatever party’s feet is in power to the fire. That goes especially for the national broadcaster. I’ve seen CTV and Global be critical of the current government in a way that would even make a CBCer blush. But as Kingarthur in a post above stated correctly it truly is in the eye of the beholder. I have far left friends who see the CBC as a mouthpiece for the Conservatives and those on the far right saying the opposite.
Not sure if you can remember but the CBC very correctly did the same when the Liberals were in power as they should.
P.S. From 1993 to 1997 Jean Chretien cut the CBC’s budget faster and deeper than any most other departments or agencies of government. When the dust had settled by 1997, CBC funding had been cut by more than $400 million – or about 33%. The Liberals’ post-election cuts to CBC even exceeded the Reform Party’s 1993 campaign promise to cut $365 million from CBC.
I agree with putting the CBC on the NPR formula. Let those who enjoy the bland and boring programming the socialists at the CBC seem to think is so important, pay for it.