How Much Does the CBC Cost Taxpayers?

[Ref]

Does anyone know how much the CBC costs taxpayers?

If it is a cost, is it worth it in todays media market?

Even in rural Canada, a dish is a small price to pay for TV enjoyment.

And yes there may be some "Canadian" talent that may not have the opportunity to promote themselves, but who fucking cares? If you wanna make it, then you'll find a way to succeed, don't weasle a career out on the backs of the tax payers.

If it is a large cost/expense, then let's sell it off. Get out now and save the tax payer the costs of supporting a government network.

 

[danibbler]

Cynic

Someone who knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

 

[lebeau]

Welcome to Canada

Does anyone know how much the CBC costs taxpayers?

If it is a large cost/expense, then let's sell it off. Get out now and save the tax payer the costs of supporting a government network.

It costs enough, but not too much. And the benefits it provides are immeasurable.

If you wander out into the world, I think you'll find that the CBC is one of the most highly respected of news providers and that that it generates considerable interest in this country. It helps to define what is for many a great big patch of land with hardly anybody living on it.

Heck, even many Americans love the CBC. I have a friend in Minnesota who says he likes CBC news because at least it tells him what the hell his country is up to.

And one last thing: years ago, I used to drive the north shore of Lake Superior route quite frequently. Without those voices (Gzowski in particular), I'd surely be dead.

 

[train]

Does anyone know how much the CBC costs taxpayers?


If it is a large cost/expense, then let's sell it off. Get out now and save the tax payer the costs of supporting a government network.

The CBC used to cost taxpayers a billion dollars a year which was its annual operating loss. Not sure if it's higher or lower than that now. Aside from Hockey Night in Canada and the evening news the rest of the programming just can't carry any frieght.

If it were not government funded it would have been shut down long ago - how the hell do you sell something that loses a billion a year with little hope of ever breaking even much less earning a profit.

Few people watch it ( it's always at the bottom of the ratings) so why keep it going?

 

[Ref]

Someone who knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

Deep, very deep.

 

[5andman]

I've got no problem with the CBC (considering a lot of the crap thats on American networks, as well as the tabloid journalism of US news networks).

Diversity is important and the CBC provides that.

Its too bad that the general public is getting stupider.

 

[Never Compromised]

The CBC mandate is not to make a profit, and has never been to make a profit. Without the CBC, may parts of this country would never have had a tv or radio. Sure, things are different now with technology, but the CBC has played an important role.

Canada simply does not have the population to support a lot of "home grown" programming. TV does more than entertain, and anyone that does not understand the real importance of the CBC is a cultural idiot.

 

[james t kirk]

It costs enough, but not too much. And the benefits it provides are immeasurable.

If you wander out into the world, I think you'll find that the CBC is one of the most highly respected of news providers and that that it generates considerable interest in this country. It helps to define what is for many a great big patch of land with hardly anybody living on it.

Heck, even many Americans love the CBC. I have a friend in Minnesota who says he likes CBC news because at least it tells him what the hell his country is up to.

And one last thing: years ago, I used to drive the north shore of Lake Superior route quite frequently. Without those voices (Gzowski in particular), I'd surely be dead.

I agree completely.

I'm a bit on the conservative side myself, but I love the CBC (despite it being infested with socialists). They do a good job, and you're right, when you are in the middle of nowhere (and boy have I been there too), they are the only thing on the radio and you thank god that they're there.

 

[Keebler Elf]

The CBC mandate is not to make a profit, and has never been to make a profit.

Bingo. Government shouldn't be run like a business. Let me repeat that... Government shouldn't be run like a business. It is not a for-profit enterprise and the idea that anything that costs more than it brings in should be shut down is a silly idea made by simple minds.

Government's job, in no small part, is to provide what would otherwise not be provided due to the cost.

I'm not talking about wastage or corruption, I'm talking about providing a service that would otherwise not be provided.

Just because YOU don't like the CBC, doesn't mean it doesn't bring value to our country.

