tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38744114129540178192024-03-13T20:34:33.096-07:00Canadian Media ResearchTrends and truth in Canadian mediaBarry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-67895881396504600482023-03-18T12:42:00.007-07:002023-03-19T07:11:23.204-07:00Tweets Dealing with CBC Funding, Audience and Strategy <p><br /></p><blockquote style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><b>1. CBC’s obfuscation of audience performance:</b></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">Why has CBC for years touted the *monthly reach* of its internet service, https://t.co/kmTHZ9UzCc?</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1636399027611729921?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. CBC misreading trends in the use of TV, radio, internet:</b></div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">“Our commitment to radio and TV audiences remains strong. However younger audiences do not consume news and information on a traditional device. They live in a mobile world. It is increasingly a live and on-demand streaming world.” -CBC Memo to all news staff, March 3, 2023</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1632156827449278464?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3. Is CBC spending over $500 million annually on digital services, i.e., substantially more than on its radio services? The data from CBC’s annual report and CRTC financial data leads to this conclusion:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CBC is now spending much more on its digital services (which have a tiny average audience and share) than on CBC’s highly valued radio services. CBC justifies this by depending on vaporous audience metrics like monthly reach. https://t.co/puBWxTEhp5</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1630621138752618497?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br /></div><div><b>4. CBC radio had a budget of $225 million ($298 million in today’s dollars) in 2009 and by 2022 this had shrunk to $186 million, a reduction of over $100 million and it is having effects on air:</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">When Peter Herrndorf died recently some commentators said he was disappointed in the direction of CBC. Another former VP and a famous program host wrote me recently expressing a similar view, a sadness that CBC was declining. (This thread refers to CBC English.)</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1629676292638375936?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>5. CBC management have said traditional TV is dying but industry research, financially supported by CBC incidentally, contradicts this:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">Here’s IAB-sponsored research that demonstrates CBC seems to have totally misunderstood the new TV environment. TV’s reach is almost universal and usage hours with streaming services counted, according to IAB, is far higher than all other media. https://t.co/RTjDmEg2Mm</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628933329167720449?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CBC’s managers like to say traditional TV viewing has declined. Recently they published Numeris data showing *daily* audience reach was declining. They omitted data on *weekly/monthly* reach, which shows almost everyone watches traditional TV.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628140455874404353?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CBC’s MTM survey (which CRTC endorses) has updated its estimate of smartphone penetration in Canada. The latest survey puts smartphone adoption at 89%. OK, but does that mean TV is dying?</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1628061356397064194?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>6. CBC has committed a lot of energy and presumably money to CBC Gem and its French equivalent but the revenue generated by these streaming services is very small:</b></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CBC’s 21-22 annual report says, “Subscribers to our digital platforms are increasing” i.e., CBC Gem and https://t.co/KTZuP1sLpR, which are promoted on air every hour. Subscriber revenue increased modestly to $23.8 million, or only 4% of non-govt revenue and 1% of all CBC funding.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624803538625855488?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">The $23.8 million CBC generates from CBC Gem/Ici https://t.co/WfathcIuHv equals ~350,000 paid subscribers. That’s ~2% of households but these numbers have never been made public. By comparison CRTC reports that MTM says 68% of Canadians have Netflix. (MTM is owned by CBC.)</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1624823053938040832?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>7. CBC English TV is the wounded warrior and its efforts to generate commercial revenue have failed. Does this signal that English TV should reduce or eliminate commercials? Advertisers have already defunded English TV and it is slowly being de-audienced:</b></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CRTC says CBC’s English TV audience share is well under 5%. In 2021 it was 4.2%, up yoy because it was an Olympic year. Without the Olympics and NHL hockey, CBC’s share would be <3%. Streaming’s still not included and if it were CBC’s share would be <2%. It’s been de-audienced.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623072499385749504?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">Private broadcasters seem to doing OK, it’s CBC’s English TV having trouble attracting audiences and advertisers. Advertisers have already defunded the CBC. CTV/Global/Rogers had over $1 billion in ad revenue in 2021-22.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1623006929290244122?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">Even more surprising is CTV/Global outspending CBC on news programming so substantially, raising questions about the role the main CBC network plays today. Radio-Canada spends more on news programming than its beleaguered sister network, a complete reversal in the last 15 years.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1619097471850020864?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)" style="text-decoration: none;">twitter.com</span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><br /></div><div><b>8. CBC/RC news channels seem to have been spending the same or less the past few years on news according to CRTC data. </b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>This link takes you to CRTC’s web site where you can find financial data for CBC, CTV, Global, SRC, etc.:</b></div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #e9e9eb; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#E9E9EB" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Aggregate Annual Returns</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">crtc.gc.ca</span></a></div></div></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-rightIconItem" style="padding: 6px 12px 6px 0px;" width="36"><a draggable="false" href="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><b>9. CBC has always been long on promises to make revenue from its digital and other new media ventures:</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">CBC’s says its strategy is to increase and find new sources of revenues. But its financial forecast says the opposite? Both documents from the CBC web site. Suggestion: strategy department meet with the finance department.</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577388996145123339?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>10. CBC contorts research data to make arguments for senior management. Here’s an example of surreptitiously presenting data that relates to all internet use, e-Mail, banking, searches, e-commerce, to argue that they should put resources into digital services:</b></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" vertical-align="center"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><div class="lp-rich-link-quotedText" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 10px 16px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; width: 268px;">First data appearing in CBC’s 2022 corporate plan shows audiences to digital “platforms” growing at the expense of radio/TV. But the plan didn’t reveal that “digital” included everything done on the web; banking, email, messaging, e-commerce, online learning, etc. @pablorodriguez</div></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div class="apple-rich-link" data-url="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" draggable="true" role="link" style="-webkit-user-drag: element; -webkit-user-select: all; display: inline-block;"><a class="lp-rich-link" dir="ltr" draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="-webkit-user-modify: read-only; -webkit-user-select: none; border-radius: 10px; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; width: 300px;" width="300"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" style="background-color: #ebf7ff; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#EBF7FF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-leftIconItem" style="padding: 6px 0px 6px 16px;" width="25"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow"></a></td><td class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack" style="margin: 0px 16px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading" style="font-size: 12px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Barry Kiefl</span></a></div><div class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading" style="font-size: 11px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a draggable="false" href="https://twitter.com/barrykiefl/status/1577101247064133632?s=61&t=m6Ww1pOVXmhvwBzXjEwm5w" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span color="rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6)">twitter.com</span></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p>Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-86178929199517987192016-02-21T12:05:00.000-08:002016-02-21T12:05:24.580-08:00CBC Must Abandon Ads And Find New Sources Of Funding<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; font: normal normal normal 15px/21px Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
CBC has boasted that <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2009/12/03/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">50 per cent</a> of the cost of its TV services is paid for by advertising revenue. No more.</div>
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In the year ending August 2015, CBC English TV ad revenue fell off a cliff and was barely $100 million, well under 20 per cent of TV revenues. Funding from taxpayers is now four times greater than ad revenues, an outcome that was predicted <a href="http://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/contributors/barry-kiefl/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">here</a>.</div>
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Despite cuts by the Conservative government, a large increase in public dollars was required to balance the books of CBC TV in 2015, money taken from other areas, especially CBC Radio.</div>
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To make matters worse the cost of selling ads and promotion on CBC TV represented <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats.htm" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">$62 million </a>last year. Administration costs, some of which are for sales, were another $78 million.</div>
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After deducting these overheads, there is no meaningful profit to be made from advertising, which begs the question: why is CBC still in the advertising game?</div>
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Even in years such as 2014, when ad revenue receievd a boost from the Olympics and World Cup soccer, the cost of buying the rights to such events all but wipes out any increase in ad revenues: expenditures on sports that year were almost half of all CBC TV program costs, over <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats.htm" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">$230 million</a>. CBC Radio and Internet services spent additional dollars covering these events.</div>
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So, again, what is the business case for the public broadcaster playing in the ad business? CBC suits will try to make the case, but will it be credible?</div>
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For decades and right up to 2012, CBC maintained that the ad revenues from NHL hockey were profitable and underwrote the cost of other programming. Only after losing the rights to the NHL in 2013 did a humbled CBC president <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">admit</a> that they weren't making money off of hockey.</div>
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CBC did once make substantial money from ads. Twenty years ago, adjusting for inflation, CBC TV generated almost half a billion in sales revenue, somewhat less in French TV, but those halcyon days are gone.</div>
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The measly revenue raised by CBC Radio is another case in point: ads were introduced two years ago and English Radio made the paltry sum of $1.2 million and French Radio less than $200,000 in ad revenues in <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats.htm" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">2015</a>. The cost of selling and producing the radio ads far exceeds the revenue.</div>
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Ad revenues from CBC Internet digital services, such as CBC.ca, are apparently so embarrassingly low that they are folded into the revenues of TV/Radio or buried. CBC committed to increasing Internet digital ad revenue by 50 per cent, but it is still of such Lilliputian proportion it has never been publicly reported. Whatever revenue is generated, it is primarily at the expense of local and national newspapers, many of whom are at death's door.</div>
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<span class="quote" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font: normal normal bold 22px/1.1em Georgia, Century, Times, serif; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">"CBC desperately needs new direction, starting with board members who have a knowledge of broadcasting and are representative of Canada's younger demographics."</span><div class="ql" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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The situation in CBC French TV is no better. Ad revenues fell by 18 per cent in 2015, hitting a new low for the decade. For more in-depth information on French TV and radio, please visit <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">my blog</a>.</div>
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The most compelling reason for jettisoning ads from all CBC TV services, or at least dramatically reducing them, is that the ads are almost all the same ones that run on private stations.</div>
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Thus, the ads also advertise that CBC is no different than private TV, especially since slackening demand has meant CBC is reduced to airing repetitive ads for third-tier products and services. It has gotten so desperate that CBC only gets paid if you call the 1-800 number in the ads.</div>
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The second compelling argument for eliminating commercials is their effect on programming. Neil MacDonald (knowingly?) summarized it in an <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marty-baron-neil-macdonald-1.3435715" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">analysis piece</a>, stating that traditional standards in news organizations have "given way to naked fear, as media managers, and not just in newspapers, desperately try to hold onto splintering audiences and plummeting revenue."</div>
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He reminded us that "news institutions must place principle ahead of metrics, or our core withers, and we become clickbait hustlers for corporate paymasters who would rather see stories about a Kardashian." MacDonald ends his piece giving his personal view, once considered a mortal sin for a CBC journalist.</div>
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One can't blame CBC journalists or other staff, whose salaries now comprise the lion's share of programming expenditures. CBC staff numbers have been reduced by 20 per cent since 2009 but inflation means salaries are now a much greater proportion of the TV budget.</div>
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No wonder so many panel discussions are comprised of CBC journalists talking to CBC journalists. This is a financial disaster waiting for future managers.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/explore/board-of-directors/remi-racine/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">CBC Board of Directors</a> is comprised entirely of non-broadcasters, all appointed by the last government, with an average age approaching 60.</div>
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This board is responsible for the policy to increase the number of ads and types of products and services that are advertised, and to spend more money on selling ads than the revenue generated.</div>
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This board is responsible for the current state of CBC journalism. More importantly, the board is accountable for the policy to reduce budgets for the most successful CBC services, CBC English and French radio, to support CBC TV, presumably because they are under the impression that CBC TV makes money from advertising.</div>
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The current board is never going to be able to right the CBC ship; more likely, they will sink it, given the time.</div>
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CBC desperately needs new direction, starting with board members who have a knowledge of broadcasting and are representative of Canada's younger demographics.</div>
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CBC is woefully short of the funding. As noted<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-budget_b_5240593.html" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink"> elsewhere,</a> neither public nor private Canadian TV has sufficient funding to compete with programming from the United States, England or France.</div>
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An industry-wide strategy is needed to find new sources of funding and focus the efforts of CBC and private broadcasters. The misdirected CBC strategy to compete for advertising dollars should finally be abandoned.</div>
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A clean slate of board directors, with like-minded senior managers, should function like the boards of hospitals and universities and raise funds from the public and corporations to supplement government grants.</div>
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This should not be so difficult, since CBC, especially radio, still has dedicated viewers and listeners.</div>
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<i>This article first appeared in Huffington Post.</i></div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-34329797040468408202015-09-09T12:27:00.000-07:002015-09-09T12:27:51.882-07:00CBC TV is Addicted to Sports and Selling Your Eyeballs to Advertisers<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
CBC TV has broadcast NHL hockey on Saturday nights for over 60 years. CBC executives thought it was a <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=AUiWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=cbc+loses+hockey+night+in+canada&source=bl&ots=60Fsf54lrv&sig=ZQRg3hrggcUQioXwRnlO1FzXi0w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCDgKahUKEwiD2dH04ufHAhUBBZIKHQTSARo#v=onepage&q=cbc%20loses%20hockey%20night%20in%20canada&f=false" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_hplink">sacred right</a>, until Rogers bid $5.2 billion for all national NHL rights in 2013 and took control of Hockey Night in Canada. Until that fateful day, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/hockey-night-in-canada-how-cbc-lost-it-all/article21072643/?page=all" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">no one at CBC</a> could imagine a HNIC hosted by anyone else but Ron MacLean and Don Cherry.</div>
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Once upon a time CBC also had Expos and Blue Jays baseball, as well as CFL and NFL football, Raptors basketball, the Olympics and a variety of other sports. Sports were the main audience and advertising engine of the CBC schedule for decades. At some point CBC programmers began to think CBC couldn’t exist without sports. Besides, the sports leagues do all the marketing and create the audience demand; all the CBC has to do is cover the action on the ice or the field. That requires a lot less effort and imagination than creating original drama or comedy programs.</div>
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With the advent of sports channels starting in the 1980’s many of these sports properties were lost to TSN and Sportsnet, as were many of the executives, producers, technicians, etc. who developed their programming skills at CBC Sports. But the addiction to sports, despite the fact that there were two sports channels who would gladly air anything on CBC, using the on-air and production talent developed by the Corporation, remains unabated to this day.</div>
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In fact, CBC expenditures on sports reached a new peak in 2014, $236 million or 47% of all program expenditures. This easily surpassed the money spent on news and information ($170 million) and almost tripled the combined dollars spent on drama ($61 million) and other entertainment ($25 million) or a total of $86 million. In the years just prior to 2014 sports expenditures had hovered around $150 million annually, dipping slightly in 2013 when the NHL season didn’t start until mid-winter. In 2014, CBC <a href="http://www.marketingmag.ca/media/cbc-wins-back-rights-for-2014-and-2016-olympics-58555" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">bid for the rights </a>to air the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, which meant sports expenditures suddenly accounted for almost half of all programming dollars.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-09-09-1441824327-324512-cbcsports2.bmp" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="2015-09-09-1441824327-324512-cbcsports2.bmp" height="389" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-09-09-1441824327-324512-cbcsports2-thumb.bmp" style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="570" /></a></div>
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<br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />Ironically, when CBC won the rights for the Olympics and soccer, it didn’t keep them exclusive to CBC but rather sold some events to TSN and Sportsnet and private radio, thus negating some of the value to CBC. Double irony is that the sports channels have <a href="http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/bell-rogers-expect-loss-in-tens-of-millions-on-london-olympic-games?__lsa=dd80-5f41" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">declared</a> they won’t bid on the Olympics because they are unprofitable. They support the idea of CBC bidding on the games and selling them access to selected events cheaply. Likewise, Rogers after securing NHL national rights was pleased to take over the full CBC network at no cost to Rogers on Saturday nights. This can undoubtedly be justified by bean counters at CBC but is it the role of the public broadcaster?</div>
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CBC still airs Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights but all editorial decisions are made by Rogers. Moreover, all ad revenue generated by HNIC is retained by Rogers. The impact of this is massive on CBC revenues. This past spring, the first with Rogers in control of HNIC, overall CBC English <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/financial-reports/q1-2015-2016-en.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">commercial revenue</a> fell from $123 million to $54 million, mostly the result of an approximate 70% decline in TV ad revenues, raising the question as to whether the CBC should be in the business of selling viewers to advertisers. Is it really a “business” for anything other than major events like the Olympics?</div>
