CBC vs Quebecor

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Nobody cares if you like the CBC. What we care about is the $1.6 billion it costs to prop them up.

If their news is so good(which I also think it is)....they should easily be able to compete in the free market.

Personally I think they easily could. Where they are losing money is with everything else. Minus HNIC. Cut out all the other programming and just make yourself a news channel, with hockey every Saturday, and you probably turn a tidy profit every year.

That's my argument. I don't think it would be the same if it was private/free market. As I mentioned in my first post, look at how that worked out in the States.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Daradon

That's my argument. I don't think it would be the same if it was private/free market. As I mentioned in my first post, look at how that worked out in the States.

Having a legit news source isn't worth $1.6B.

Cut their budget by $1.59B and I'd be happy.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Having a legit news source isn't worth $1.6B.

Yes. It is.

[Resolute 14]

No, it isn't.

But really, it isn't just CBC TV that is costing us all this money.

It isn't worth $1.6 billion for what used to be an above average news source, a network with god-awful programming and several radio stations that offers nothing you can't find on Sirius or online.

The value the CBC once held was in its ability to provide service to the entire nation. The modern world and the internet has removed a large part of its reason for existence.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Yes. It is.

You can't possibly be serious. It is completely insane to waste $1.59B a year just so that CBC news can survive.

Even if their budget was $20m I'd be ok with it.

No. You know what? #### it. I'd be ok with CBC news getting $100m every year.

You telling me they can't run a competent news network for $100m every year? All the while saving taxpayers $1.5 BILLION every year? If you are against saving that much money then you definitely are a communist.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

You can't possibly be serious. It is completely insane to waste $1.59B a year just so that CBC news can survive.

Even if their budget was $20m I'd be ok with it.

No. You know what? #### it. I'd be ok with CBC news getting $100m every year.

You telling me they can't run a competent news network for $100m every year? All the while saving taxpayers $1.5 BILLION every year? If you are against saving that much money then you definitely are a communist.

Do Communists even exist anymore?

I'm not arguing that things couldn't be done better. I'm not arguing we cant save money. But I am arguing that the CBC is vital. It gets a lot of bashing, especially in Western Canada. But the alternative is far worse.

If you want Fox and CNN, have at it.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Do Communists even exist anymore?

I'm not arguing that things couldn't be done better. I'm not arguing we cant save money. But I am arguing that the CBC is vital. It gets a lot of bashing, especially in Western Canada. But the alternative is far worse.

If you want Fox and CNN, have at it.

What are you talking about? Who said they wanted Fox and CNN and why are you bringing that up when it has nothing to do with the discussion at hand?


Why do we need to spend $1.6B for a quality news source? Surely we, the taxpayers, could only have $100m or less of our money spent and have a quality news source. Why 1.6 billion dollars? Because you like it that our government wastes money?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Yes. It is.

Sorry it isn't, I don't know if you can clearly call CBC a legit news source, we know that it slants its news, just like the Sun TV's of the world.

They do the same distortions, as those private networks. They just to it to their end of the spectrum.

So why does a network with a left slant need to be propped up to the tune of $1.6 billion. Yet sun T.V. can survive nicely by generating their own revenues.

If CBC just reported the news, fine, but thats not worth 1.6 billion.

And I'm not on the side of propping up Canadian shows just because their Canadian Shows. Just like I'm not a fan of propping up artists just for the sake of the fact that their artists. If people want to listen to their music or buy their art, they'll survive.

If people want to watch those Canadian shows, it doesn't matter if its on CBC, CTV or global, people will watch them and companies will but ad space. The fact that CBC states that they need to be funded to protect Canadian content kinda tells me that the shows that they have on that channel, are not worth saving.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

What are you talking about? Who said they wanted Fox and CNN and why are you bringing that up when it has nothing to do with the discussion at hand?


Why do we need to spend $1.6B for a quality news source? Surely we, the taxpayers, could only have $100m or less of our money spent and have a quality news source. Why 1.6 billion dollars? Because you like it that our government wastes money?

Cause that's the end point of corporation run news. It just becomes a commercial.

It's nice to have pretty parks. But someone has to pay for them. If you like having a legit news source. You have to pay for it.

[Resolute 14]

CBC News is no more "legit" than anyone else.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

CBC News is no more "legit" than anyone else.