(as an aside, this silly little rant comes up every once in a while. It's just bitter people who need something to vent about. I see it everyday. )

 

[Chimpanzeethat]

Canada simply does not have the population to support a lot of "home grown" programming.

Huh?

 

[Ref]

(as an aside, this silly little rant comes up every once in a while. It's just bitter people who need something to vent about. I see it everyday. )

Hehehe, I'm telling mom on you!

 

[stang]

Does anyone know how much the CBC costs taxpayers?

Except for HNIC, too much!

 

[sailorsix]

Metro Morning, CBC Radio's Toronto morning show, has the largest listernship for a reason...it provides what a ton of radio listeners want...good reporting, good investigative journalism, and in depth coverage of issues that commercial radio will not cover. Sometimes I listen to Q107 as I drive to work. They, like all other commercial stations, are a joke when it comes to news coverage. The actual news is maybe 90 seconds long and that will include a smart ass comment on a story that is anything but "news". There is more sports coverage than news. It would be better if they just dropped the news part rather than give it the shoddy treatment that they do. AS noted above Americans like CBC because it does give them coverage of issues that they would normally not get. Even PBS and National Public radio in the USA are shadows of what they used to be as the Bush administration has wieghed in with some censorship muscle.

I challenge any non-CBC radio listener to listen to it for a couple of weeks. Check out the AM and evening drive shows. Listen every night to As It Happens, listen to the 30 minute newscast at 6PM...come back in two weeks and admit that you are a much better informed individual. No you dont have to agree with everything you hear but you will at least be better informed than if you only get your news off of 580 the fan or Q107 or The Sun chain of comic books. Better informed will make you a better person.

 

[fuji]

"Canada" is not really a sensible concept and without things like "CBC" and other Federal initiatives to make us feel like we are one country rather than five different countries, I'm not sure we would exist as a "nation", if we even count as a nation.

Of all the things that the govt. has done that make us feel like a nation the CBC is the most effective.

 

[RogerRabbit]

If it is a large cost/expense, then let's sell it off. Get out now and save the tax payer the costs of supporting a government network.

http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/docs/plan/2007/pdf/appendix-e.pdf

+

http://www.friendscb.org/News/Friends_News/archives/articles04020404.asp

CBC audience less than 6% despite nearly $10b in subsidies by Tim Naumetz

Source : National Post

April 02, 2004

OTTAWA - As taxpayers poured nearly $10-billion into the CBC over the past 10 years, the government broadcaster's audience share in the English language has declined steadily to under 6%.
According to a Senate report on the media in Canada, CBC's share of the English language TV market had dropped to 5.8% by 2002, down from 8.4% in 1997.
The interim report from the Senate looking into media concentration in Canada also says that, even though the CBC more than doubled the money it spent on news and information programming from 1998 to 2002, it lost ground to CTV and Global for local supper-hour news viewers.
The CBC's all-news channel, Newsworld, has remained steady at 1% of the overall audience share, while the share for the U.S. all-news channel CNN has more than doubled to 2.7%.'



I love the CBC, but in the 21st century and the internet age, it is high time to privatize it and use the tax dollars elsewhere, like scholarships for Canadian youth, Adult education, et cetera. Private equity companies, like ONEX, could do wonders with these organizations.

 

[RogerRabbit]

I'm not sure we would exist as a "nation", if we even count as a nation.

I thought only some of the people of Quebec needed that safety blanket?

 

[danibbler]

Deep, very deep.

But, oh so true. Why don't you take this topic over to the politics forum?

 

[lebeau]

An informed populace

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071109.HISTORY09/TPStory/National

Maybe we should actually FORCE people to watch/listen to the CBC.

 

[alex52]

It's not a matter of money but what is the role of CBC in the life of the nation. Compared to the BBC its under funded.

 

[Robio]

The have a good free to air HD signal so my taxes are going to go use plus it is not all tax revenue like TV ONT which does not have a HD signal