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To feed the insatiable cost of sports CBC has to find money from other sources (besides selling some events to TSN and Sportsnet). One is advertising revenue; it is relatively easy to attract advertisers to the Olympics, although the CBC English and French TV ad revenues in 2014 don’t appear to have grown proportionally in 2014. Another is to cut expenditures in TV drama/comedy programming. That area saw budgets shrink from $85 million in 2013 to $61 million in 2014, a 29% hit, mostly to independent producers who sell their programs to CBC. A third source of funds to support the habit is to harvest money from CBC Radio, which has seen its budget cut dramatically over the years by some 27%.</div>
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The overall program budget of CBC TV hit a new high in 2014, surpassing $500 million for the first time. In other words, TV has seen no budget cuts while CBC Radio has been slashed. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Elsewhere,</a> I question whether this is lawful. Who would have guessed CBC TV program expenditures would hit an all time high the year staff (mostly in radio) was being cut drastically and CBC executives were crying poor?</div>
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Some would say, so what, it’s the best the CBC can do in an era of shrinking budgets and audience fragmentation. Besides, that’s what the audience wants. True, people love sports but has CBC ever asked the audience if all the sports programming could be found on other channels, would they prefer a CBC focused more on quality drama and entertainment? More pointedly, why does CBC’s French-language sister network, generally considered a relative success, follow the exact opposite strategy, leaving sports to the two French sports channels and leading the market rather than following it? Let’s examine how Radio Canada spends its programming dollars.</div>
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CBC French TV has a programming budget of about $300 million annually and its budget too has held steady while French Radio since 2009 has seen a decline in its budget of some 29%. French TV has also been harvesting the funds of French Radio. Spending on TV sports by Radio Canada is so minuscule in recent years, the numbers can’t be fitted into the graph. However, in 2014 spending on sports increased to $22 million, the amount Radio Canada had to contribute, probably reluctantly, to cover the cost of the Olympics and FIFA. Ad revenues of French TV increased by only about $10 million in 2014, so the Olympics/FIFA were in net terms a money loser for the French network.</div>
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In 2002 the VP in charge of French TV, Michelle Fortin, who subsequently left to run the Quebec provincial public broadcaster, made the decision to cease airing NHL games. It was a controversial decision and CBC was called before a Parliamentary committee to explain. She told me at the time that after Quebec lost the Nordiques and thus the Canadiens-Nordiques rivalry, the NHL was less important to Francophone audiences. Radio Canada has a history of being hesitant to commit to mega-sports events like the Olympics.</div>
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What does the French network spend its money on? CBC French TV spends over half its programming dollars on drama ($63 million) and other Canadian entertainment ($90 million) or $153 million in total. News and information is also a major program expenditure, $122 million in 2014, slightly less than the previous two years, perhaps again to pay for the 2014 Olympics. So, incredibly, the smaller French network outspends CBC English TV by almost 2:1 in drama and entertainment. Does CBC’s Board of Directors or the government understand this and does it not signify that a serious review of CBC is needed? This is the first time these data have been compiled. </div>
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What does it mean for the future? The indubitable media critic, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/tiff/the-shaky-future-of-canadiancinema/article26225432/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Simon Houpt,</a> recently asked the question, what is wrong with the Canadian film industry? His analysis reveals a parallel situation; Quebec films are far more successful than those from English Canada. The box office receipts of some English films are hilariously depressing.</div>
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In the case of CBC TV, we need only look at the financial data to understand that if most of the money is spent on securing rights to and producing sports and so little on drama and entertainment, one can only expect modest success in drama and entertainment. International experience shows us that quality TV, other than programs from the massive U.S. entertainment industry, can only be achieved with public funding, ideally from a dedicated fee or tax. The BBC is successful because everyone who owns a TV pays about $250 annually to <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2015/08/the-bbc-is-about-to-repeat-canadas.html" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">support it</a>. CBC should be funded in a similar way, directly by the public. CBC is clearly underfunded and is eating its young and abusing its elders to survive. A properly funded and focused CBC should be one of the first items addressed by the next government.</div>
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Additional data:</div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-47463276037219641272015-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:002015-08-11T15:15:48.235-07:00The BBC is About to Repeat Canada's Mistake<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
As the BBC approaches its 100th anniversary, the venerable broadcaster is in a pitched battle for its future.</div>
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The newly-elected Conservative government wants to reduce the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/14/battle-for-the-bbc" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">financing and the scope</a> of BBC activities; it has just phased out a £750m subsidy that substituted for 'free' TV licence fees for persons aged 75 and over. This is in addition to the elimination of a £245m subsidy that had for decades funded the BBC World Service. Now both must be funded by others' TV licence fees or some other funding source.</div>
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The biggest share of BBC revenues comes from the TV licence fee, which a household is required to pay if they watch (live) TV. Much like a driver's licence but there is no exam to pass.</div>
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The Canadian experience provides a lesson on how not to fund the BBC. Canada abandoned the licence fee in the 1950's on the premise that TV, which was being introduced, was too expensive to be funded by individual households, especially since only a handful of homes had a TV in the early days. From that day to this the CBC has been subjected to tortuous annual negotiations for direct government funding. Abandoning the licence fee and not replacing it with another mechanism allowing the public to pay directly for public broadcasting was a mistake.</div>
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Every year the CBC must plead for government grants and the Corporation is continually on tenterhooks. On several occasions with the onset of a recession governments have made drastic cuts to the CBC budget as part of general austerity programs. There have also been times when funding has been cut ostensibly because of perceived journalistic bias or alleged inefficiencies. The public has no say in these cuts.</div>
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Canadian politicians, not surprisingly, are just like British politicians, regularly accusing the public broadcaster of bias. Pierre Trudeau once even asked the CRTC to rule on CBC bias. This at least confirms that the public broadcasting system is open and robust. But it can lead to unfortunate outcomes. The leader of the Canadian Senate <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/why-conservatives-like-the-cbc-ratings-game/article21705532/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">recently</a> asked whether the CBC should be out of news entirely, which would basically neuter the CBC and deny Canadians of an important voice. Able-minded politicians should relish the attention granted by public broadcasting journalists who are by definition the most impartial, although management must be vigilant about possible biases in programs.</div>
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Lacking direct public funding and given the vagaries of annual grants from Parliament, CBC has sought out revenues from two other natural sources, advertising and subscriptions. Advertising on CBC TV has made the service indistinguishable from commercial networks and undermined one of the core purposes of public broadcasting, which is to examine all aspects of society, including government, without real or perceived servitude to any interest group. CBC TV has lately even resorted to turning over valuable prime time hours of its schedule to commercial broadcasters (Rogers NHL games and TV series).</div>
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CBC has successfully raised limited revenues in recent years from subscriptions but then, desperate for revenue, ran ads on these channels for any interest group or business that would pay. Subscriptions to individual services are increasingly difficult today as TV is becoming platform agnostic and, of course, it is not feasible to collect radio subscriptions.</div>
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If subscriptions are the way to fund public broadcasting then it should likely not be for individual services. Just as the current BBC licence fee covers the cost of not only TV but also radio and other BBC services, an overall fee added to the bill of pay TV and internet providers (fixed and mobile) could fund all BBC services. This is a concept being explored in Canada, since the present mechanisms to fund CBC have failed miserably.</div>
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British consumers would likely willingly accept this new subscription fee, since it would replace the licence fee. The cost of collection would likely be no more or less than the 3-4% it costs to collect the licence fee. Canadian consumers would be more reluctant and so a widespread educational campaign would be required.</div>
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Only those households without internet access or pay TV (via cable, satellite or IPTV) would be excluded from the new subscription fee. Those who subscribe would be required to pay the fee in order to receive pay TV or internet, thus no need to force payment by legal means.<a href="http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr14/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Ofcom estimates </a>that over 80% of British homes had residential internet access in 2014 and over 60% had smartphones. Many of those without fixed or mobile internet would have some form of pay TV and it is probable that less than 5% of homes have neither, roughly equal to the 5% of homes who currently <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">evade</a> paying the licence fee. Many are likely to be low income homes and/or with persons aged 75-plus and they would not be required to pay the BBC subscription fee. If the subscription fee was based on a percentage, it would mean those who spend the most on pay TV/Internet, would pay more than those who spend less on these communication services.</div>
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What BBC services should be offered in future and how to manage them efficiently is another critical issue.</div>
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The BBC should seek to serve the whole public since virtually all pay for it but BBC need not continuously "chase ratings." The licence fee is an annual fee, not a daily or weekly fee. Reaching all members of the public on some regular basis or even occasionally with programs or services that are meaningful would suffice, not precluding some programs with wide popular appeal.</div>
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As for the concern that the BBC duplicates programs of commercial broadcasters, it can be argued that quality standards of BBC productions only rarely are equaled by commercial British productions. Generally, only <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/21/us_video_even_more_dominant_as_european_initiatives_fail/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">U.S. programs</a> funded by the huge American market and their worldwide audience can equal BBC quality and entertainment value.</div>
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Commercial broadcasters, understandably, will do whatever necessary to shift costs to the bottom line to profit. The BBC, being funded directly by the public, has the freedom to invest in quality and need not answer to the demand for profits. But it must be efficient and BBC management, ideally drawn from a professional broadcasting talent pool, must constantly evaluate the merits of all programs and ensure the BBC spends wisely and not just equals but exceeds commercial broadcasters.</div>
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Certainly, it is a challenge to argue that BBC should be seeking online readers as well as viewers and listeners, given the proliferation of newspapers and other news sources online. BBC internet services would seemingly be better suited to providing mostly audio-visual content and to work with rather than compete with newspapers for readers.</div>
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With long term stagnation in government funding, fragmentation of the advertising and subscription markets, CBC TV is today but a shell of its former self and commands a fraction of the BBC's audience share. Today, in weeks without a major sporting event on offer CBC TV captures only about 1 hour of the average Canadian's time. Fortunately, CBC radio fares somewhat better, as do French-language services.</div>
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What has befallen Canadian public broadcasting is not what Britain wants for the BBC. BBC released some data that is startling for North Americans: virtually every adult in the UK spends <a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/accountability/pdf/summary_audience_information_july_sept_2014.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">18 hours </a>per week on average with BBC services. This figure comes from a BBC-commissioned survey and may exaggerate but it is more time spent on any other activity but for sleeping. <br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />The Beeb is not perfect but is important in the lives of most Britons, and, millions around the globe. I think a case can be made that the BBC is not just a national treasure but also Britain's ambassador to the world and largely responsible for maintaining its reputation as a political, economic and cultural bellwether. When people around the globe are exposed to BBC news or entertainment they imbibe Britain. Surely it is the responsibility of all political parties to ensure another century of BBC services for the world.</div>
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Please don't make the Canadian mistake of assuming that the public broadcaster should be funded by annual government grants, which only leads to commercialization of the public broadcaster and ultimately the belief that commercial broadcasters can replace it.</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-74643723365794659602015-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:002015-07-27T06:49:11.559-07:00CBC Needs a Rethink<br />
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CBC recently <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/17/cbc-boss-defends-public-broadcaster-during-tense-grilling-by-senate-committee/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">appeared before a Senate Committee</a> examining its future and demonstrated that it has no real strategy for the future. Instead of a strategy, CBC has an agenda. The agenda is to shrink the CBC.<br />
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Before he became president of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2007/12/06/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">told Parliament </a>it was his job to find new sources of revenue but after taking the job he said CBC <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/cbc-needs-financial-flexibility-not-more-money-lacroix-1.833919" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">doesn't need more money</a>.</div>
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This month CBC submitted a <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/press/letter-feb-2-2015.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">document </a>to the Committee and a <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/Briefs/2015-02-02CBCMedia_Environment2014_e.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">90-page slide presentation </a>that contained contradictions, errors and misleading information.<br />
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Here are some of the problems that a quick reading reveals:<br />
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-CBC told the Senate it relies heavily on public funding, over $1 billion per year, "as do the privates." According to CBC, the privates receive production tax credits and funds from the Canada Media Fund. No mention that CBC also receives these additional benefits, above and beyond its Parliamentary funding. Rather than whining about the privates, why doesn't management make the case that the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">public</em> broadcaster should receive all the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">public</em> funding?<br />
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-More importantly, these so-called benefits relate only to TV. Private radio has no similar benefits, while CBC Radio receives over a quarter of a billion dollars in public funding.<br />
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-Total revenues of CBC TV and Radio amounted to almost $1.9 billion in 2013-14, a sizable sum given that the government has reduced funding by $115 million per year. In one part of the document it is claimed that 26 per cent of the total revenue comes from advertising; in another section it is claimed that ad revenue represents 21 per cent. The difference is almost $100 million. But ad revenue is not what public broadcasting is all about. Even private broadcasters like HBO Canada, Netflix, shomi and Crave TV are going commercial-free.<br />
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-CBC's basic "strategy" is to concentrate less on radio and TV, which are expensive, and focus on cheaper digital, Internet services. CBC claimed it is "a leader among news and information digital properties" and in its appearance said it was the number one digital news site. Neither statement can be verified. The monthly audience reach data CBC submitted is for cbc.ca, the portal that encompasses not only CBC news and information but also all CBC drama, comedy, sports and other entertainment programs and all of CBC Radio. One can watch full episodes of <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Heartland</em>, <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">22 Minutes</em>, etc. or listen to radio on cbc.ca. One would have to separate out the news audience (cbc.ca/news) to fairly compare to Huffington Post, CNN, etc.<br />
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-The Internet audience data for cbc.ca could mislead the Senate, as it appears to have misled CBC management. The CBC online audience is really quite small. In an average minute of the day cbc.ca has about 5,000 users. That is, roughly the audience that Sun TV News had when it shut down recently. </div>
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-CBC has never released information on cbc.ca advertising revenue and would only tell the Senate that it is doing "very, very well." Expenditures on CBC Internet-based services may exceed $100-million but we have no idea how much revenue comes in. Advertising revenues of the Internet are growing but are not going to web sites like cbc.ca. It's fair to conclude that public funds are being spent on cbc.ca, which competes with private radio and TV and even newspapers. Did Parliament create CBC for this purpose? </div>
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-CBC detailed how its web audience is currently nine-million monthly users and set a goal to double it to 18-million or about half of all Canadians by 2020. That should be easy. The data CBC submitted show that cbc.ca alone has nine-million monthly users; but (a mostly additional) two million use its French website, so that is a good first step to achieving the goal. Other CBC data claimed that half of Francophones and about a third of Anglophones use CBC websites, so the good news is that the managers have basically already achieved their goal (but don't seem to know it.) </div>
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-CBC also referred to monthly audience reach of its other services. The source was a CBC survey but we have no way of knowing how the reach numbers were arrived at. Without knowing how much time a person must spend with a service to be counted in the audience, it is of dubious value. Audience share, like average audience, is a better tool for measuring performance.</div>
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-CBC did provide audience share to the Senate. CBC claimed its English TV prime time share <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is </em>8.2 per cent. In fact, it <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">was</em> 8.2 per cent in 2013-14, according to the CBC. Audience share in 2014-15 to-date, that is, the first full year with Rogers controlling NHL hockey was not provided. Oddly, a letter to the Committee refers to the prime time share in a single week of January 2015. </div>
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-Also missing is the whole day audience share. More total viewing takes place in the hours outside of prime time. Audiences start to grow about 4 p.m. and are almost as high as in prime time. The whole day share encompasses performance not only in prime time but also the other hours of the day. CBC told Parliament it had about a 5 per cent whole day share prior to this season and it makes sense that it has dipped below 5 per cent in 2014-15. Why would CBC managers conceal the effect of budget cuts, the loss of NHL and increased competition and not make the case for additional funding? Are they in a conflict of interest and ignore shortcomings?</div>
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-CBC said Canadians spend about 27 hours per week watching TV; 17 hours per week listening to radio; and about 20 hours per week on the Internet. What is CBC's share? CBC TV has about a 5 per cent share of TV viewing; it has an impressive 15 per cent share of radio listening. Results are even better for Radio-Canada. But despite its large monthly reach CBC has only about a 0.2 per cent share of internet usage. Not 1 per cent, much less than 1 per cent. Not much of an ROI. Where do you think it should focus its resources? On radio and TV, which will be around for decades to come or on web-based services that compete with thousands of other web services?<br />
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-If CBC slowly withdraws from traditional radio and TV, which is the strategy being proposed, it will mean the end or the diminution of CBC. Is a public broadcaster really necessary on the Internet, which has no scarcity of content providers? </div>
