While academics extol the cultural, social and democratic value of the CBC, it is extremely rare for this view of public broadcasting to be expressed in the popular news media. Instead, our public discourse is filled with pessimism about it. In our examination of news, commentary and letters to the editor, we found that little if any connection was made between the CBC and public service. This absence is telling. It reflects the power dynamics that surround the public debate about the Crown corporation.
Much of the coverage 65 percent focuses on its troubled and precarious position. The absence, or silence, authorizes a discourse that privileges neoliberal or market values over public service values. A critical reading of this stance recognizes the blatant underlying self-interest, framing private and public media as equals.
But their goals are, of course, fundamentally different. Whereas the goal of private media is to make a profit, that of public service broadcasters is to serve the public. We hope our study rebalances the public debate. By drawing attention to the absence of the notion of public service in the news media , our research seeks to highlight, for all supporters of public broadcasting, the importance of equating the CBC with that public service notion.
And perhaps the corrosive market failure monologue that surrounds the CBC will eventually be replaced with a discourse that equates CBC with other public services such as museums, libraries and schools.
And although we can benefit in consulting a multitude of information sources, particularly those stemming from independent media and citizen journalists, we would do well to continue supporting our national public broadcaster.
Recently described as the "last best hope" for socially purposeful media acting in the public interest, public broadcast continues to serve an important function. However, due to private and state pressures, public broadcasting currently faces a crisis on an international level. Why should we be worried? Recent scholarship on news consumption concludes that an evolving media landscape and the changing nature of journalism has had major implications for democracy.
As newspapers and broadcasters now operate primarily on the internet, we see transformations in online public participation. As the public voice grows louder, it is increasingly important that news consumers are offered the most accurate information upon which to base their opinions.
Public broadcasters must continue to fulfill their duty to inform, educate, and entertain at the service of citizens, culture and democracy. They must work towards developing a sense of national, local and global community. Their duty extends and transforms in an increasingly globalized world where borders and loyalties are no longer fixed. Porter said in an interview. Moses Znaimer, who runs a private classical music station, made much the same points. Classical music and jazz are two areas where CBC Radio 2 competes.
The styles and music choices are different, but the market is essentially the same. In both forms, the CBC has already been butting heads with the small local private broadcasters through its on-line Radio 3, a blatantly commercial music distribution operation.
Porter has a good idea as a counterpoint to the CRTC decision. I think the mandate of the CBC needs to be reviewed. There have been more changes in in the last 10 years in terms of technology than the previous Either it is private or public.
Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Consider the following hypothetical: Should taxpayer dollars be spent building a national network of cinemas showing the latest Hollywood movies?
The private sector already does a pretty good job of running multiplexes. And yet the CBC has often seen the television equivalent as a core part of its mandate. Popular American programs already filling the private airwaves — Jeopardy , Wheel of Fortune , reruns of situation comedies like The Simpsons , and lots of Hollywood movies — became a network staple. And hockey?
Oh yes, and hockey. Hockey is just about the most stereotypically Canadian thing you can put on television. It's also the most popular.
That's not an argument in favour of hockey on the CBC — on the contrary, it's the best argument against it. The market works! NHL hockey needs a taxpayer-supported public broadcaster like a fish needs a goalie mask.
Hockey reveals what should have been obvious all along: Popular programming doesn't need taxpayer support. We don't need a CBC to compete with the private sector.
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