In Thursday's Globe and Mail, former CBC chairman Patrick Watson blasts current CBC management and calls for putting public broadcasting out to tender -- while the CBC board endorses the management team.
From Watson's commentary: (subscribers only)
The CBC's current paralysis has displayed to the whole country a profound management ineptitude of which the industry at large has been aware for a long time. It is interesting but not surprising to find that millions of citizens are relatively indifferent to the absence of CBC television: It has been so busy behaving like, and competing with, the private sector that for most of us it was often difficult to know when we were actually tuned to the allegedly public service. Old American movies in prime time on Saturday evening -- movies that you can rent cheaply at your local video shop -- are a prime example of the network's attitude toward public service. And the French network's recent replacing of the 6 p.m. news with a popular sitcom is an indication that the ratings-and-revenue-driven mentality isn't confined to the English television service. ...
Producers across the country who in the last decade or so have had to negotiate with the CBC for the programs that are commissioned from the independent-production sector tell bitter stories of the damp blanket of committee-think that enshrouds the Corporation's decision-making. It has been clear for years that anything like rapid, courageous, individual-centred, effective decision-making no longer has any home inside those massive walls.
After blasting the Canadian broadcasting centre and the decline in intelligence of CBC Radio programming, Watson goes on to say this:
So, yes, let's put public broadcasting out to tender. The disaffection of citizens is at a level now where the government can close down the whole institution without electoral risk, publish a clear description of what it expects a genuine public broadcaster to do (see above re: excellence and telling truth to power), remove this totally inappropriate competition with the private broadcasters for ratings and commercial revenue, and declare that the licence will be given to the lowest bidder whose proposal convincingly meets the requirements.
The CBC's current management would have to have the right to tender, along with the dozens of experienced private broadcasters and specialty-channel operators, many of whom have been saying quietly for years that they would love to get their hands on the dinosaur, to show the country what a really distinguished public-broadcasting service would look and sound like at, say, 30 per cent of the present cost.
Any bidders?
It would, of course, take a certain amount of ingenuity, thought and bravado for a Canadian government to take this step. But saving more than half-a-billion bucks a year should be an incentive.
Here's a story from Wednesday on the CBC board:
The CBC's board of directors has backed management at the public broadcaster as a lockout of 5,500 workers continued into its sixth week.
The board said in a statement Wednesday it wants a negotiated settlement with the Canadian Media Guild but that CBC management proposals are reasonable given funding expectations.
CBC president Robert Rabinovitch welcomed the board's support.
“The board did a comprehensive review and was very satisfied with the mandate that they had given us and encouraged us to continue to negotiate,” Mr. Rabinovitch told reporters.
Union president Lise Lareau was disappointed.
“It's status quo, I don't see anything that changes,” Ms. Lareau said at the hotel where the board met.
“It's shocking that, after six weeks, you would be happy with just letting it go for as long as it takes to get a deal.”
According to the story, Lareau went on to speculate the board was using the dispute as a way to get more funding from the federal government.