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CBC should have an audio/video presence on the web but its radio/TV infrastructure is far more important and will be for many years. The valuable service provided by CBC Radio and CBC TV (which may be starting a renaissance with programs such as <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Book of Negroes</em> and <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">X Company</em>) should not be starved of funds to provide digital services that few will use. If CBC managers think otherwise, then make all web services pay services, as do many newspapers. Besides, shouldn't the core strategy be to find new sources of revenue, as Mr. Lacroix promised?<br />
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(This post originally appeared in Huffington Post)</div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-82965502440984484302015-06-22T07:32:00.000-07:002015-07-03T18:09:07.097-07:00Ghomeshi/Soloman Are the Tip of the CBC Iceberg<br />
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The Jian Ghomeshi and Evan Soloman scandals signal that CBC managers have lost control of CBC. The Corporation has resorted to <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cbc-hires-firm-to-investigate-ghomeshi-situation/article21441521/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">hiring </a>an outside labour lawyer to investigate what went wrong with management processes, an admission of failure. But the signs of trouble have been there for some time.</div>
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CBC is a relative bargain. In 2014 Canadians paid on average only $18 per capita in public monies to fund CBC Radio and TV, a tiny fraction of what they spent on other TV-related services, such as cable TV or Netflix. (We paid only $11 per person to fund Radio Canada.) We also pay smaller amounts for CBC specialty channels, such as CBC News Network ,and CBC benefits from other, smaller government funds.</div>
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The finger-pointing for CBC's problems has become a national pastime but its roots are fairly obvious.</div>
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For over a decade CBC Presidents, who, along with the CBC Board of Directors, are appointed by the government, have hired outsiders to manage CBC English Radio and TV. Hubert Lacroix, the current President <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2008/05/22/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">admitted when he accepted the job</a> he knew very little about the CBC. For the President to in turn <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/heather-conway-plans-to-take-cbc-to-the-next-level-1.1868955" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">rely on outsiders to manage</a> the programming services is a departure from a long practice of relying on staff who came up through CBC ranks to become vice-presidents. This is proving disastrous as the CBC once again has suffered government funding cuts and is trying to maximize other revenues. But it is evident to me that the current senior management team knows very little about the organization they are in charge of, the result of broken management systems and practices. The Ghomeshi scandal is the tip of the iceberg.<br />
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Some other examples:</div>
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- CBC senior managers have recently given <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2012/04/april-24/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">three </a><a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2010/04/01/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">different</a> <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2013/06/11/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">estimates</a> of CBC's commercial revenue, including advertising. Which is it? The difference amounts to about $300 million. How can one budget properly without knowing?</div>
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- Hubert Lacroix asserted recently that TV advertising revenue accounts for<a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2014/10/16/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink"> 93% of "business revenue."</a> According to CBC's <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/site/annual-reports/2013-2014/consolidated-statement-income-loss.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">annual report</a> he is off the mark by 30 percentage points. </div>
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- Mr. Lacroix should know but he has been busy with extracurricular activities. While President of CBC he has been a director of several private companies, one of which <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/hubert-lacroix/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">paid him almost $100,000</a> in 2011. He's been so busy he misread the policy on travel and inadvertently billed the CBC for $30,000 in ineligible travel expenses. </div>
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- Ad revenue currently accounts for about 30% of CBC TV's total revenue, substantially less than 15 years ago, yet the President has claimed it was between <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2009/12/03/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">"40% and 50%."</a> Have senior managers lost track of tens of millions of dollars?</div>
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- For years CBC managers <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2012/index.htm#tb1119" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">boasted</a> that NHL hockey was a profit centre. Yet, after CBC lost the NHL rights to Rogers, the CBC President <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">admitted that at best hockey broke even</a>. What kinds of decisions are made with such conflicting information? </div>
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- The President <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2012/index.htm#tb1119" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">told the CRTC</a> that CBC Radio would be protected from further cuts but CRTC data reveal that cuts to radio continued and radio's annual budget is $100 million less today, which <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">may be in violation of the Broadcasting Act</a>. </div>
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- CBC says it has cut over <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2014/05/5a/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">2,100 staff </a>in recent years. But <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats6.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">CRTC data </a>reveal that the staff reductions are about a third of the number claimed (most are in radio). Do senior managers monitor staffing?</div>
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- Journalistic policies are being ignored by those in the trenches. There is evidence that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">policy on expressing opinion is being violated</a>, most notably by Rex Murphy. Mr. Murphy and others have been criticized for accepting large fees for public appearances, even from charities such as the Salvation Army. This has not always been the case for CBC-branded celebrities. Is the lack of management oversight the cause? </div>
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- Despite overall TV viewing levels at all time highs and CBC radio audience shares at modern-day record levels, CBC managers have announced that they are planning on making murky, new "digital" services a higher priority than radio and TV! The new digital strategy comes with no business plan, no estimates of costs or revenues. Is this simply an invention of managers with little broadcasting experience?</div>
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Is it surprising that CBC is in such crisis?</div>
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The last decade has taken a toll. The President and the majority of his Board are supporters of the Conservative party, which seems to have handcuffed efforts to fight for funding from a government they personally fund. Ironically, they don't seem to know that the <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/02/do-conservatives-think-cbc-is-important.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">majority of the Conservative "base" also support CBC</a>. </div>
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The result is acquiescence in government cuts and a reluctance to make the case for new sources of revenue. The best they can come up with is to cut staff and then rent out the space once occupied by the departed.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-12-25-friends.bmp" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2014-12-25-friends.bmp" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-12-25-friends-thumb.bmp" height="344" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="570" /></a><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source: Friends of Canadian Broadcasting</strong></div>
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If you wanted to slowly strangle the CBC, you couldn't imagine more ideal circumstances. With a stacked Board of Directors and senior management team so inexperienced in TV/radio programming, how could they possibly make the case for CBC? The first step to righting the ship is to put in place an experienced captain and crew.<br />
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(A version of this post first appeared in Huffington Post)</div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-89893509794283627972015-06-09T08:37:00.000-07:002015-06-09T08:37:21.102-07:00 CBC Radio: Q the Decline?<br />
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CBC is like a crazy, old aunt, unwilling to accept the reality of her circumstances. In CBC's case it is the reality that its radio audience is comprised mostly of older Canadians. CBC senior managers have recently boasted about the record high audiences of CBC Radio. They gush over CBC Radio's audience share in speeches and public appearances, such as <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/17/cbc-boss-defends-public-broadcaster-during-tense-grilling-by-senate-committee/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">last month's appearance</a> before a Senate Committee, but never acknowledge that loyal, senior citizen listeners are responsible for creating a mathematical illusion. Mark Twain would say there are lies, damn lies.</div>
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While CBC Radio is undoubtedly the jewel in CBC's crown and virtually a necessity for a large number of Canadians, managers have been close to deceitful about its audience performance. Why?</div>
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As <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reported elsewhere</a>, CBC managers have scooped over $100 million (about 30 per cent) from the annual budgets of CBC English and French Radio over the past six years. CBC TV has had its budget spared in comparative terms. This has crippled CBC Radio: many programs have disappeared and been replaced with repeats of the remaining programs; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">radio staff has been cut by 20 per cent. while TV has lost but 3 per cent</a>; local noon hour shows have been <a href="https://twitter.com/finnertymike/statuses/1397179151" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reduced to one hour </a>; local morning shows now constantly repeat sports, weather and traffic information and fill airtime with syndicated segments which were <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cbc-cuts-jobs-at-n-l-regional-stations-1.815150" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">once occupied by local reporters</a> and serious discussion of local issues. Radio staff do their best with much reduced resources.</div>
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What better way of deflecting criticism of all these cuts than to tout the audience success of the hollowed out service? But a careful review of the data CBC released to the Senate shows CBC Radio's audience is not at record levels.</div>
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CBC Radio 2 has been turned into a service with a split personality. It once was a classical music and arts service but about the time budgets were being gutted, it became a strange mélange of classical and contemporary music. For the first time since the 1970s commercial advertising was introduced. Radio listeners on average only tune to a handful of stations in any given week, as few as three, and they expect the programming 'format' to be consistent whenever they tune to a particular station. <a href="http://www.rab.com/whyradio/pf_faq16.cfm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">This is Radio 101</a>. The split format of Radio 2 goes against established programming strategy and likely satisfies neither old nor new listeners. Apparently it hasn't satisfied advertisers either, since ad revenue <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/5040/CBC_2014%20Radio%20Aggregate%20Return-public.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">has been disappointing</a>, pulling in a fraction of what was anticipated.</div>
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CBC Radio 1, which is primarily news and information, has suffered most of the massive budget cuts. It <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/shad-named-new-host-of-cbc-s-q-1.2989942" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">just announced</a> that one of its flagship morning shows, Q, will be hosted by Shad, a rapper, and the program will feature more music and try to attract younger listeners. All music has a place but in an important time slot on Radio 1? Does it signify another break with reality and blindness as to who really listens to CBC? I have no explanation for these counter-intuitive programming decisions but I once heard the president of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/02/will-cbc-ever-restore-radio-2.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">declare at a luncheon</a> speech that his mother liked the music on Radio 2 rather than citing audience research. </div>
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CBC Radio is not for everyone. But about one in three Canadians listen to CBC Radio for at least an hour per month, according to our surveys. That is a very substantial plurality, as many as vote for the winning party in federal elections. Those who listen regularly are intensely loyal and spend many hours a month with the service but is the audience growing, as claimed by CBC?</div>
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Radio listening overall has been declining since 2000, according to ratings data CBC provided to the Senate. Within some age groups weekly average hours spent with radio have declined by as much as 40 per cent (see graph below), as people, especially younger people, are turning to other alternatives to listen to music, including iPods, smartphones, Internet streaming, etc.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-03-23-1427139775-1475486-radio1.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2015-03-23-1427139775-1475486-radio1.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-03-23-1427139775-1475486-radio1-thumb.jpg" height="355" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="570" /></a></div>
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However, when CBC claims that its audience is at record levels, it doesn't use average hours spent with CBC Radio. Rather it switches to another metric, audience share. Yes, the CBC share has grown since 2000 but the base for the calculation of share, hours spent listening, is down by as much as 40 per cent. The CBC share has increased because many non-CBC listeners have abandoned radio for other music alternatives, while CBC's mostly older, beleaguered listeners have stayed with CBC despite the diminished service. In effect, CBC has a larger share of a much smaller pie. Again, Twain would say reports of an increase in CBC Radio's audience are greatly exaggerated (and the result of demographic trends, especially an aging population).</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-03-23-1427139833-9759643-radio2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2015-03-23-1427139833-9759643-radio2.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-03-23-1427139833-9759643-radio2-thumb.jpg" height="447" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="570" /></a></div>
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Among older adults, who are the heaviest radio listeners, as shown in the graph, CBC Radio registers more than a 33 per cent share, while among younger adults, who are lighter radio listeners, the share is less <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/06/is-internet-over-rated.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">than 10 per cent </a>. Despite the stunning fact that one third of <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">all</em> seniors' listening is captured by CBC Radio, managers are loath to acknowledge that it is overwhelmingly a service for older persons, a group that will only get larger. </div>
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So the decline in CBC Radio and the real audience story has been covered up, along with the serious negative effects of disproportionate budget cuts. Meanwhile managers continue to ignore how people use radio, going after the younger, hip audience that long ago abandoned radio for other media choices. Poor auntie Bee denies it and withdraws into fantasy.<br />
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(This post originally appeared in Huffington Post)</div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-20126572092434876772015-05-30T12:22:00.000-07:002015-05-30T12:22:42.651-07:00In Memoriam: Friend and Researcher<br />
We buried Mark Cannon this week. He was 66, roughly the same age as most of his friends because we all met in the 1960's either in high school at St. Pius X or St. Pat's College in Ottawa. Both schools offered a good education and even better lessons in life. Many young people were also at the wake, not just nieces and nephews, but also youth that Mark mentored in his role at CBC in the audience research department. The young CBCers would visit regularly when he was hospitalized for the lung cancer that spread to his brain. <br />
<br />
Mark was a childhood friend so remarkable that I can easily remember the faces and mannerisms of his long-departed parents and whose siblings (Elaine, Terry and Martha) I recognized immediately even after many decades.<br />
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Years after school our paths intersected at CBC. I urged him to share his exceptional intelligence with CBC and he agreed, a bit reluctantly because of an innate distrust of bureaucracy. Mark didn't draw attention to himself and was always under-the-radar but he possessed a rare genius, fed by voracious reading, beneath that exterior. Within months of joining the CBC research department he had mastered the art and science of studying audience behaviour, needs and interests.<br />
<br />
Mark was the anti-Gomeshi at CBC. He succeeded in the star-obsessed, over-managed CBC (and in life) because he lacked all hubris, despite being the smartest person in every room he entered. He could handle even the most opinionated manager, deliver the bad news about ratings and somehow make the manager feel better about it. They so respected him, some, such as Chris Boyce, who seems to have inexplicably taken the fall for the Gomeshi scandal, took time to visit him in his last days at Kensington Hospice. He was so loved by his old school buddies, many regularly made the trek from Ottawa to Toronto to spend a few hours with him, including one good friend who frequently drove to Toronto and back the same day for a visit.<br />
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Many of Mark's school buddies went on to become successful politicians, senior civil servants, lawyers and judges but he never asked for a favour and was happy for their success. Coupled with his intelligence was a wry sense of humour. He could use it to perfectly frame a situation, often to reign in a misguided CBC programmer or friend who was out of line.<br />
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Mark met the love of his life at CBC, Christine Wilson, and though they later separated, they had two beautiful children, Sam and Rachel. If they have half of Mark's intelligence, they will be successful. Christine was so caring for Mark in his last months, she was declared ex-wife of the year in our St. Pius/St. Pat's circle. Despite our Catholic beginnings, there are a number of potential nominees.<br />
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Mark Cannon leaves an indelible memory on all who knew him. He was one of those rare individuals who gave himself to others and asked for nothing in return. He will be remembered.<br />
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-50935612891041792072014-12-19T14:09:00.000-08:002014-12-20T07:14:37.663-08:00Doyle’s List 2014<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">John Doyle, the Globe and
Mail’s acerbic TV critic, likes to publish an annual list of the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday-guide/holiday-survival-guide/john-doyle-top-10-most-irritating-canadians-2014-tv-related/article22162761">ten most irritating</a> people associated with Canadian TV.
John revels in the belief that everyone in the TV biz has him number 1
on their most irritating list. This ‘got me started’ on a list of the 10 biggest
errors and contradictions in John’s column the last year or so: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">CBC now receives
“much less” than $1 billion from the government. (nope, John, it’s still over
$1 billion and projected to stay there for the foreseeable future)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The #1 news show
in </span><st1:country-region style="font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is CTV local news
in </span><st1:city style="font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Toronto</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.
(John, you'll be accused of being Toronto-c</span><span style="font-size: 19px;">entric</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">CBC’s total
budget is about $1 billion. (Sorry again, don’t forget ad and subscriber revenue, which
brings it to $1.5 billion)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Adaptations of
novels don’t work on TV. (Come again?
Most of John's recs this year were based on books)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">CBC needs to be “cool,” no, I mean
“different,” sorry, make that “smart,” hmm, no, “get off its high horse.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“CBC is ever more
relevant,” no, make that “adrift, directionless.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“There is no
adult in charge at CBC.” But, “CBC is not in terrible shape.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“What makes a
hit?...<st1:place w:st="on"><i>Gotham</i></st1:place><i>’s</i> debut of 22.2 million (viewers),”
yet, “CBC’s <i>Strange Empire</i> which
brings in about 300,000 viewers” is John’s pick of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“Our web site has
4.2 million unique visits a month. Ezra
Levant is talking to 5,000 people.” (Note: arrange briefing for John on difference
between monthly reach and average minute audience.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“CBC is our national neurosis--and that’s a good
thing.” </span><span style="font-size: 19px;">Hmm</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, sorry </span><span style="font-size: 19px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I just say, “I don’t want to be one of those CBC bores.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
And one thing unrelated to TV:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> really
wants to win the World Cup, but won’t”.