Disagree. But like I said, if you want Fox or CNN have at it.

[Jacks]

CBC is only legit to people who agree with their slant, they are horribly biased. Take the 1 point whatever billion and flush it down the toilet, we'd be better off.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Jacks

CBC is only legit to people who agree with their slant, they are horribly biased. Take the 1 point whatever billion and flush it down the toilet, we'd be better off.

Yes, the horrible liberal media, with their horrible liberal agenda. (even though we are ruled by conservatives?)

I'd laugh at the Calgary myth you are all creating but I know this isn't an internet meme.

I wonder how'd this thread go down in Toronto, or Montreal.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I wonder how'd this thread go down in Toronto, or Montreal.

Maybe check torontopuck.com?

[OffsideSpecialist]

As someone from the GTA, I have to say I agree with your Conservative counterparts here. The CBC serves nothing but to continue as a constant praise for the Liberals of Canada. Why are the CBC camping out on Rob Ford's lawn, yet no other Canadian mayor (c'mon, I'm not even a fan of Ford!). Because the CBC is an absolute joke and that is why. The CBC is an absolute disgrace to our tax dollars, and Canadians simply ignore it as a necessity, when really it is anything but. If the CBC could provide completely unbiased programming I may agree, but they certainly fail at doing that.

[Daradon]

Let me clarify, I think there are a lot of things the CBC could be doing better. However, look at their highest rated programs and you find 'Battle of the Blades.' This is not a network problem, they are serving their needs.

It's easy to complain. Their news and their hockey is the best. You will not get that anywhere else.

[killer_carlson]

I thought the Ford maneuvre was bushleague.

I don't think there are many reasonable people who would disagree with a guy who has recently received death threats getting steamed when rushed on his driveway with a 5 year old kid in tow or coming out the door.

I think CBC turning it into a story about whether Ford's language was inappropriate is damn wrong.

[THE SCUD]

I am a very well compensated Calgarian oil and gas industry member. I am usually all for the reduction fo taxes and costs, so I can take more home. However I have a soft spot for the CBC. The programming is inferiour, no doubt, to the Americans. But if we want to keep "Canadiana" separate and distinct, we have to pony up the dough. While I don't agree that all the CBC's budget is spent correctly, I do, begrudgingly, agree that we need to spend money to keep Canadian content on the the air.

Signed,

A Conservating who's confused and accepting of the CBC.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by THE SCUD

I am a very well compensated Calgarian oil and gas industry member. I am usually all for the reduction fo taxes and costs, so I can take more home. However I have a soft spot for the CBC. The programming is inferiour, no doubt, to the Americans. But if we want to keep "Canadiana" separate and distinct, we have to pony up the dough. While I don't agree that all the CBC's budget is spent correctly, I do, begrudgingly, agree that we need to spend money to keep Canadian content on the the air.

Signed,

A Conservating who's confused and accepting of the CBC.

Glad to see your out of college. Welcome to real world and real issues.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Given the right wing slant out of Calgary, I'm not surprised by the opinions here. However, I think that if the CBC is going to be subsidized by tax dollars, it should complete its mandate to provide Canadian culture, art and perspective. However, tax dollars have dried up and a need for more revenue has made the CBC rely more and more on American or American-esque shows, they are not providing anything entertainment-wise than is provided by any other channel.

I think the station has a role to play and are not playing it. I think we either need to scrap it or pay more so that they can get back to promoting Canadian musicians, artists, actors, writers, etc..

As for the news slant, I certainly don't find the CBC to be anywhere near to the left as Sun News TV is to the right. Maybe it's because of where I am on the spectrum. But I don't think that a station that was as far to the left as Sun News is to the right would get as much advertising support from big business to make a go of things. Which is why leftish news stations usually are partially government funded (i.e. BBC).

You can say this is the result you expected out of Calgary, but don't dismiss the criticism out of hand as you have. This isn't about choosing Sun TV over CBC. You can say you expected this result, and I can respond that I expected the lefties to dismiss legitimate criticism merely because Albertans are voicing it.

At the heart of this issue though, is the CBC deviating from its mandate of objective media and the pendulum swinging hard to the left.

A national, subsidized government tv station has to be objective and transparent if it wants money from all parts of Canada. Right now the CBC is neither.