The CBC’s announcement that they would very much enjoy going ad free came at a curious time, almost immediately after a certain Conservative leadership candidate announced she wanted to get rid of it, possibly because they committed the heinous crime of accurately reporting on something she said.
Moving to being entirely taxpayer funded seems like a risk for the corporation, because it would put a larger target on its back than it has already. For some reason, the Conservatives in generally don’t like the CBC, and seem to search for any excuse to try to take money away from it. The television network’s continued existence, then, would be predicated on winds of change never blowing through the Canadian parliament.
If one ignores the constant battles between the nation’s politicians and the public broadcaster, one can see why this proposal has merit. The BBC in the UK has long been a shining example of the power of a public broadcaster. It has high quality programming, whether in education, entertainment or news. The programming is purchased by networks around the world, and other public broadcasters look with envy at what the BBC has accomplished.
It’s also funded by a mandatory television license in Britain, not something we will likely see in Canada. It also has a larger budget than the CBC, which helps with the amount of original programming that it provides. But it is what the CBC wants to be, and going ad-free is another way to inch closer to the BBC ideal.
There’s some merit in the approach. It would mean programming wouldn’t have ad breaks, it would allow the network to focus on content above all else. It would also give people a clear alternative to commercial television. They would also have some incentive to make riskier programming, while ratings would still be extremely important they could try things that a commercial network wouldn’t attempt. Exactly the same as what the BBC does, in other words, just at a smaller scale.
But there would also be an increase in public scrutiny due to the idea, since it would shed the pretense of being a commercial operation. It would also be at greater risk if someone who doesn’t like the corporation was in charge.
I am concerned that if they go ad-free, they take away the protection that revenue stream offers. The people who most dislike the broadcaster would have an easier time justifying getting rid of it if it was an entirely taxpayer-funded operation.
Having a strong public broadcaster is important, as well as having a network that can serve as an incubator to Canadian talent whether behind or in front of the camera. So the CBC should continue to exist whether or not their proposal is accepted. I am concerned that going without ads might put them at greater risk from people who don’t share my Canadian values.