(Hold that prediction for 2018)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">John’s columns are often very
witty, although he admits he may have written some of them more than once. He gets into trouble when he tries to be serious and with numbers (and soccer
predictions). But many of his columns
are funnier than the people and sitcoms he writes about and are a welcome
relief in an industry that takes itself too seriously. So, apologies, John, you
may be on everyone’s irritating people’s list but not number 1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-92220524644199656762014-11-26T08:35:00.000-08:002014-11-26T08:35:17.433-08:00Has the CBC Violated the Broadcasting Act?<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
It appears CBC is violating Canadian law. CBC must obey the <a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/B-9.01/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Broadcasting Act,</a> a law established by Parliament but the Corporation has failed to fulfill a key requirement of the Act. In particular, CBC has made major, inequitable reductions in the staff and budgets of CBC Radio but failed to reveal the plan for these self-imposed cuts. Over $100 million in funds have been surreptitiously transferred from CBC Radio to CBC TV, both English and French, and the effect on radio programming is palpable.</div>
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CBC is no stranger to sidestepping rules and regulations. For example, Rex Murphy's weekly commentary on <em style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The National</em> is supposed to be clearly identified as Mr. Murphy's opinion. When asked last year how viewers were supposed to know it was Mr. Murphy's opinion, not that of CBC, managers at first claimed a graphic, "Rex Murphy Point of View," appeared during the segment and then sheepishly had to admit that somehow it had been removed years ago. The omission was quickly corrected.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-11-20-Rex2.bmp" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="2014-11-20-Rex2.bmp" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-11-20-Rex2-thumb.bmp" height="456" style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="570" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-11-20-rex3.bmp" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="2014-11-20-rex3.bmp" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-11-20-rex3-thumb.bmp" height="456" style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="570" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
The distinction between facts and opinion has gradually been blurred by CBC news, even by <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2014/03/peter-mansbridge-new-form-of-cbc.html" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Peter Mansbridge</a>, as he not only moderates opinion panels but participates in them. As CBC budgets have gotten tighter, program executives have discovered that facts are expensive to gather, while opinions are free.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
CBC has stringent <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-canadians/acts-and-policies/programming/journalism/politics/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">journalistic policies</a> dealing with fairness, balance, etc. One of those policies deals with the on-air presentation of surveys or polls.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
The policy on polling appears to have been jettisoned by both CBC radio and TV. Programs like <em style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The House</em>, <em style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The National</em>, <em style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Day Six</em>, <em style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Power and Politics</em> and regular newscasts present poll results with little and sometimes no reference to methodology, contrary to policy.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
Online surveys are another case in point. They are being used virtually every day by CBC programs-- ignoring the CBC policy that "If programs refer to online questions, the results are reported in a way that clearly indicates it has no scientific validity..." Such surveys are specifically prohibited by the policy from "giv(ing) the results as a percentage, as we normally do with bona fide polls." Yet they all do, in direct contradiction to the policy.</div>
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When this was brought to the attention of CBC, the CBC <a href="http://www.ombudsman.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/complaint-reviews/2014/polling-pitfalls-getting-it-right-means-attention-to-every-detail-not-all-polls-are-created-equal/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Ombudsman decreed</a> that policy was being breached and suggested that managers take corrective measures. That was almost a year ago and little or nothing appears to have been done.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
CBC is not alone in using on-line polls. The Globe and Mail does so but its ombudsman recently <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/community/inside-the-globe/public-editor-the-trouble-with-online-surveys/article21126824/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">acknowledged</a> their limitations. Yet, the Globe can fall short on accuracy and correction. The Globe's TV critic, in a <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/john-doyle-after-the-ghomeshi-expose-wheres-the-media-analysis/article21442207/" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">column belittling media criticism </a>in Canada no less, claimed erroneously that the most watched TV newscast in Canada was the CTV local news in Toronto. A promised correction has yet to appear; management can be loath to challenge star performers.</div>
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That seems to have been the case with Jian Ghomeshi. CBC has long-established policies dealing with the workplace environment but implementing such policies is difficult. This is especially true if corporate culture subtly coerces employees to refrain from lodging complaints. What are employees to think when the CBC President, reacting to criticism from Sun Media, proudly announces at a Parliamentary Committee in 2013 that not a single case of harassment across the entire CBC was being investigated the day he spoke. The CBC President, of course, was the subject of another embarrassing case of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbc-president-hubert-lacroix-repays-30k-in-expenses-1.2546300" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">dodging CBC rules</a> when he was caught this year claiming for $30,000 of illegitimate travel expenses.</div>
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A more serious situation is the gutting of CBC Radio budgets. According to <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">CRTC data</a>, CBC French TV has managed to keep a budget of about $500 million annually since 2009; CBC English TV has maintained a budget of about $700 million annually in the same 5-year period. That is, there has been basically no reduction in CBC TV budgets. </div>
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Putting aside the fact that the funds available to French TV seem disproportionate, how has CBC managed to keep TV budgets virtually intact, when ad revenues have been declining and the federal government has reduced CBC's funding?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One can't find the answer in any CBC financial report, including the annual corporate plan. The Broadcasting Act requires the CBC to prepare a corporate plan and a summary of the plan that "<span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-indent: 19.2000007629395px;">shall encompass all the businesses and activities, including investments, of the Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, if any, and shall set out the major business decisions taken with respect thereto.</span>" The summary of the plan requires that the budgets of the Corporation "shall be prepared in a form that clearly sets out information according to the major businesses or activities..." Evidently, CBC has failed to fulfill the requirements of the Act, i.e., the law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">The CBC corporate plan summary of the past five years contained no "clearly set out information" about the four major CBC business activities, English and French radio and TV. The summary plan is the only information available publicly and to members of Parliament. MPs and the public had no idea how much CBC planned on spending on TV versus radio or English versus French. Most importantly no information was provided on whether CBC planned on </span></span><a href="http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/observer/story.html?id=36725c9c-e870-48c9-97da-2ceed5f122ad&p=3" style="border: 0px; color: #b10000; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">robbing radio to pay for TV</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">. Who knew?</span></span></div>
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We only learned post facto that CBC planned on achieving its objectives (for TV) by stripping more than a quarter of the funding from its radio services. How? Fortuitously, another law came into effect in 2008 that required CBC and other broadcasters to provide financial data to the CRTC on their major radio and TV operations.</div>
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The CRTC data show that while CBC TV services have maintained their budgets, CBC French radio has seen a funding decline of some 35% since 2009 and CBC English radio a decline of some 29%. Staff levels have followed suit. The radio services have been cut by a combined $100+ million, more or less the amount that the government cut from CBC's budget. Is that what Tony Clement wanted, cut only radio and not TV?</div>
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CBC finds itself in a most precarious situation. Cuts to radio are not enough and so CBC TV has chosen the path of privatization by a thousand cuts, outsourcing sports to Rogers, weather to The Weather Network and documentaries to independent producers. Rather than take the high road and fight for new sources of funding, as CBC President Hubert Lacroix promised when he took the job, CBC management seems determined to keep their heads down and coalesce on the level playing field of private broadcasters.</div>
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The stress on the CBC staff perhaps explains the skirting of journalistic policies, the failure to implement basic human resource policy and, more importantly, the fudging of financial data. But these are ingredients for disaster. CBC, especially CBC Radio, remains an essential service but years of mismanagement and funding shortfalls are starting to affect programming and Canadians are slowly losing a cultural touchstone. Something drastic needs to be done.</div>
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A version of this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-broadcasting-act_b_6195146.html">article</a> was published in Huffington Post.</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-75576311203286036242014-11-17T09:49:00.003-08:002014-11-17T09:49:48.795-08:00Here's How We Can Pay For the CBC<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
The CBC has not brought much attention to the fact that its current financial problem is caused mostly by funding cuts from the Harper government. Instead, CBC recently told the government it is "grateful" for the money its gets.</div>
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CBC is reeling from a $115 million annual reduction in funding from the federal government, which fully kicks in this year. CBC seems reluctant to discuss that not only has the government cut the budget, it won't provide any money for staff severance payments or inflation on salaries for those who remain at CBC. This is the first government in history that has not only cut the budget but treated CBC employees so poorly.</div>
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CBC has also lost all future advertising revenue from NHL hockey, although the president of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/sencommitteebusiness/CommitteeMeetingSchedule.aspx?parl=41&ses=2&Language=E&comm_id=19&searchMeetings=1&fromDate=2014-02-26&toDate=2014-02-26" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">has admitted </a>that CBC was at best breaking even on the NHL. Yet Mr. Lacroix points to the loss of hockey and a downturn in TV and radio advertising revenues generally as the culprit for CBC's financial problems rather than government cuts. He at least has adopted the idea of a cable tax, or what might better be called a "Canadian programming fee" to fund CBC.</div>
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A cable tax seems an easy target for the cable and satellite companies to attack and the media would pile on, since no one likes a new (or old) tax.</div>
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The cable companies and the media might hate the idea but what do average Canadians think about paying a little bit more for better quality Canadian TV programming?</div>
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In a previous <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-cuts_b_5154237.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">article</a> it was pointed out that the entire Canadian English TV industry generates revenues from advertising, subscription fees and government of about $5 billion annually. The BBC alone has more funding than our entire TV industry. The U.S. TV industry, with which Canada's broadcasters must compete, had annual revenues in 2011 of $165 billion or 33 times that of Canadian broadcasters. Lots of <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/solution-for-cbc-tv-get-cheap-and-cool---now/article17949154/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">critics </a>bemoan the lack of quality in Canadian TV compared to the U.S. but they offer no real solutions other than to suggest Canadian TV (CBC) needs to be "cool" and make do with less money! These critics have scant knowledge of how TV is financed or produced.</div>
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What Canadian TV has always lacked is adequate funding that would allow for experimentation, expensive failures, and the occasional hit program. That is how the industry works in the U.S. and elsewhere. In Canada we have starved both CBC TV and private conventional networks of funds and neither CBC nor the privates can produce high quality TV drama that compares with HBO and other U.S. networks. Canadian TV will never produce a <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Six Feet Under</em>, <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Sopranos</em>, <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Wire</em> or <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Big Love</em> with the budgets given to Canadian writers and producers.</div>
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CBC can afford to broadcast (in a good week) only two hours of original prime time drama while Canadian private networks mostly buy U.S. dramas and air them at the same time as the U.S. networks. This allows cable and satellite companies to unplug the U.S. channel and replace it with the Canadian channel. The effect is that Canadian commercials are carried on both the Canadian and U.S. channel.</div>
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CMRI tracks public opinion about Canadian TV and for over a decade we have asked Canadians if they would be willing to pay for better quality TV. Surprisingly, on average, about four in 10 have agreed to paying $5 more per month. That would be enough to dramatically improve the drama and other programming of CBC TV and private networks. Readers should visit CMRI's <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">blog </a>for methodological details on the annual survey.</div>
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Cable and satellite subscribers are far more willing to pay an extra $5 a month for better quality TV than people who watch TV off-air via an antenna. This makes sense. They have always been used to receiving TV for "free." Interestingly, willingness to pay for better quality TV is highest among those who voted Conservative in the last election, something the folks at Sun Media should take note of.</div>
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One of the great ironies in Canadian TV is that a large majority of Canadians think that a high percentage of their monthly cable bill already goes to CBC and other local stations. In our most recent survey only about one in three people thought that none of the money from their monthly bill went to local stations, almost one in two thought it was 10 per cent of the bill and about one in four thought that 25 per cent or more went to local stations. In other words, Canadians already think there is a cable tax!</div>
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On average Canadians think that about 20 per cent of their bill goes to CBC and other local stations, when it is actually zero. Specialty channels, the majority of which are owned by cable and satellite companies, such as TSN and Sportsnet, receive a percentage of what you pay to Rogers, Bell, etc. but CBC and private TV networks that have local stations receive nothing. They can only benefit indirectly from a small fund that underwrites some of the cost of independent programming. If CBC, CTV, etc. were to get even 10 per cent of our cable bill, it would amount to almost $1 billion per year and change Canadian TV overnight.</div>
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The trend has been remarkably consistent over the past decade and provides a clue as to how such a tax or programming fee could be introduced. Perhaps it should be a direct corporate tax on cable and satellite companies rather than on consumers. If cable companies chose to pass on the tax and bring it to the attention of their subscribers, many might be very surprised to learn that Rogers, Bell and others have not been giving some of the monthly fee to the CBC all along.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-budget_b_5240593.html">published</a> in Huffington Post)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-57934466376680825562014-11-17T09:35:00.000-08:002014-11-17T09:35:00.036-08:00Don't Believe Everything You Read About CBC Cuts<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Much of what is written about the CBC contains erroneous information. The latest cuts to the CBC are a case in point.</div>
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The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe and Mail</em>, the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto Star</em>, the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sun</em> and several other news outlets are fixated on the CBC to varying degrees and with equally varying editorial stances.</div>
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But they often provide readers with misinformation about CBC. The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe</em>, for example, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/were-asking-the-wrong-question-about-the-cbc/article17893998/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reported</a> that the Conservative government had cut CBC's Parliamentary grant to "much less the $1 billion," a figure that has become a rallying cry for those who think CBC is a drain on taxpayers. The truth is that the CBC's corporate <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/corporate-plan/corporate-plan-summary-2013-14-2017-18.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">plan</a> shows that for years to come the government operating and capital grant (used to buy and maintain equipment and facilities) will remain at more than $1 billion. The journalist, when challenged, tried to defend this claim on Twitter by saying he was referring to CBC English services but the English services have never received $1 billion from government.</div>
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Another <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe</em> reporter <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/is-the-broadcasting-act-crippling-the-cbc/article17949086/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">said</a> that CBC did not breakdown the necessary data so she said that "outsiders" put the cost of the main CBC French TV network at $400 million. A quick check of the CRTC web site would have revealed it was $476 million in 2013. The CRTC publishes the data annually, which are provided by CBC.</div>
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The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Star</em> ran an <a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2014/04/14/give_cbc_the_focus_and_the_funding_it_needs_to_succeed_editorial.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">editorial</a> saying the budget of CBC after the latest cuts would be reduced to $913 million, which is off by about $800 million. The total budget of the CBC is about $1.7 billion. The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Star</em> ignored not only government funding for equipment but also all advertising revenues and the many millions Canadians pay to receive CBC News Network, etc. through their cable bill. The editorial proclaimed that in the past five years CBC had cut 2,100 jobs. Again, a check of <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/stats6.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">CRTC</a> data would have revealed that the correct number was about one-third that.</div>
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An <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/04/14/kelly-mcparland-self-delusion-in-cbc-world/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">opinion piece</a> in the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">National Post</em> included those same staff numbers, adding that it represented a quarter of the workforce. The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Post</em> also ran a <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/04/14/andrew-coyne-cbc/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">commentary </a>saying CBC seemed incapable of reinventing itself, which may be true, and concluded that it didn't matter since TV viewing was in decline and the television industry, that is, networks, cable, etc. wouldn't exist in its present form in "maybe two years." This blissfully ignores the fact that TV viewing and cable/satellite subscriptions have shown no decline, according to <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2013/cmr.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">CRTC</a>.</div>
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The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sun</em>, which has always taken an aggressive stance when it comes to CBC, <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2014/04/11/cbc-must-deal-with-new-reality" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">echoed</a> other outlets, saying government funding would decline to $913 million in 2014-15, also forgetting government funding for equipment, etc.</div>
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The <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe</em> and the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Post</em> have reported on the losses CBC TV will incur when it no longer has ad revenue from NHL hockey. The <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/11/26/scott-stinson-rogers-nhl-deal-marks-the-end-of-the-cbc-as-we-know-it/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Post</a> put the number at $200 million, while the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/for-cbc-the-show-goes-on-with-loss-of-nhl-revenue/article15623530/#dashboard/follows/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Globe</a> put it at $225 million. Both estimates were based on hockey representing half of CBC ad revenues but used the total of CBC English and CBC French ad revenues to arrive at their estimates. One <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe</em> <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/cbcs-hockey-night-in-canada-window-set-to-close/article13571882/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reporter</a> was closer with an estimate of $175 million but in the same article said Rogers wasn't a likely bidder for Saturday night hockey. The CBC recently <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/sencommitteebusiness/CommitteeMeetingSchedule.aspx?parl=41&ses=2&Language=E&comm_id=19&searchMeetings=1&fromDate=2014-02-26&toDate=2014-02-26" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">revealed </a>NHL ad revenue was $125-$150 million and, contrary to earlier claims, said it wasn't making a profit. The number was probably $100 million in 2013, a year when the NHL locked out players for the start of the season.</div>
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So where does this leave readers of these news outlets?</div>
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Thing is, the public who read all these stories about CBC and its crisis need to have the correct facts about its funding, staffing and audiences. After all, the public will eventually shape the future of the CBC. The CBC should be totally transparent about its operations so that journalists of all stripes can report on the CBC accurately. Make no mistake, the CBC is facing a crisis and its networks, especially the CBC English TV network, do not have the funding to offer Canadians what they ask for and deserve.</div>
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But it is not just a question of more money, it is also necessary to define the role of CBC TV.</div>
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CBC TV and private English TV in Canada compete in an environment that is dominated by U.S. television. The U.S. industry in <a href="http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/cmr/cmr12/icmr/ICMR_Section_3.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #058b7b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">2011</a> had revenues of $165 billion dollars compared to total revenues of all English TV of about $5 billion. Canada's TV revenues are lowest among the G7 countries, while the U.S. is bigger than all other G7 countries combined and 33 times larger than the Canadian English TV industry. CBC TV, the main network and the news channel, have revenues of roughly $800 million, from all sources, or less than 0.5 per cent of U.S. TV revenues.</div>
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To be a real public broadcasting service CBC should be funded like public broadcasters in the U.K. or France. As a service to the public, it should be commercial free and like HBO, it should make programs for viewers, not advertisers. A small tax on all cable TV, satellite TV, Internet, mobile services, etc, that is, all the services that provide video to consumers should be used to properly fund CBC (and private TV services). Such a tax could generate as much as $3 billion dollars annually.</div>
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This would put CBC and private Canadian television on somewhat equal footing with the U.S. and allow for programs of sufficient quality to compete with U.S. television and the rest of the world. Cable executives would be aghast but I believe the public, evidenced by the insatiable appetite for cable TV, Internet, Netflix, smartphones, etc., would not resent paying for quality Canadian programming on CBC and private TV.</div>
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Now that is a story that Canadian journalists could be exploring and, after getting the facts straight, writing about for their readers.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-cuts_b_5154237.html">published</a> in Huffington Post)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-57360498574239515102014-11-17T09:27:00.001-08:002014-11-17T09:27:41.450-08:00Who's Really Paying for the Rogers $5.2 Billion NHL Deal?<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
Rogers massive $5.2 billion, 12-year NHL deal has shaken the TV industry. The deal is for national TV and digital/internet rights for all regular season and playoff games and was voted Canadian business <a href="http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/12/31/nhlrogers_52billion_deal_is_cp_business_story_of_2013.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">story </a>of the year.</div>
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Why would Rogers pay so much for NHL games? The deal averages about $435 million annually, roughly $300 million more than the combined sum <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/09/mr-bettman-cbc-is-losing-money-on-nhl.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">TSN and CBC</a> TV have been paying for national rights. CBC TV is left carrying some Saturday night hockey but all ad revenues flow to Rogers, starting in fall 2014. TSN is scrambling for crumbs, including local TV rights in Ottawa and Montreal (French), giving them a select number of games that can only be aired regionally. TSN's desperation showed when it <a href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/29/live-sens-announce-massive-tv-deal-hit-ice-for-practice" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reportedly </a>paid $400 million for the regional rights to Ottawa Senators games for the next 12 years.</div>
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Rogers is counting on increased advertising revenues to pay for the deal. It hopes that by broadcasting over 500 games, including Saturday night games, not just on CBC but also on CITY TV, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet 360, as well as Sunday night and mid-week games, substantially more ad revenue can be generated.</div>
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But Rogers may be disappointed -- Canadians already have access to a large number of televised NHL games. CBC airs just over 100 games per year and TSN/TSN2 and Sportsnet each air almost 200 games per season, although Sportsnet games are only available regionally. In addition, the NHL's own network airs a small number of games, as do NBC affiliates and the superstation WGN. There are also French-language broadcasts of roughly 200 games each season for die hard fans. Many viewers already have access to over 500 NHL games/season on regular TV and cable/satellite and this allows us to project future ad revenues.</div>
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The table below trends the total ad revenues of CBC TV, Rogers TV (CITY and Omni), CTV, as well as the specialty channels that carry or will carry NHL games.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-02-19-rogers1.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2014-02-19-rogers1.png" height="219" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-02-19-rogers1-thumb.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="538" /></a></div>
