[GGG]

Originally Posted by timun

I didn't say it's profitable, I said it's "the only thing the CBC does that actively generates advertising and subscription fee revenues" and "quite literally the only part of the corporation's activities that comes close to paying for itself". It doesn't run in the black solely on the back of this external revenue, so the premise that the private sector will "take it up" is bunk: the private sector won't. And don't. What you're arguing we should do with the CBC is already the case. It already does the unprofitable things that private industry can't/won't do.



Well, again, it all loses money so if you acknowledge that it all needs funding, the "set of goals" is in the Broadcast Act:

(l) the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as the national public broadcaster, should provide radio and television services incorporating a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains;

(m) the programming provided by the Corporation should

(i) be predominantly and distinctively Canadian,

(ii) reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions,

(iii) actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression,

(iv) be in English and in French, reflecting the different needs and circumstances of each official language community, including the particular needs and circumstances of English and French linguistic minorities,

(v) strive to be of equivalent quality in English and in French,

(vi) contribute to shared national consciousness and identity,

(vii) be made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means and as resources become available for the purpose, and

(viii) reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada;

(n) where any conflict arises between the objectives of the Corporation set out in paragraphs (l) and (m) and the interests of any other broadcasting undertaking of the Canadian broadcasting system, it shall be resolved in the public interest, and where the public interest would be equally served by resolving the conflict in favour of either, it shall be resolved in favour of the objectives set out in paragraphs (l) and (m);

Notice that none of its stated goals and purposes is "be profitable", or even "maximize revenue". Its purpose is to provide the kind of programming that won't be profitable, that no "other broadcast undertaking" would do.



*sigh* I didn't say "TV subsidizes radio", I said TV is "the only thing the CBC does that actively generates advertising and subscription fee revenues" and "quite literally the only part of the corporation's activities that comes close to paying for itself". No part of the CBC actually makes a profit; as per the above, that's the point...

(They don't break down the expenses on radio vs. TV services in the annual reports and haven't for a while now, but historically it was 50/50ish.)

You said the tax payer wouldn’t see any savings. How was I supposed to interpret it other than the pieces I was proposing cutting are at least breaking even for the corporation?

Yes, those are the existing goals of the corporation, I want to narrow the focus.