CBC & The Audience Network Concept

CBC & The Audience Network

Inside Television 599
Publication Date: 4-13-12
By: Hubert O’Hearn


Oh it’s on brother, it’s on! I was going to write one of those terribly thoughtful and philosophical pieces about the passing of Mike Wallace and what is the Meaning of it All; a column that if read aloud would gently send a colicky baby into cooing sleep. And then on Tuesday night the CBC announced that it would have to cut 256 jobs, including 88 out of the News division, produce six fewer television series, end all radio drama, and cancel Connect with Mark Kelly. That is the direct result of Stephen sodding Harper clipping $115 million out of the CBC budget over the next three years.

Mike Wallace said that the viewers would know when he was about to ask the killer question when he prefaced it by the phrase, ‘with all due respect’. To twist that slightly, I promise you that I will discuss the CBC cut and propose an intelligent solution momentarily. However, with all due respect, I need to write one visceral paragraph just to let my emotions free. You can skip it if you’d like, or if you prefer you can read along with The Rock. Here goes...

Let me tell you, The Rock respects Stephen Harper. The Rock admires Stephen Harper. The Rock thinks Stephen Harper is a tough man who makes tough decisions. In fact, The Rock would like to express his gratitude to Stephen Harper, by going to Ottawa, going to Parliament Hill, going to the Peace Tower, finding Stephen Harper and taking him by the hand right to the top of the Peace Tower and when we get there The Rock is going to lift up Stephen Harper so he can see all of Canada and then slam him down so that Peace Tower goes right up his monkey’s -

As I was saying, we need to discuss an intelligent solution. Look, I know that many of you and maybe even most of you don’t really care about the CBC or public broadcasting in general. Those of you who don’t care will have bought the line that’s been fed to you that there are lots and lots of places to get entertainment or news. We don’t ‘need’ the CBC any more and you certainly don’t want to pay any more in taxes. Look at the price tag on those F-35s! My gosh, we have to pay for those because we need stuff to fly around over Ottawa so the Prime Minister has things to salute. 

Where Stephen Harper sits ...

I can state the case that trusting (I use the word advisedly) the private, corporatist sector for your news and emotional priority-setting entertainment is dangerous and not in your best interest. But that would just be an argument. I’d rather make a deal with you with a solution borrowed from Ralph Nader. I’m working on doing an interview with Nader for another of my publishers and I ran across his proposal for an Audience Network. I quote:

‘Any citizen over 16 who paid a minimum amount, say $10 a year, could be a member of the nonprofit Audience Network. The group wouldn’t cost the taxpayers a dime. Through local and national chapters, Audience Network would be run democratically, with members electing a board of directors who would see that appropriate studios with skilled producers and reporters would be operating....Returning a modest portion of the public’s airwaves to the public would allow the audience - not the government or private business - to give itself what it wants and needs.’

Interestingly, Nader was just asking for one primetime hour a night. I say, let’s turn CBC into the Audience Network. Just imagine, true public ownership! If you can find an honest disagreement with this concept, I’d love to hear it or read it. Until then, be seeing you.