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Rogers TV stations generated some $278 million in ad revenues in 2012, about the same as CBC TV's $246 million but only roughly one-third the revenue of CTV. Note CTV's $100+ million increase in 2010, corresponding to the Vancouver Olympics; no similar increase resulted from the 2012 London Olympics.</div>
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The four sports specialty channels combined accounted for another $240-odd million in 2012. Specialty channels have traditionally sold advertising at heavily discounted rates and even with a large number of NHL games in their schedules, TSN and Sportsnet have relatively small ad revenues. Ad agencies won't pay the premium rates Sportsnet and TSN would like to charge. The two specialty sports channels together actually generate almost the same hockey audience as CBC but that doesn't translate into the same advertising revenue.</div>
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CBC says that it was basically breaking even or <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/for-cbc-the-show-goes-on-with-loss-of-nhl-revenue/article15623530/#dashboard/follows/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">losing money</a> the last few years on the NHL and we assume in this projection that about one-half its total ad revenue was from NHL hockey. Taking this into consideration, the table below estimates the ad revenue generated by NHL games that past 4 years.</div>
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<a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-02-19-rogers2.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2014-02-19-rogers2.png" height="154" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-02-19-rogers2-thumb.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="538" /></a></div>
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In 2012, CBC, which carried the most highly rated playoff games, generated about $120 million in NHL-related revenue. The revenue may have been even less, perhaps only $100 million. Using audience metrics as a guide, we estimate that TSN and Sportsnet generated roughly $25 million each from their NHL coverage. Thus, using fairly optimistic assumptions, the total ad revenue from the NHL is currently about $170 million.</div>
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What will happen next season and beyond? If Rogers airs Saturday night games on CITY TV and its other specialty networks, this will eat into CBC's Hockey Night in Canada audiences and the associated revenue; we estimate a 30 per cent loss in audiences and revenue for games on CBC. Games on CITY will likely feature big market home teams (Toronto and Vancouver) and be very attractive for advertisers. But the net effect of losses on CBC and gains from additional games on Rogers stations, coupled with the fact that there are only so many companies who want to reach the hockey audience at any given time, will mean only a modest increase in ad revenue.</div>
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Rogers expects NHL audiences to increase by <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=9474145" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">20%</a> overall, which is optimistic, given the audience performance of the more than 500 NHL games currently available to viewers. However, Rogers should be able to increase ad rates somewhat, given that they control all national rights. Assuming somewhat higher rates and a 10 per cent increase in audiences, we estimate that the revenues generated by the additional CITY TV, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet 360 Saturday, Sunday and weeknight NHL games will generate about $25 million in additional ad revenue, bringing the total in 2014 to about $195 million.</div>
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Rogers paid a premium for national NHL rights and the additional TV ad revenues will still leave a financial 'hole' of approximately $240 million. The hole must be filled with revenues from three other sources: sub-licencing to French TV, digital/mobile services and subscriber/fee increases for Rogers specialty channels.</div>
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The French TV rights for more than 300 games per year are being sub-licenced to <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/hockeys-french-connection/article15642270/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">TVA/TVA Sports</a> for $120 million annually. The parent company, Videotron, will presumably market the NHL in a similar fashion, especially on mobile devices. Conveniently, Videotron operates primarily in Quebec, with minimal service overlap with Rogers cable and internet. That still leaves a shortfall of about $120 million.</div>
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A digital/mobile app for Rogers NHL games on smartphones and tablets could fill some of the gap with ad revenues from viewers on mobile devices. Rogers NHL app would likely be bundled with Rogers cable/internet -- if you are a Rogers cable/internet subscriber, the mobile NHL app would be included in your monthly bill at no additional charge. Bell, Shaw and Telus subscribers will have access to the app but would likely have to pay an additional fee for access on mobile devices. This will bring in more revenue. Digital/mobile revenues are difficult to estimate but let's put the number at $20 million.</div>
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The big revenue will come from another, more traditional, source. Rogers will enjoy new subscriptions to its lesser known channels, such as Sportsnet One or Sportsnet 360, which have 2-3 million fewer subscribers than Sportsnet. To see all the games your cable or satellite TV company will have to offer all the Rogers channels. Rogers also plans to air some games on Fx, which you may have noticed from the ads is not yet carried by Bell, and has almost 7 million fewer subscribers than Sportsnet. Leaf fans would suddenly find Fx appealing if the channel carried exclusive Leafs' games. 10 million new subscriptions to Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360 and Fx would generate $100 million, using current fee schedules.</div>
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Rogers could also bundle all its sports specialty channels for one fee, which would simplify matters for the consumer. It will presumably also increase fees for its sports channels, as ESPN did when it secured Monday Night Football. The revenue from new channel subscriptions and fee increases will come not just from Rogers subscribers but Bell, Telus and Shaw subscribers who want access to all the NHL games.</div>
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The massive deal has the earmarks of satisfying a lot of Rogers and non-Rogers hockey fans, despite what a faulty Ekos<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/02/15/rogersnhl-deal-gets-thumb_n_4795163.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink"> poll </a>recently said. The poll planted the idea that it disadvantaged the CBC and then asked respondents if the deal would hurt the CBC. One survey question included a typo, asking about CBC "ad venue" rather than "ad revenue."</div>
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Thus, while advertising revenue will probably not increase much, there are additional revenues to be accrued from mobile customers and new subscriptions to existing specialty channels and fee increases for all Rogers sports channels. Cable and satellite TV subscribers and smartphone users will ultimately pay for the NHL deal, which should break even, if not be profitable.</div>
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There is one hidden value for Rogers, which is priceless. The NHL deal, bundled for Rogers mobile subscribers, will keep subscribers from switching to other companies and maybe even attract a few from Bell and Telus.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/rogers-nhl_b_4815741.html">published </a>in Huffington P0st)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-43789003812509736672014-11-17T09:22:00.001-08:002014-11-17T09:22:51.156-08:00The CBC Wants to Cancel Your Favourite Shows<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
CBC plans on cutting programs and services that many Canadians use and enjoy. The "plan" is to transfer money from existing services, such as CBC Radio, and funnel dollars into some as yet to be determined programs by 2020.</div>
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The president of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, made the announcement in a recent <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2014/05/5a/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">speech</a>: "If we can't generate new revenues or our funding model doesn't change, we'll need to take existing dollars away from services we're currently offering, to pay for those we need to be offering in the future." He also makes a very good case for why Canada needs a public broadcaster. I feel for Mr. Lacroix. He is faced with a financial conundrum that seems unsolvable. But he must tread carefully and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.</div>
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The problem with planning for 2020 is that no one knows what the future holds. Five years ago there was no such thing as an iPad, the smartphone had just been introduced and Netflix delivered movies by mail. Technology is changing so rapidly, the best laid plan is to not commit past the current year but be nimble, allow creative people to take control and respond to new inventions as they are introduced.</div>
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Besides, most of the cool new technologies don't impact the way traditional radio and TV content is made but rather affect how content is distributed. Netflix figured this out and produces original series such as <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Orange is the New Black</em> and <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">House of Cards</em>, series that could run on any TV network. Similarly, the music and the podcasts we stream from the internet are basically the same content that we consume on the radio. CBC bureaucrats, who have been called much worse <a href="http://the-legion-of-decency.blogspot.ca/2014/05/definitive-proof.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">here</a>, need to be wary of the 'Steve Jobs syndrome' which convinces them they have the insight of Mr. Jobs.</div>
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The truth is that traditional radio and TV have not been replaced by the internet or other new technologies but instead have maintained their central role in our lives. Traditional TV viewing levels have, if anything, increased slightly in recent years. This is partly the result of improvements in picture quality (HDTV) and the inherent quality of programming. We are in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/business/media/fenced-in-by-televisions-excess-of-excellence.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">golden age of TV</a>. Internet TV services, such as Netflix, are adding to our viewing time but mostly with old TV programs and movies.</div>
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Radio listening levels have waned slightly but CBC Radio's audience share has grown in the past decade. CBC presented the chart below to a Senate Committee earlier this year. Of the four CBC/SRC Radio services all but CBC Radio 2 increased audience substantially in the past decade. Radio 2 tried and failed to attract a younger audience, as radio listening by young people is in decline.</div>
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Overall, CBC Radio's audience share is three times that of CBC TV. Is the plan to cut CBC Radio? It has lost a fifth of its staff in the past 5 years and even <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2013/02/cbcs-self-inflicted-cuts-to-cbc-radio.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">more of its budget</a>, while CBC TV has had only minor reductions.</div>
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Why cut CBC Radio, the most successful service and then announce possibly more cuts to fund an internet "digital" service that will likely deliver far less audience for the buck? The rationale of the president is that "70 per cent of listening in Canada takes place over the air." But then he adds, "When should we change our approach?" Answer: probably never, since the radio spectrum is the most efficient and effective way of delivering CBC Radio to listeners and will remain so for the foreseeable future. CBC radio (and TV) frequencies are its most valuable and irreplaceable asset.</div>
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Radio has always accounted for something like 70 per cent of listening, the remaining 30 per cent today is internet streaming and listening to music on iPods, iPhones, etc. A few years ago the 30 per cent consisted of listening to CDs, a few years before that it was cassette players and before that LPs and 45s. But over-the-air radio has always had a dominant role and that will continue, especially for CBC Radio listeners. CBC's research shows that a very tiny proportion of its listeners come from new digital platforms, so if Radio 2 were only on the internet, it would virtually disappear. Before shutting down Radio 2, set up a web site that allows Radio 2 listeners to contribute funds to support it, especially if it returned to all classical music.</div>
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As for TV, Mr. Lacroix said in his speech: "The advertising market is weak, down approximately 5 per cent overall in the last year. All signs point toward this not being a slump -- it's a new way of life, particularly as advertising dollars migrate to digital." But this is an incomplete analysis of the TV market. Yes, ad revenues of conventional TV have flat-lined but revenues (advertising and subscriptions) of specialty TV channels, such as TSN, Sportsnet and CBC News Network, have more than quintupled in the past 15 years and surpassed $4 billion in 2013. TV isn't going to go away and neither are advertisers. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-05-13-lacrox2.bmp" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="2014-05-13-lacrox2.bmp" height="389" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-05-13-lacrox2-thumb.bmp" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="570" /></a></div>
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Mr. Lacroix told the Montreal audience that ad revenue accounts for $250 to $300 million of CBC revenues. That's about $100 million less than he told the Senate in February. Assume the difference is the revenue that CBC will no longer derive from NHL hockey and it raises the question: why is CBC English TV in ad sales? CBC French TV for the first time will generate more ad revenue than its English sister and the head of French TV sales has been put in charge of sales for both services. French TV delivers an audience that can be sold to advertisers at attractive rates, whereas English TV does not. There is a cost to promoting and selling to advertisers and CBC should jettison advertising on any service, like CBC TV, that generates negligible returns with 10-15 minutes of highly repetitive, content-killing ads per hour.</div>
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The speech also referred to cable and satellite TV subscription having "plateaued," again implying that maybe its time to shut off TV transmitters. Car ownership and home ownership have also plateaued. That doesn't mean car dealers and real estate agents are going to shut their businesses. Also mentioned was cord-cutting, i.e., people cancelling their cable subscriptions and relying on internet-delivered TV. To date, the most reliable data sources, including <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/famil133e-eng.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Statistics Canada</a>, show little evidence of cord-cutting. Cable companies still provide the most compelling programs and the easiest (and often the least expensive way) to access them.</div>
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The speech signals CBC has already concluded it should abandon TV transmitters and deliver programs via the internet. This would be ill-advised and before doing so Mr. Lacroix should ask the private TV networks if that's what they plan on doing. They know that far more than "5 per cent" of their audience comes from people watching TV off-air and today they receive favourable channel placement and multiplexing on cable systems, which they could lose if they abandoned their transmitters. Recently, CBC was impressed that 10 million hours of CBC's Sochi Olympics' coverage were streamed on the internet -- but about 1 billion hours, 100 times more, were watched on CBC TV networks, according to CBC data. How much revenue was generated by that streaming versus TV viewing?</div>
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CBC TV likes to compare itself to BBC. The Montreal speech refers to the BBC six times. The problem with this comparison is that BBC TV is a far more important service with a 30 per cent share of the TV audience in the U.K., while, according to CBC, its share of English TV viewing is about 5 per cent in a typical week. CBC TV has yet to embrace the reality of its ranking in the TV environment and until it does, it will fail to define a new role.</div>
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Nordicity ranked the audience delivered by public broadcasters in the U.K. (BBC) and Canada (CBC) and whether by share points or absolute viewers per public monies spent, the U.K. ranks far ahead of CBC, which is last among all the public broadcasters they studied.</div>
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Mr. Lacroix was out of date about how the <a href="http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one?WT.mc_id=r054#link1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">BBC licence fee</a> works but he was right to point out that BBC has far more resources because of the TV licence fee system. Every household in the U.K. must have a licence to watch TV on a TV set, computer, tablet, etc. CBC needs more funding, if it is to offer quality programming, and either a licence fee or a TV/video distribution fee or tax would be the mechanism to generate that funding.</div>
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If that fails to materialize, it doesn't mean abandoning conventional radio or TV or funneling money from successful programs and services into untried internet-digital concepts that will compete for audience with thousands of competitors. It does mean CBC bureaucrats should worry less about 5-year plans, gather and analyze all the facts, then design services based on traditional TV and radio delivery, and start proposing how a licence fee, distributor tax or other innovative new ways of funding CBC could work in Canada.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-cuts_b_5317029.html">published</a> in Huffington Post)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-22688155149803773942014-11-17T09:17:00.003-08:002014-11-17T09:17:47.474-08:00Will Netflix and YouTube Kill TV?<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
Many media pundits have declared that TV is dying. Their argument: Netflix, YouTube, HBO Go and other Internet-TV services mean that traditional channels, cable and satellite TV, will soon fade to black. Why pay for a lot of channels you don't watch? The CRTC, fearing the worst, agreed and held a two-week long public hearing on the future of TV this fall.</div>
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The demise of TV has been predicted since the invention of the VCR. There has even been some good research that points in this direction, including recent survey data from comScore showing that young adults in the U.S. spend about one-third of their TV time on tablets, smartphones or computers.</div>
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CRTC released data (which comes from CBC, although the Commission has not acknowledged the source) showing that about <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2014/cmr.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">one in three English Canadians </a>now subscribe to Netflix. Despite this, CRTC has chosen to ignore Netflix, ever since the company refused to confirm the CBC research numbers. In a fit of pique, the Commission redacted the testimony of Netflix from the public hearing, the hearing on how Netflix will affect the future of TV. CMRI informed the Commission the CBC research probably exaggerated Netflix subscription but the CRTC ignored that too.</div>
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CRTC also released CBC data claiming <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2014/cmr.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">two out of three Canadians</a> watch YouTube. (Neither CRTC nor CBC will reveal what questions were asked in the survey, normally a prerequisite in survey research.) YouTube's testimony was also <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2014/tb0908.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">excised</a> from the public record of that hearing but before the CRTC zapped it, we noted that YouTube boasted that one-billion people spend six-billion hours monthly watching YouTube videos. Like the CRTC data, that sounds impressive and even the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/business/media/youtube-takes-manhattan-.html?_r=0" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">media critic of the New York Times</a> touted the YouTube numbers. Putting aside the fact that these numbers are generated by YouTube's server software, which tends to exaggerate usage and measures computers not people, are they really that extraordinary?</div>
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No. Fact is that Canadians alone spend about four-billion hours watching traditional TV per month, while Americans spend almost 40-billion hours and worldwide, according to Eurodata and ITU, time spent watching traditional TV easily surpasses 500-billion hours per month! YouTube, which has been around for almost a decade, is a drop in the TV ratings bucket, rounding error in the ratings. YouTube is the everyman's cable community channel, a good training ground for future talent.</div>
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The pundits and the columnists ignore this because writing about the death of TV, rather than its health is more eye-catching. Also, some TV columnists seem to dislike TV, especially Canadian TV, and are writing for a medium that is truly on the ledge, newspapers. Incidentally, comScore, an independent measurement service, puts YouTube's worldwide usage at less than three-billion hours per month (September, 2014). <a href="http://247wallst.com/technology-3/2014/09/29/how-much-time-do-viewers-really-spend-with-netflix/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Third-party research </a>estimates that Netflix's worldwide audience is even smaller, about one-billion hours per month.</div>
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Truth is that we are spending almost as much time as we ever did with TV programs delivered over-the-air or via cable/satellite. The TV Bureau of Canada confirms this with its <a href="http://www.tvb.ca/pages/PPMstats_htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">weekly viewing tracking service</a>. And why wouldn't we? TV today is markedly better quality in technical and programming terms.</div>
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Take TV programming today. HBO, The Movie Network, Superchannel, TSN, Sportsnet, Discovery, Space, A&E, Showcase and many other specialty channels have schedules filled with compelling programs that are superior to those of pre-Internet times. CNN, CBC News Network and other news channels transport the viewer to any event or disaster in the world within minutes of it happening. The older, established channels, including CTV, CBC, Global, and the U.S. networks have addictive reality series, dramas that resemble Hollywood movies and comedy that makes pre-Internet TV seem quaint.</div>
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Also, the TV set has undergone a revolution. Today's HDTV flat screen sets provide almost a cinema-like picture and prices for HD sets have plummeted. 4K HD sets are already under $1,000, having fallen in price by 80 per cent in the last two years. Even smartphones and tablets have dramatically improved screen quality, making mobile watching viable. All the channels mentioned above and many others now offer their entire schedule in HD, which can be accompanied by surround sound, equal to the best stereo system. We are in the golden age of TV and Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo and Google don't stand a chance of replacing TV (unless they get into the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">real</em> TV business).</div>
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In the past year or two viewing of traditional channels has fallen off minimally, about one hour per week. Services such as Apple TV and Netflix, the latter consisting primarily of older TV programs and movies, with video-on-demand offerings are eating ever so slightly into traditional viewing. But VOD has always played a relatively minor role in our TV viewing. Most viewing, <a href="http://www.tvb.ca/pages/PPMstats_htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">over 90 per cent</a>, is live.</div>
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But some people want to watch recent movies on Apple TV or last season's TV series on Netflix because it is cheap and convenient. So, yes, there is some additional audience fragmentation linked to Internet-TV services but it continues to be small potatoes and only significant when it consists of the same types of programming found on legacy services.</div>
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The legacy cable and satellite TV companies provide one very valuable service: they collate hundreds of channels, which in turn consist of thousands of programs. The very best (and, true, some of the worst) Hollywood content, news, sports and international programming is brought together in one stream and is available at the touch of a remote control. Cable TV is a killer app.</div>
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So long as cable and satellite companies continue to perform this key role, they will maintain a large market share. They might not grow their share but that is difficult when you already have 90 per cent. However, here and elsewhere they are under pressure to adapt or justify their '2 for 1' pricing, even though this is a strategy used by most retailers.</div>
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The pundits complain that people only watch a dozen or so channels of the many they pay for. That may be true in a typical week but over the course of a month or year, even the CRTC might be surprised how many channels are used by the average subscriber.</div>
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No question, a small minority of people will search for replacements for cable; but given the cost of program rights, only a company like Netflix, with an international footprint, can compete with cable. Most people will keep the cable killer app and simply add Netflix or other premium Internet streaming services to their viewing menu. Proof: The Movie Network/Movie Central, Netflix's main competition, have lost only a few thousand of their <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/BrAnalysis/psp2013/individual/ipsp2013.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">two-million-plus subscribers</a> since Canadian launch of Netflix in 2010. Likewise, a few thousand homes of the more than 11-million who subscribe to cable/satellite have cut the cord entirely, according to <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/BrAnalysis/dist2013/bdu1.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">industry data</a>.</div>
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Since the dawn of the Internet there has been an endless stream of articles claiming that it would result in the imminent demise of TV, not to mention the death of radio, newspapers, magazines and the post office. The decline of newspapers and magazines and a reduction in snail mail are real and undoubtedly caused by the Internet. The Internet has affected almost everything that deals with the printed word.</div>
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But TV has been little affected.</div>
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There is one noteworthy feature about the new TV services like Netflix, Apple TV and HBO's proposed Internet service that all TV networks and advertisers should heed: they are mostly commercial-free. Viewers have always disliked TV ads, especially in Canada, where the media economy is too small to create sufficient fresh ad copy.</div>
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Canadians are subjected to the most cluttered, repetitive TV advertising environment in the world. It is the single biggest complaint we have about TV but the CRTC, CBC and other broadcasters ignore it and instead of reducing advertising, they approve more minutes per hour. CBC's news channel now airs over 100,000 ads per year to generate less than $100 per ad, about what you pay for a classified ad in a local paper. CBC's main channel, having lost rights to NHL hockey, is on course to see its ad revenue cut by two-thirds and ad revenue will then cover less than 20 per cent of expenses, less if you count the expense of the sales department.</div>
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Elsewhere France has banned ads on its most important channel and most countries never allowed them on the main channels in the first place. If the BBC were to air one ad, it would be <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">terminated</em>. It doesn't even run ads in the Olympics. Not surprisingly, our research shows over 90% of Canadians agree there are too many commercials on TV; over half strongly agree.</div>
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Too much of a good thing destroys the appetite. Despite maintaining audiences, TV ad revenue is not increasing. This TV season Rogers is learning the hard way by flooding the airwaves with NHL hockey and are failing to attract both the audiences and advertisers they hoped for, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/rogers-nhl_b_4815741.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">as predicted</a>. The new Rogers sales manager has already <a href="http://mediaincanada.com/2014/10/23/tomik-calls-it-at-rogers-as-one-call-marches-on/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">departed</a>, just weeks into the season.</div>
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TV networks worldwide are facing stalled ad revenues and the growth in TV is coming from premium, subscription channels that have less or no advertising.</div>
