Wednesday 18 March 2009

CBC budget cuts

The headline:
CBC approves budget; cuts expected
Interesting debate: do we want CBC featuring ads from outside sources?

I am confused by the article on the web. Does it mean that each Canadian pays $33 for Canadian reporting, and each UK resident pays $124...

or does it mean that $124 per taxpayers goes to support CBC reporters in the UK, or, for example, Anthony Germain in China? Does send correspondents or do they have CBC foreign correspondents who live in other countries?

With lowered tax revenues due to job losses, as well as lowered ad revenue and the "current economic turmoil", something has to give. I am loathe to think that we should cut local reporting. We get precious little about rural Canada as it is. Perhaps it is time to increase ads and focus on what is important for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Non-partisan reporting for all taxpayers.

Maybe it is time for the media to focus on a more global point of view. Sharing information in a wiki environment. CBC can work hand-in-hand with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or the Australian Broadcasting Corporation( ABC). Some of this occurs now. Time to rethink how, when and where we access news in the Information Age.

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