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Canadians have reached their ad limit and are "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/quotes" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b10000; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">not going to take it anymore</a>." The real question people are starting to ask: why pay for a lot of channels with so many commercials? CBC, which is now mostly funded by taxpayers, and any other network with a business model that can eliminate or at least reduce ads, can flourish in this new environment. That is, by giving viewers what they really want, programs, not commercials.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/netflix-and-youtube-vs-cable_b_6055050.html">published</a> in Huffington Post)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-24382823235718173342014-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:002014-11-17T09:13:05.642-08:00Has Canada Lost Faith in the CBC?<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
The president of CBC published an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/hubert-t-lacroix/cbc-funding_b_5340039.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">article </a>in Huffington Post recently asking Canadians for help in deciding CBC's future. Good idea but the plea received modest reader feedback; a few hundred people at most cared enough to comment or like the article. CBC also launched an unscientific survey on its web site to solicit public input but it has been met with <a href="http://behindthenumbers.ca/2014/05/25/cbc-the-dos-and-donts-of-consultation/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">criticism</a>. Is it a sign that CBC has lost the public, that Canadians have stopped believing in and what CBC and its managers say?</div>
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For years CBC has claimed, critics would say whined, that it has suffered from under-funding. CBC does need more money just to keep providing existing programming but the arguments the CBC uses to defend current or increased funding have clearly not worked. Why? Is it deliberate or a faulty communications strategy?</div>
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CBC claims to be open, transparent and accountable for the $1 billion dollars in taxpayers' money it receives. The $1 billion is spent on English and French radio and TV and miscellaneous other services. If more funding is needed to serve Canadian audiences, especially in TV, CBC needs to be far more transparent about how it spends its money and explain more convincingly why more dollars are required. The problem: CBC is too secretive and misleading.</div>
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CBC releases financial and other data to the media which often leads to inaccurate reports. For example, in April the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe and Mail</em>'s TV critic <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/were-asking-the-wrong-question-about-the-cbc/article17893998/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">proclaimed incorrectly</a> that CBC's government funding was now "much less than" $1 billion. This was <a href="http://m.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/follow-the-money-canadian-tv-really-is-a-racket/article18849292/?service=mobile#dashboard/follows/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">corrected </a>in a later column but that column made the error of quoting CBC as saying its total budget, including non-government revenue, was about $1 billion, when it is about $500 million more than that. Other journalists more familiar with the use of empirical data have also <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-cuts_b_5154237.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">fallen victim</a> to CBC. The CBC president corrected this misinformation in a <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2014/05/5a/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">recent speech </a>but once information is out there, there is a risk that it will be repeated indefinitely.</div>
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CBC has also released incorrect information to the media about the number of staff it has and the number cut in the past few years. CBC told reporters before recent cuts were announced that it had about <a href="http://m.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/cbc-staff-across-the-country-brace-for-bad-news-on-thursday/article17863012/?service=mobile&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">8,150 staff</a>. In fact, the staff count was over 9,000, if one includes CBC employees who work for specialty channels such as CBC News Network (but not counting staff employed at cbc.ca, etc).</div>
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CBC <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2014/05/5a/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">says</a> budget cuts mean 2,100 "full time equivalent" positions have been "affected" since 2009. Translation: over the past five years full time positions may have been "affected," i.e., were vacant or eliminated, but then new positions seem to be created in their stead.</div>
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For example, in February <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">CBC told the Senate</a> inquiry looking into CBC that 750-800 jobs were lost as a result of the government's 2012 budget but the net number of staff cut after the 2012 budget was around 300, as shown in the table. Most of the job losses the past five years have been in radio, something CBC seems reluctant to discuss, despite the fact that radio is its most successful service. The CBC is required by regulation to provide the CRTC staff numbers shown here. Tellingly, nowhere does CBC publish the number of staff it has, let alone the salaries it pays to staff either in aggregate or by individual, as does the BBC.</div>
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Misinformation and cuts to radio have alienated many CBC supporters and caused a major rift between CBC staff and management and CBC radio and TV staff. CBC has also angered independent producers who are the unwittingly the target of CBC's attacks on private broadcaster subsidies and tax credits and now the producers, in the words of one senior person, "hate" CBC.</div>
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Some other examples of CBC misinformation:</div>
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-For years CBC claimed that NHL hockey made a profit, <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2012/tb1119.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">telling</a> the CRTC in 2012 that hockey subsidized other programs. Only after losing NHL rights to Rogers, was there an <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">admission</a> hockey was at best breaking even the past six years.</div>
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-CBC constantly uses <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">data</a> from consulting firm Nordicity to claim that per capita cost of CBC is much lower than public broadcasters in other countries, failing to point out that Nordicity also found that internationally CBC TV is the poorest performing public broadcaster in audience terms.</div>
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-CBC regularly points to an <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/latest-studies/public-value-en.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">analysis by Nordicity</a> that shows private broadcasters benefit from public subsidies and tax credits (which actually go to independent producers, not broadcasters). Presumably the logic is to point out that even private broadcasters need access to public money. Valid point but this analysis fails to acknowledge that CBC also benefits from these sources, in addition to its Parliamentary grant, and that these policies were originally established to support independent producers because the CBC was considered too dominant. It would be better to simply bring attention to the very high cost of producing TV, using international examples.</div>
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-Analysis by (once again) Nordicity is used to support the <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/09/cbc-tv-domino-effect-snowballing-into.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">flawed conclusion </a>that advertising on CBC is <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/latest-studies/nordicity-advertising-impact-analysis-en.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">good public policy</a>. Advertising inevitably leads programmers to make programs for advertisers rather than viewers and listeners, something Heather Conway, new head of CBC English, acknowledged <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/what-does-the-future-hold-for-the-cbc/article17949096/#dashboard/follows/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink"><span style="color: #7c54d3;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">according to the</span></span><span style="color: #7c54d3;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"> </span></span><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Globe and Mail</em></a> who said she will "work more with marketers to create so-called branded entertainment (a.k.a. product placement) shows." As long as CBC seeks advertising revenue, which is theoretically limitless, and puts itself on the same plane as private broadcasters, it will be difficult to argue for increased public funding.</div>
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-For decades CBC has produced pretty-looking program schedule charts that show how much more Canadian programming it has compared to CTV or Global but omit that Canadian audience performance of the private networks throughout the day often trumps CBC.</div>
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-CBC cherry-picks data telling the Senate inquiry that its <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/412/TRCM/03EV-51227-E.HTM" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">prime time English TV audience </a>is equal to that of a decade ago, when data on the CBC web site demonstrate otherwise. Besides, if true, does that help the argument for more funding; wouldn't it mean government cuts were justified? CRTC <a href="http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2013/cmr4.htm" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">reports </a>that CBC TV has only about a 5 per cent audience share on a 24-hour basis. If CBC were to acknowledge this reality, more Canadians might support increased funding, especially if there was a compelling service proposal.</div>
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-CBC unceasingly touts its audience performance but when challenged with negative facts, says ratings are not important to a public broadcaster?</div>
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-There are many more examples, some of which have raised the ire of MPs and Senators, causing both houses of Parliament to threaten to subpoena data on CBC finances, salaries, etc.</div>
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Our independent public opinion <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/03/who-is-canadas-tv-news-leader-who-is.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7c54d3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">research </a>shows that CBC is still one of Canada's most valued public institutions, indispensable for many Canadians.</div>
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So CBC programs and services are valued but CBC management has not done a good job communicating this. A good case can be made for restoring CBC radio budgets and increasing funding for CBC TV. But CBC management needs to open the books and address not just CBC strengths but also its shortcomings and propose a new approach which puts the audience first. More transparency about its finances, staff and audiences and less defensive analysis from consultants might be a start to restoring Canadians' faith in the public broadcaster.</div>
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(Originally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-public-opinion_b_5404479.html">published</a> in Huffington Post)</div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-70972273469170944702014-05-06T07:33:00.001-07:002014-05-06T09:06:02.372-07:00A 'Licence Fee' or 'Cable Tax' as Explained to the Senate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-16104151517069913222014-05-01T10:28:00.000-07:002014-05-01T10:28:30.700-07:00A "Cable Tax:" A Way CBC Can Fight for its Future<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The CBC has not brought much attention to the fact that its
current financial problem is caused mostly by funding cuts from the Harper
government. Instead, CBC recently told the government it is <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/sencommitteebusiness/CommitteeMeetingSchedule.aspx?parl=41&ses=2&Language=E&comm_id=19&searchMeetings=1&fromDate=2014-02-26&toDate=2014-02-26">“grateful”</a> for the
money its gets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">CBC is reeling
from a $115 million dollar annual reduction in funding from the federal
government, which fully kicks in this year. CBC seems reluctant to discuss that
not only has the government cut the budget, it won’t provide any money for
staff severance payments or inflation on salaries for those who remain at CBC.
This is the first government in history that has not only cut the budget but
treated CBC employees in this manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">CBC has also lost all future advertising
revenue from NHL hockey, although the president of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/sencommitteebusiness/CommitteeMeetingSchedule.aspx?parl=41&ses=2&Language=E&comm_id=19&searchMeetings=1&fromDate=2014-02-26&toDate=2014-02-26">has admitted</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that CBC was at best breaking even on the NHL.
Yet Mr. Lacroix highlights the loss of hockey and a downturn in TV and radio
advertising revenues generally as the culprits for CBC’s financial problems
rather than government cuts. He at least has <a href="http://blogs.canoe.ca/lilleyspad/politics/video-a-cbc-tax/">adopted the idea of a cable tax,</a>
or what might better be called a “Canadian programming fee” to fund CBC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">A cable tax seems
an easy target for the cable and satellite companies to attack and the media
would pile on, since no one likes a new (or old) tax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The cable
companies would hate the idea but what do average Canadians think
about paying a little bit more for better quality Canadian TV programming?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">First some background: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-kiefl/cbc-cuts_b_5154237.html">previously</a> it was pointed out that the entire
Canadian English TV industry generates revenues from advertising, subscription
fees and government of about $5 billion annually. The BBC alone has more
funding than our entire TV industry. The U.S. TV industry, with which <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
broadcasters must compete, had annual revenues in 2011 of $165 billion or 33
times that of Canadian broadcasters. <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/solution-for-cbc-tv-get-cheap-and-cool---now/article17949154/">Critics</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>bemoan the lack of quality in Canadian TV
compared to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
but they offer no solutions other than to suggest Canadian TV (CBC) needs
to be "cool" and make do with less money! These critics have scant
knowledge of how TV is financed or produced. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 19px;">Don't get me started.</span><span style="font-size: 19px;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">What Canadian TV has always lacked is
adequate funding that would allow for experimentation, expensive failures, and
the occasional hit program. That is how the industry works in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> and
elsewhere. In <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> we have
starved both CBC TV and private conventional networks of funds and neither CBC
nor the privates can produce high quality TV drama that compares with HBO and
other <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
networks. Canadian TV will never produce a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Six Feet Under</span></em>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><i>Sopranos </i>or</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">The Wire</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>with the budgets given to Canadian
writers and producers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;">CBC can </span><span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 15.75pt;">only</span><span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 15.75pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;">afford to
broadcast (in a good week) 2 hours of original prime time drama while
Canadian private networks mostly buy U.S. dramas and air them at the same time
as the U.S. networks. This allows cable and satellite companies to unplug the </span><st1:country-region style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;"> channel
and replace it with the Canadian channel, meaning that viewers see the Canadian
commercials on both the Canadian and </span><st1:country-region style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 15.75pt;"> channel.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">CMRI tracks public opinion about Canadian
TV and for over a decade we have asked Canadians if they would be willing to
pay for better quality TV. Surprisingly, on average, about 4 in 10 have agreed
to paying $5 more per month. So there is clearly <i>some</i> willingness to pay for better quality. $5 per month would be enough to dramatically improve the
drama and other programming of CBC TV and private networks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cable and
satellite subscribers are far more willing to pay an extra $5 a month for
better quality TV than people who watch TV off-air via an antenna. This makes
sense. Off-air viewers have always been used to receiving TV for "free."
Interestingly, willingness to pay for better quality TV is highest among those
who voted Conservative in the last election, something the folks at Sun Media
should take note of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">One of the great
ironies in Canadian TV is that a large majority of Canadians think that a high
percentage of their monthly cable bill already goes to CBC and other local
stations. In our most recent survey only about 1 in 3 people thought that none
of the money from their monthly bill went to local stations, almost 1 in 2
thought it was 10% of the bill and about 1 in 4 thought that 25% or more went
to local stations. In other words, Canadians already think there is a cable
tax!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">On average
Canadians think that about 20% of their bill goes to CBC and other local
stations, when it is actually zero. Specialty channels, the majority of which
are owned by cable and satellite companies, such as TSN and Sportsnet, receive
a percentage of what you pay to <st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city>, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bell</st1:place></st1:city>, etc. but CBC and
private TV networks that have local stations receive nothing. They can only benefit
indirectly from a small cable fund that underwrites some of the cost of independent
programming. If CBC, CTV, etc. were to get even 10% of our cable bill, it would
amount to almost $500 million per year and change Canadian TV overnight. If the cable tax were applied to internet and mobile telecommunications, which also distribute TV/video, it would raise more than $2 billion annually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The survey data provide a clue as to how such a
tax or programming fee could be introduced. Perhaps it should be a direct
corporate tax on cable and satellite companies rather than on consumers. If
cable companies chose to pass on the tax and try to blame it on the government or CBC, many subscribers would be very surprised, even perturbed to learn that Rogers, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bell and other TV distributors</st1:place></st1:city> have not
been giving some of the money to the CBC all along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 10.5pt;">
<em style="color: #5d5d5d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.790000915527344px;">The 2011 survey results are from CMRI's Media Trends Survey conducted November-December 2011 among a representative national sample of approximately 900 Anglophone respondents aged 18-plus. Margin of error +/-3.3%. The Media Trends Survey has been conducted for ten consecutive years and has surveyed over 15,000 Canadians in total. In our analysis we usually only report Anglophone results. Both Anglophones and Francophones have been surveyed in this period, using questionnaires in each respective language. Francophones have been surveyed in 5 of the 10 years. To compensate for poorer response rates among younger adults results are statistically weighted in keeping with industry standards. It is the only survey to have measured media use and attitudes continuously over this decade. The Media Trends Survey is not sponsored by any one industry or affiliated with a media company.</em></div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-26190518673609898552014-04-11T09:50:00.000-07:002014-04-11T18:15:18.551-07:00How My Tweet Ended Up in the Globe and Mail<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">John Doyle </span><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/were-asking-the-wrong-question-about-the-cbc/article17893998/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">published </span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> a column recently contemplating a smaller and distinctive CBC. </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A quote attributed to me appears in this column. The quote is taken from a tweet of mine, which outlined a possible strategy for CBC. It was a bullet-form, single page document. I sent John and others this tweet asking for suggestions a day or so before his column appeared. He initially responded via Twitter, commenting on one element of my tweet and including an accusation he probably wouldn't put into his column. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMn1OZrzWY9uCjyP_2xoEuxoylncmejyTFPRUYZLwiYz59sYSQGMYiklhx6lBlm3WPanweBtvLQVr9Z5m42fgnFQA8Oxn3sAogxnzpgnGkUmz7SLZai1C1sN55ylEiyvrYvd2mEiHPuuvp/s1600/doyle1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></span></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">In his published article John introduced two criticisms of the proposals contained in my tweet. The first referred to requests for viewer donations and the second to producing more TV drama based on Canadian fiction. John, after quoting me slightly incorrectly, says that</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> "the idea that iconic novels can be turned into compelling TV is, frankly, ludicrous." </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Putting these criticisms aside, has John respected journalistic ethics by not acknowledging his source was Twitter? </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">John's use of Twitter is not explicitly stated in his article. The reader could assume that there exists a published "Strategy for CBC," not something which John simply found on social media - Twitter. Guidelines for dealing with social media have been established by most news organizations. Does the Globe and Mail provide guidelines to its </span></span><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">journalists, the majority of whom are on Twitter,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"> on how to use social media?. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">NPR, for example, have established clear </span><a href="http://ethics.npr.org/tag/social-media/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">policies</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which stipulate, among other things: "<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">when a social media posting is itself news, try to contact the source to confirm the origin of the information and attain a better understanding of its meaning." John didn't contact me, <span class="Apple-style-span">although he has done so in the past. NPR, like most news organizations, has a policy about how its journalists should behave on social media: "</span></span></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t express personal views on a political or other controversial issue that you could not write for the air or post on NPR.org." Google "Twitter and journalistic ethics" to find the policies of other media outlets and note the references to how journalists should behave on social media. To be fair to the Globe, all news outlets are struggling with this issue. </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The Globe and Mail may not have clear guidelines about social media, so John's use of Twitter may be acceptable to them. Unfortunately, this has lead to a misrepresentation of my views about the CBC and mislead readers of the Globe and Mail on an important issue. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b>P.S.</b> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">John didn't think asking for donations from viewers of CBC New Network was a good idea (lots of people don't). On Twitter he called it "on-air begging" and "unseemly." For the record I am in no way proposing that CBC considers beg-a-thons or offering tote bags and coffee cups as a way of funding the network. However, some believe that requests for viewer donations could take many forms, for example a low key graphic after program credits. </span>Those who support donations cite not only the financial rewards but also the interaction and engagement with viewers. For example, TVO </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://about.tvo.org/sites/default/files/TVO-Annual-Report-2012-2013-English_0.pdf"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">reports</span></span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"> that over 41,000 people made donations in 2012-13, totaling over $5 million. Not much, although it pays for a few staff, and 41,000 people feel invested. If nothing else, musing about donations, as the CBC president did this week, might be a strategy to get the public and politicians to consider innovative, new ways of funding CBC.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.5px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>P.P.S</b>. The premise of John's article is based on the claim that the Conservatives have cut the CBC government subsidy to " well below $1 billion" but this is in error. According to CBC</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;">'s most recent corporate </span><a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/corporate-plan/corporate-plan-summary-2013-14-2017-18.pdf" style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;">plan</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;"> the grant</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"> will continue to be over $1 billion for a number of years to come and that's not counting government funds from the Canadian Media Fund and production tax credits. John can't be referring to only CBC English because its government grant has never been $1 billion. If the CBC is to find its way out of this crisis, the facts about its funding, </span></span><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">staffing</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"> and audiences need to be complete and understood. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><b>P.P.P.S.</b> As for the opinion that making TV programs based on great Canadian fiction is "unworkable," some readers must have been scratching their heads, especially those who </span></span><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">remember</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"> "Anne of Green Gables," "Road to Avonlea," "The Piano Man's Daughter," or </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;">"The Englishman's Boy,"</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;"> which John gave <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/epic-tale-gets-the-adaptation-it-so-richly-deserves/article1052376/#dashboard/follows/">two-thumbs up</a> when it appeared on CBC in 2008. Internationally there are </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_programs_based_on_novels" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.5px;">hundreds</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.5px;"> of TV shows based on novels. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">"Anne of Green Gables'" record audience of almost 6 million viewers still stands today. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;">Note to self---tweet that to John to get his feedback.</span><br />
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-85499821899351171752014-03-08T06:04:00.000-08:002014-03-08T09:09:58.465-08:00Peter Mansbridge: A New Form of CBC Journalism?<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter Mansbridge is probably
the most recognized journalist in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Disclosure: Peter kindly taught me how to hold a microphone when I
replaced him at the now defunct CBC radio station in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Churchill</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Manitoba</st1:state></st1:place>
almost 50 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, Peter
has been with CBC for almost half a century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter has been the subject of
some controversy for a speech he delivered to the Canadian oil lobby in
2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t seen the speech but I
doubt it would be any different than one he would give to the Kiwanis and I
believe his news judgment would not consciously be affected by accepting a
payment from the lobby group. Though, in retrospect, he probably wishes he had
agreed to speak to the Kiwanis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter has been reading the
news on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The National</i> for the past 25
years. He also does numerous interviews, as well as moderating expert panels
that usually include political pundits, pollsters and newspaper columnists,
discussing political events. The panels are like newspaper columns, striving to
understand the backroom workings of the political parties and their strategies.
But looking at a number of episodes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Insiders</i> and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i> panels I
noticed an interesting phenomenon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZPBeyRUBpiF0GI12CzdpStw-9Bw1RmVyhvo8BJeINcMHfbDsKDPMx63KB9s5g_E2qe2Cqau_QafK53325UOHz2hesapVYY6OJgds3Rk_rj3bYkvpCx198MOixASUoxWCfPYIqnOYjX1l/s1600/mansbridge.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZPBeyRUBpiF0GI12CzdpStw-9Bw1RmVyhvo8BJeINcMHfbDsKDPMx63KB9s5g_E2qe2Cqau_QafK53325UOHz2hesapVYY6OJgds3Rk_rj3bYkvpCx198MOixASUoxWCfPYIqnOYjX1l/s1600/mansbridge.PNG" height="235" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">When moderating the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insiders</i> panels Peter is, I believe, breaking new journalistic ground
that places the moderator on the same plane as the panelists. Peter not only
questions the panelists but also offers his own comments on the news and issues
discussed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During a May 13, 2013 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue </i>while commenting on the Nigel
Wright affair, Peter looks at the three panelists, Chantal </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Hébert</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, Andrew Coyne and Bruce Anderson, and says, “What do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i> make of this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In a rare non-political
edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i> on September 19,
2013, which dealt with the near collapse of Blackberry, Peter sums up the
discussion by saying that Blackberry “…appears to be in serious trouble and yet
nobody seems to be talking about it, or really seems to care about it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the sort of declaration that a
columnist makes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the segment
responds to Peter’s general assertion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">At one point Peter interrupts
Chantal saying, “But it’s really not about how we see ourselves. I am sure that
most Canadians would, you know, like, pick Sydney Crosby or you pick Chris
Hadfield or any number of things that define us. But outside of Canada when
internationally we’re looked at I don’t think there is any question that a lot
of people identified us with Blackberry five years ago but now, you know, it’s
changed, it could be the oil sands that define us to a lot of people on the
international stage.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is again a
sweeping opinion that a CBC journalist would not make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter as moderator employs other
techniques that CBC journalists don’t normally use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, he often prefaces his
introduction of a topic by saying that “some people” or a lot of people” are
saying something about an issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, he
will say that a trusted person has said such and such about an issue. Those
“people” are rarely identified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">For example, during a January
23, 2014 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i> Peter comments on
the political situation in Ottawa: “You know, a wise old political hand told me
just in the last couple of weeks that if you are going to win, if you are going
to win in politics, you gotta have three things going for you, you gotta have
the polls in your favour, you gotta have crowds when you appear and you have to
have money and if you have all three things, you got a really good shot at
winning and of the three parties only one has got all those three things.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is somewhat unusual for a journalist not to
attribute the source for the initial statement and even more unusual to offer
the opinion that only one party has all three things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect that two of the three parties would
disagree. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Senate scandal has been
the focus of many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i>
segments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few examples of
when Peter has offered various opinions about aspects of the scandal:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*May 23, 2013: “You know, the
NDP has been calling for an RCMP inquiry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’ll bury this story for a long time, right?” (Like a lot of
columnists, Peter is not always right.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*May 28, 2013: “When you run
that against the back drop of some of the things we’ve talked about in the last
few weeks, about, you know, the potential of, you know, a kind of open mutiny going
on inside the Conservative caucus, I found that interesting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*October 25, 2013: “Well, where
does the week come to an end with the Prime Minister? I mean his people are all
running around saying he’s back, he’s on top of his game, he’s looking
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much of that is real? There’s
no doubt he had a better week than he’s had lately.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*November 20, 2013: “Some of
the stuff in this document about some of those other senators that you just
mentioned is pretty devastating stuff about the way they were operating.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*November 21, 2013: “Well, (this
is) as bad as it gets, unless somebody gets charged and there’s a trial and people
have to be on the witness stand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">*November 28, 2013: “Wow, you
kinda wonder after that, like, what’s the role of everybody there and what’s
the role of Question Period.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">There are many others...</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Insiders</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">,
which has a lower profile than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue</i>, focused on the budget on February 11, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jamie
Watt refers to the Conservative’s good management of the economy, Peter
questions this: “That’s being challenged now more than it had been the last
couple of years.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jamie Watt and the
other pundits that appear on<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Insiders</i>
are clearly identified as Conservative, Liberal or NDP strategists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oddly, when Jamie appears on a regular
segment of another CBC show, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Power and
Politics</i>, he is not identified as a Conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter Mansbridge is probably
not only the most well known journalist in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> but also among the most
trusted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our public opinion surveys have
shown in the past decade that despite declining budgets and audiences Canadians
still feel CBC has the best quality <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/03/who-is-canadas-tv-news-leader-who-is.html">national news</a> and is highly trusted, and Peter
can take some credit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter and his producers have
in recent years re-shaped CBC’s flagship news program and his role in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is no longer just a newsreader or
interviewer. He has grown into the equivalent of a TV news columnist offering
opinions on the news and current events. Peter seems to want to distance
himself from his old role as just a CBC journalist; following each broadcast <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Issue </i>is posted on Youtube with no
reference to CBC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I suspect that Peter’s role
as TV news columnist has gone unnoticed, except by the newspaper columnists and
pundits who appear on his show. Does the CBC fully understand that Peter has developed
a new journalistic form that does not seem to be captured in its journalistic
policies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBC news management was
unaware that Rex Murphy’s commentary on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
National</i> had been improperly labeled for five years. CBC should acknowledge
Peter’s role as a commentator, not just a journalist, and revisit its
journalistic policies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-46981379642256820962014-02-07T13:28:00.001-08:002014-02-09T07:53:46.565-08:00CBC Ombudsman and Management Agree CBC Contravening Journalistic Standards<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">CBC agrees that it has contravened its own
journalistic policies. CMRI found several instances where CBC failed to live up to its standards. First, we observed how public </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2013/12/cbc-journalistic-policy-benched.html">opinion polls</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"> were being
reported without adhering to policies established decades ago. These policies
ensure that the methodology in polls meet high research standards and are
reported in a transparent fashion for the audience.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Then, we highlighted the improper use of online surveys, which CBC has of late implied
are representative of public opinion or the audience’s views, rather than those
who choose to respond to such online questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It is CBC </span>policy to ensure the audience understands such survey results are not
representative and CBC is violating the policy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Finally, we brought attention to the fact that Rex Murphy’s regular segment
on The National was being presented as <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2014/01/is-cbc-abandoning-basic-principles-of.html">CBC’s opinion</a> rather than that of Mr. Murphy.
CBC had not noticed that the label identifying the segment as Mr. Murphy’s
opinion had gone missing from the program almost five years earlier, prompting
John Doyle to tweet that it was “shocking laxity.” CBC quickly re-introduced
the label “Point of View,” which now appears throughout the segment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">CBC’s Ombudsman wrote a thorough and clear <a href="http://www.ombudsman.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/complaint-reviews/2014/polling-pitfalls-getting-it-right-means-attention-to-every-detail-not-all-polls-are-created-equal/">review </a>of CMRI’s complaint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The summary stated: “The complainant, Barry
Keifl (sic), who runs Canadian Media Research and used to work here at CBC, had
some concerns about some features on Power and Politics. He thought other
programs were not living up to CBC’s polling policies either. He was right in
at least two cases. Power and Politics is not living up to the rigors of CBC
policy on polling in a couple of their regular features. I suggested CBC lay
out some standard processes for polling approval and presentation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">As a result, some changes in how poll results are presented on Power and
Politics have already been introduced and the producer has indicated changes
will be made in how online survey results are presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The latter, by policy, should not be characterized
as percentages, only as raw vote totals, and it will be interesting to see if the
program abides by the policy in future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Ombudsman and CMRI </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">disagreed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"> about </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">a segment of the program called Political Traction. CMRI felt that it was being presented as though it were a poll, possibly misleading the audience. The Ombudsman disagreed but the segment now concludes with a
description of the methodology, where none had been present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The very day the Ombudsman released her
review, Political Traction contained a statement about “what Canadians are
saying” about Justin Trudeau’s Senate decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such a statement suggests that the results are representative of
Canadians, i.e., a poll, when clearly they are not.</span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h214aoafxa7QUHnHFtg57H-f-QGnkCY4iLc4Z5HG3RvxH2Y8qvLLIEnSt-A7rN9ztai6NNszgJOe7QphKH-8XW2mhJo0OBmfa7e-lteUJNvwhOnxUSLkOJzMG1xnkf4QtxMQA0AmF_3G/s1600/rex4.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h214aoafxa7QUHnHFtg57H-f-QGnkCY4iLc4Z5HG3RvxH2Y8qvLLIEnSt-A7rN9ztai6NNszgJOe7QphKH-8XW2mhJo0OBmfa7e-lteUJNvwhOnxUSLkOJzMG1xnkf4QtxMQA0AmF_3G/s1600/rex4.bmp" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.navltd.com/video/">Political Traction </a>Says it Knows What Canadians are Saying (@1'50")<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">CBC management
responded positively to the complaint about polls and online surveys in a
separate <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/community/editorsblog/2014/02/responsible-reporting-on-polls.html">communication</a>: “…the Ombudsman review reminds us that new ways of
storytelling can't come at the expense of our journalistic standards. You can
be sure we'll re-examine and tighten up our processes where necessary.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">As for Rex
Murphy, CBC management also addressed his status in a another <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/community/editorsblog/2014/02/a-question-of-conflict.html">communication </a>this week: “The most important thing to understand is that Rex is not a regular
reporter. He appears on The National as a commentator precisely to do analysis
and offer his point of view on issues of the day…. As much as Rex is identified
with the CBC, he is not a full-time employee of the CBC….his point of view is
his own.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several people responded to
this defense of Rex Murphy’s segment and raised some important issues, which I
recommend you read. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This is fascinating
in one very important respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBC has
for decades employed commentators or outspoken journalists like Rex Murphy, Jason Moscovitz, etc. Their
role has always been explained as it was this week by the head of CBC News.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a sense of déjà vu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBC has been through all of this before but,
like the forgotten label, seems to be forgetting its roots. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">CBC journalism has traditionally occupied the
high ground, providing the best news and current affairs, including commentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a broadcasting
environment controlled by <st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bell</st1:city></st1:place> and other
conglomerates, the future of the CBC rests on its journalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sports, such as the NHL, will henceforth be
controlled by the conglomerates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
can also purchase the best entertainment programming from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:city></st1:place> and the rest of the world and they
have the resources to take greater risks in Canadian entertainment programs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The one area where CBC can still compete is
news and current affairs. CBC TV and CBC New Network spent over $200 million on
news and current affairs in 2012, according to the CRTC, so we expect and
deserve high quality from the public broadcaster. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Even if competitors wanted to spend more on news, it wouldn't necessarily displace CBC's central role. </span>Thus, any relaxation of CBC journalistic
standards only plays into the hands of those who want to get the CBC on their
‘level playing field,’ which will be the undoing of the public broadcaster. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span>Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-91805128891099906082014-01-15T09:11:00.000-08:002014-01-21T08:58:55.900-08:00Is CBC Abandoning the Basic Principles of Public Broadcasting? <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Important update: After being notified that the label "Point of View" no longer appeared on Rex's segment, CBC informed me that it will be re-introduced within a few days. Kudos to Peter, Rex and CBC News.</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Another Update: Rex Murphy's "Point of View" returned on January 17, 2014, as shown in the photo at bottom of post.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Has CBC deserted its journalistic standards? CBC has mission statements and policies that
are appropriate to a public broadcaster, including extensive policies relating
to journalism, the crown jewel of CBC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But CBC is ignoring these journalistic standards and appears to be in
violation of its own policies virtually every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will examine some concrete examples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A small but telling example of CBC veering from its own journalistic
policies is the case of <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2013/12/cbc-journalistic-policy-benched.html">opinion polls</a>, which was dealt with in an earlier post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the 1980’s, following the first <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Quebec</st1:state></st1:place> referendum, senior
management grew concerned about journalists designing and reporting on polls
and possible effect of polls on elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A policy was created to ensure oversight by the professional survey
researchers in the CBC research department, and reporting standards dealing
with survey methodology were established. Most major newspapers began following
CBC’s example and started reporting sample size, margin of error, etc. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The policy on
polling appears to have been jettisoned by both CBC radio and TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Programs like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The National</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Day Six</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Power and Politics</i> and regular newscasts present poll results with
little and sometimes no reference to methodology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Online surveys are
another case in point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are being
used virtually every day by CBC programs— ignoring the CBC policy that “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">If programs refer to
online questions, the results are reported in a way that clearly indicates it
has no scientific validity and are not meant to represent the accurate range of
either public opinion nor the opinion of our audience.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such surveys are specifically prohibited by
the policy from “giv(ing) the results as a percentage, as we normally do with
bona fide polls.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet they all do, in
direct contradiction to the policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Decades ago CBC research determined that callers to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cross Country Checkup</i> or those who write to CBC, i.e., online
surveys, are not representative, but this knowledge has seemingly been
discarded, along with journalistic policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can legitimate polls possibly have any credibility in this
environment?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">A more serious
concern is the CBC’s new-found approach to presenting opinion in news programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBC TV and radio have journalistic policies
dealing with the expression of <a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-canadians/acts-and-policies/programming/journalism/opinion/">opinion</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The policy states: “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">CBC journalists do not express their own personal opinion
because it affects the perception of impartiality and could affect an open and
honest exploration of an issue.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a
guest or commentator offers an opinion, CBC must identify their affiliation or
special interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The policy also
states: “We maintain the same standards, no matter where we publish - on CBC
platforms or in other media outside the CBC.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Yet, Rex Murphy, one of CBC’s best known broadcasters, offers a regular
opinion segment on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The National</i>, the
nightly news program, and his pieces are archived on the CBC’s web site and
YouTube, where there is no reference to his segment being commentary or opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was once the case, as per policy, but
now it is implied that Rex represents not himself but CBC. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rex’s segment ceased being labeled "Point of View" five years
ago but nobody seems to have noticed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The change occurred
the same week that the news anchor for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
National</i> began reading the news standing up, emulating the sense of urgency
in Eyewitness news programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise,
CBC Radio newsreaders have taken to offering spontaneous opinions about people
and events, albeit usually celebrities and lighter items, in hourly
newscasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This practice, along with a
private media-like emphasis in local news on accidents, fires and crime, has
crept into the radio news service the last few years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The reasons for this are complex and will be addressed in future posts. What is clear is that CBC journalistic standards are now similar to those of any other broadcaster. Have CBC senior managers and its Board of Directors carefully considered the strategic
direction being taken by the radio and TV networks? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SGdl55grntBvy5vgI781Eh74rKd-MxSSoGPmmtGCk22GGlk-gVsN28B4KDm8vrFljf9oZaUYfy1-eIQgpari4hrNiPPt3dxV3twcYACLl3KalT7g0rH53KCkYuQZ3H6xYS-imX3z8lvW/s1600/Rex1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SGdl55grntBvy5vgI781Eh74rKd-MxSSoGPmmtGCk22GGlk-gVsN28B4KDm8vrFljf9oZaUYfy1-eIQgpari4hrNiPPt3dxV3twcYACLl3KalT7g0rH53KCkYuQZ3H6xYS-imX3z8lvW/s1600/Rex1.bmp" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rex Murphy October 22, 2009</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyuQGtMvoMZLW9J3tXrY1h1KjRV7FrzDGrX5-0feqFAdt8IFvOXxy-rqRNSey-wlU0e3uXeIfTDdoqpSeP9xyEaBYViqDIXZXWpeRr1GYP8xKvlg3h4E4B8ZLd87t7Yx4_YWjrlGOwmzN/s1600/Rex2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyuQGtMvoMZLW9J3tXrY1h1KjRV7FrzDGrX5-0feqFAdt8IFvOXxy-rqRNSey-wlU0e3uXeIfTDdoqpSeP9xyEaBYViqDIXZXWpeRr1GYP8xKvlg3h4E4B8ZLd87t7Yx4_YWjrlGOwmzN/s1600/Rex2.bmp" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rex Murphy October 30, 2009</b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAaImpcFzNGa-AT5uLql8ON223eFG7MzLsfV_0oIqI1-3XNU-_1puwCm8li-xvb9sUVfCUFgeWjooVltwwRkCLs7t_6a32OOup2qVRZIuTGFeo365_0_4r2Vr8octaxwgi2WiBKUb9pCP/s1600/rex3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAaImpcFzNGa-AT5uLql8ON223eFG7MzLsfV_0oIqI1-3XNU-_1puwCm8li-xvb9sUVfCUFgeWjooVltwwRkCLs7t_6a32OOup2qVRZIuTGFeo365_0_4r2Vr8octaxwgi2WiBKUb9pCP/s1600/rex3.bmp" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rex Murphy January 17, 2014</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-14121796222974969552013-12-30T11:58:00.000-08:002014-01-10T07:41:56.013-08:00CBC's Response to Violations of its Journalistic Policies<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The previous <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2013/12/cbc-journalistic-policy-benched.html">post</a> expressed concerns about how CBC has been presenting results of opinion polls and online surveys. The post was sent to the CBC Ombudsman and the Executive Producer of Power and Politics was good enough to respond and explains that her program will take steps to improve how polls are presented. Her response follows and afterwards are my comments to the producer:</span></span><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> Amy Castle</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, December 24, 2013 11:56 AM<br /><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> bkiefl<br /><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> CBC Ombudsman<br /><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Letter to CBC Ombudsman</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">December 24, 2013</span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Dear Mr<br />Kiefl,</span></span></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="ecxMsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><colgroup><col width="624"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: 1pt solid black; padding: 0in;" valign="top"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Thank you for sharing your recent blog post<br /> with the CBC Ombudsman regarding Power & Politics. As the Executive<br /> Producer, I can tell you your feedback is essential to how we do our work.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">I must, however, disagree strongly with your<br /> suggestion that our program is "ignoring a vital area of CBC<br /> journalistic policy." On the contrary, we're very much living up to our<br /> Journalistic Standards and Practices.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">You raised a number of concerns in your blog post.<br /> Let me respond to each of them in turn.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">In terms of our weekly segment “Political Traction”<br />with Jaime Watt, you say “CBC should not be implying that this is<br />representative of Canadians and therefore possibly leading viewers into<br />thinking that Navigator has conducted representative polling.”</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">At no point do we characterize Political Traction as a poll.<br /> Rather, we are clear on the show and on our website that Jaime Watt is<br />tracking the political conversation in Ottawa<br />and across Canada.<br /> The goal of the segment is to discuss which political issues are trending<br />in the Canadian conversation, and to highlight the differences - if any - in<br />the conversation being held in Ottawa<br />compared to the national conversation.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">The Traction methodology is explained on our website here: </span></span></span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/political-traction-how-it-s-done-1.1031158" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/political-traction-how-it-s-done-1.1031158</span></span></span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">I am attaching to this note a detailed breakdown of that<br />methodology.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">You say that “Power and Politics should be more forthright<br />about the methodology used by Navigator.” Although we have the<br />methodology on our website, I will ensure that we remind our viewers on air<br />where to find details of that methodology.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Regarding our weekly feature, The Nanos Number, pollster Nik Nanos<br />draws on a number of polls from reputable sources and we are always clear where<br />the polls come from.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">CBC’s policy states this: </span></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt; font-style: italic;">We report polls not commissioned by CBC as long as we can verify that the<br />methodology meets CBC standards. The sample size, methodology and<br />interpretation of results of non–CBC polls should be reviewed by the CBC<br />research department. To help our audience place a poll in context, we provide<br />relevant information about the methodology and size of the sample along with<br />the results. Where applicable, we provide the margin of error.</span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">We abide by these rules with the Nanos Number. All polls<br />used in the Nanos Number meet CBC standards. We also provide information<br />on the methodology, size of the sample and margin of error. These details<br />are clearly stated on our website </span></span></span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/the-nanos-number-1.1134156" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/the-nanos-number-1.1134156</span></span></span></a><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">I agree with you, however, that the information is difficult to<br />read when we post it on television. This is due to a new graphics programme<br />that we recently started using. I am currently working with our graphics<br />designer to ensure that our graphics are upgraded to ensure that the font is<br />more easily readable on air.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">You raise concerns that Mr Nanos is using crowdsourcing in his polling.<br /> In fact the term crowdsource is a Nanos tradename and should not be<br />confused with a process. The Nanos polling methodology includes a sample<br />of random land and cell lines where people are randomly selected to do a study<br />online. His methodology is robust and meets our strict CBC standards.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Regarding our daily Ballot Box segment, interaction with our<br />audience is an important part of our show. We welcome comments from<br />viewers, and encourage participation in our daily political conversation.<br /> The Ballot Box is an important part of that interaction. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">At no point do we refer to the Ballot Box as a poll. As you<br />mentioned, we are transparent in showing the number of votes on screen whenever<br />the Ballot Box appears.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">I will, however, ensure that the number of votes gets posted<br />online along with the percentage results at the end of each day.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Thank you very much for your feedback. It is also my<br />responsibility to tell you that if you are not satisfied with this response,<br />you may wish to submit the matter for review by the CBC Ombudsman. The<br />Office of the Ombudsman, an independent and impartial body reporting<br />directly to the President, is responsible for evaluating program compliance<br />with the CBC's journalistic policies. The Ombudsman may be reached by<br />mail at Box 500,<br />Terminal A, Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6,<br />or by fax at </span></span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">(416) 205-2825</span></span></span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">, or by e-mail at </span></span></span><a href="mailto:ombudsman@cbc.ca"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ombudsman@cbc.ca</span></span></span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 7.5pt;">Sincerely,</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Amy Castle<br /> Executive Producer, Power and Politics</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">CBC News Network<br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/politics" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">www.cbc.ca/politics</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>My Response to the Executive Producer of Power and Politics:</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Ms. Castle, thank you for the response. Below are my comments and concerns:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<li class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: navy;"><u><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Navigator or Political Traction</span></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">: Your suggestion of “…ensur(ing) that we remind our viewers on air where to find details of th(e) methodology” would be beneficial and resolve my concern about Navigator. Putting that information on your web site is good but an on-air explanation is excellent. I suspect only a handful of viewers have ever seen the web site reference.</span></span></li>
<li class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: navy;"><u><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Nanos Number</span></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">: I think it is good that you are “currently working with (y)our graphics designer to ensure that…graphics are upgraded to ensure that the font is more easily readable on air.” However, while I recognize that this would improve the viewer’s understanding of the polling methodology, the spirit of the policy on reporting polls would be better reflected if you did more than include a graphic, legible or not, with sampling details, etc. A half minute explanation of the methodology is warranted and would add credibility to what Mr. Nanos says about results. Mr. Nanos also appeared recently with Evan Solomon on The House and discussed poll results dealing with the PM’s credibility; there was scant reference to polling methodology. Poll results from an unspecified source dealing with CPP were reported on December 16, 2013 on CBC News Network and again, there was no reference to methodology. So, this appears to be a wider issue than the Nanos Number on Power and Politics and I would appreciate your alerting Jennifer McQuire to this concern. </span></span></li>
<li class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: navy;"><u><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The Ballot Box</span></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">: the policy dealing with online surveys, which I had a hand in drafting, was to ensure that viewers/listeners understood specifically that such “surveys” are not scientific in any way. The policy was to make that absolutely clear and so I suggest you include a reference to Ballot Box being unscientific each time you present the results in graphic form on air. Moreover, my understanding of the policy dealing with online surveys is that only raw vote numbers will be presented; percentages will not be presented under any circumstances. I appreciate your offer to “ensure that the number of votes gets posted online along with the percentage results at the end of each day.” But I believe this is a misinterpretation of the policy. Percentages should not be presented in any form. To quote from the policy: “We report the results by giving the number of votes cast for each option. We do not give the results as a percentage, as we do with bona fide polls.” So, including raw numbers on air and on your web site follows the policy but including percentages with or without the raw numbers violates the spirit and the letter of the policy. I note that a number of CBC programs are using online surveys and all of them violate the policy by including just percentages on their web sites. These include Day Six, Q and The National and I would appreciate your also bringing this to the attention of Jennifer McQuire. (The online survey by The National gives percentages to two decimal places, giving the impression the results are especially accurate.)</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">While the above may seem like nitpicking to someone producing a show as fast moving and well produced as Power and Politics, I assure you that my concerns about CBC journalistic policy are much greater than how polls are presented. CBC journalism has always occupied the high ground and relaxing journalistic standards only plays into the hands of critics who want to get the CBC on their ‘level playing field’. I firmly believe that the future of the CBC will be determined by the quality of its journalism and slippage in journalistic standards will spell the end of CBC TV and radio. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Barry Kiefl </span></span></div>
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Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-37347322490526335352013-12-05T17:09:00.000-08:002013-12-07T07:50:24.642-08:00CBC Journalistic Policy Benched?<br />
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">CBC’s
weekday two-hour program, Power and Politics, covers politicians and political
events in more depth than any other program on TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It carefully balances the time devoted to the
political parties, ensuring all the main parties and their views are represented on
various panels, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its choice of
topics tends toward political scandal and sins, making it no different than
most other media but that’s another topic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For reasons unexplained, Power and Politics is ignoring a vital area of
CBC journalistic policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBC carefully
developed journalistic policies relating to opinion polling and posts them on
its<a href="http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-canadians/acts-and-policies/programming/journalism/politics/"> website</a>. However, basic tenets of the policy are ignored in almost every edition of Power and Politics.</span></em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The CBC policy in question states: “</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">We report polls not commissioned by CBC as long as
we can verify that the methodology meets CBC standards. The sample size,
methodology and interpretation of results of non-CBC polls should be reviewed
by the CBC research department. To help our audience place a poll in context,
we provide relevant information about the methodology and size of the sample
along with the results. Where applicable, we provide the margin of error.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Two different non-CBC “polls” or
what seem to be polls are regularly featured on </span><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Power and Politics, The
Nanos Number and Navigator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Navigator
is an example of non-CBC research that seemingly violates CBC
policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The avuncular Jamie Watt,
chairman of Navigator, a successful political consulting firm, appears on his own segment
of Power and Politics and presents data that both he and Evan Solomon, host of
Power and Politics, imply are representative of “Canadians.” In fact, only
after digging into Navigator’s <a href="http://www.navltd.com/">website</a> does one learn that the "tracking"
percentages characterized as being representative of Canadians are based primarily on analysis of blogs, online comments, Twitter, and comments
on political talk shows (presumably including comments by Jamie Watt and his
staff who appear on such programs.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></em><br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss1z3YZ2RzlUZhGCYsxLffKaHzdRY3sBdP8_48wSx8-6JV9qAJDEwRk8vWnWYMfG_zJFRwvemWp14hjqyNMk2uDkmxxI-sD7hdQaL0bhzxfF1iKaAUjMkb4oc1_bvWeqZkHyCfw1eJ0Kg/s1600/PNP1+(1).PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss1z3YZ2RzlUZhGCYsxLffKaHzdRY3sBdP8_48wSx8-6JV9qAJDEwRk8vWnWYMfG_zJFRwvemWp14hjqyNMk2uDkmxxI-sD7hdQaL0bhzxfF1iKaAUjMkb4oc1_bvWeqZkHyCfw1eJ0Kg/s400/PNP1+(1).PNG" width="400" /></a></span></em></div>
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">There
is nothing wrong with someone analyzing tweets and online comments but CBC
should not be implying that this is representative of Canadians and therefore
possibly leading viewers into thinking that Navigator has conducted representative polling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that relatively few people <a href="http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/2012/02/just-who-is-tweeting-hint-apple-tv.html">tweet </a>and
research, including some done by CBC, determined that those who
bother to write newspapers or call talk shows, etc. are generally not representative of
either the audience or the population. Power and Politics should be more
forthright about the methodology used by Navigator. <o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The
Nanos Number, a product of Nanos Research, is also a regular segment on Power
and Politics but featuring actual poll results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Survey results on some
occasions appear to come from a conventional telephone poll, while on other
occasions, results are based on what Nanos calls an “</span></em><span lang="EN-US">RDD Crowdsource random survey of 1,000 Canadians… recruited by
telephone through the proprietary Nanos Crowdsource sample and administered a
survey online.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crowdsourcing has been
used to fund entrepreneurs but it is very unclear how it has been used here. <em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Nanos Number segment,
featuring the amiable and professional Nik Nanos, usually provides little or no information about the
methodologies, other than an illegible footnote partially obscured by program
graphics. One must go to the Nanos website to learn how the surveys have
(presumably) been conducted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, once
again, this seems to be in violation of the CBC’s journalistic policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Power and Politics should be transparent
about the Nanos surveys and “</span></em></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">provide relevant information about the methodology.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeCwU3dQVGkESuT1XGAmXmn4YF92YHd7lzWSpnbdI68F_BklebO5CQv6wjkdEEjwuGhKiuOXhzHWlv7cKWra4KIZ0eWZ2TF45IreILzoD9f2SXq0xDwLZNqDLR7M8u6BCYs1KZuKhEGej/s1600/pnp3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeCwU3dQVGkESuT1XGAmXmn4YF92YHd7lzWSpnbdI68F_BklebO5CQv6wjkdEEjwuGhKiuOXhzHWlv7cKWra4KIZ0eWZ2TF45IreILzoD9f2SXq0xDwLZNqDLR7M8u6BCYs1KZuKhEGej/s400/pnp3.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">CBC should utilize its in-house
experts in survey research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one
recent Nik Nanos segment on CBC radio’s The House, Evan Solomon did not
accurately read the survey question put to respondents, perhaps because the question,
which dealt with the Prime Minister’s credibility, seemed awkwardly worded,
something CBC researchers and journalists should pick up on. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">The
third poll-related segment that regularly appears on </span><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Power and
Politics is called The Ballot Box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
night a different survey question is put to viewers and visitors to CBC’s<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/politics/inside-politics-blog/2013/12/power-politics-ballot-box-question-349.html"> website</a> and they are encouraged to vote online. </span></em><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CBC
journalistic policy regarding online surveys is exceptionally well thought out
and clear: “Online surveys are a tool of audience engagement. Since it does not
fulfill any of the criteria set out in polling policy, the questions and the
results are not characterized as polls. We report the results by giving the
number of votes cast for each option. We do not give the results as a
percentage, as we normally do with bona fide polls. If programs refer to online questions, the
results are reported in a way that clearly indicates it has no scientific
validity and are not meant to represent the accurate range of either public
opinion nor the opinion of our audience.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Power and Politics, which
could be re-christened Polls and Politics, is clearly violating the CBC
standards with regards to how these online results are being presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cbc.ca only presents percentages and during
the program percentages are presented along with raw results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my view this lends an air of polling
legitimacy to The Ballot Box, which is not warranted, as any professional
researcher and experienced journalist knows.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">CBC TV is under greater duress than at any point in
its history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In recent years its role in
our lives has been usurped by other broadcasters and media, the most recent
example being a much reduced role in the broadcasting of NHL hockey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Over time t</span>he funding that all Canadians provide to
the CBC via Parliament has been reduced. Today we give our money, many times more than we ever provided to CBC, to
private media conglomerates such as <st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bell</st1:place></st1:city>; for better or worse they have used
those funds to push CBC out of many program areas. The one critical element
that CBC TV and radio offer to Canadians still unmatched by private radio and
TV is quality journalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
quality has been maintained because of the excellent journalists who work at CBC and CBC's journalistic standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully, Power and Politics will re-visit those standards.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">While were at it, Power and Politics could you
please stop running the same two or three commercials targeted to pensioners and the
elderly day after day, hour after hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Yes,
I remember Paul Henderson's goal in 1972! </span>Does the sales department think CBC's older viewers have such impaired
memory they can’t remember commercials aired every day for months and
just minutes earlier? <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
Barry Kieflhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758105644419847206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874411412954017819.post-61557317597069274162013-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:002013-11-13T13:03:31.472-08:00Why John Doyle is Right About Canadian TV <div>
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