Conservative Bashing Corporation Faces $65M Shortfall;

Media 99 Comments

Globe and Mail;

The CBC is heading toward a new fiscal year with little clarity about its funding from Ottawa, even as it suffers a projected 2008-2009 shortfall in ad revenue of up to $65-million.
This financial uncertainty increases the possibility of job cuts and changes to its services and programming, which CBC senior management says it is having to consider in order to ride out the current crisis hitting the entire media industry. “We are still working away at finalizing plans. Nothing has yet been determined,” CBC President Hubert Lacroix said in a memo to staff yesterday.

More – that stingy little Flaherty guy says they already get lots of money. Mutters something under his breath about biting the hand.
In related developments, a Winnipeg Free Press poll with the potential to go horribly wrong (scroll down main page and look to left) .

99 Replies to “Conservative Bashing Corporation Faces $65M Shortfall;”

  1. I assume the CBC is willing to wait until CTV and Canwest get their Billion each before asking for more?

  2. I used to listen to CBC2 a lot as well for the classical music. Last time I turned it on it was a french rap artist. The host subsequently read the lyrics allowed in english, spoken not rapped of course. It had won some kind of award…
    And that was it for me and CBC2

  3. Not to mention the “Songs listeners would like played at their funeral” special I listened to one night… Did anyone else hear that one?
    What drugs are these people on?

  4. Lise Lareau, president of the CBC’s main union, said “In any huge corporation of this size, ask any CEO how they could function under these (conditions).”
    I’m guessing that if you asked a CEO from a comparably huge corporation how he could function with a free billion a year, every year, scraped off the taxpayers and given to his corporation, he’d say “quite well, thank-you.”

  5. Well, as the folks within the Obama administration would say, never let a good crisis go to waste. Harper should use this economic downturn to gut/sell/dismantle/whatever CBCPravda.
    Long overdue.

  6. Heck, I’m just a hick from the outskirts of nowhere in Alberta … years gone back.
    The CPC just announced, as part of the infrastructure spending, hi-speed internet (whatever that is) to hicks, just like me.
    Can any of you eggjamakated folks tell me why? Will I be able to watch porn when they get it out here?
    anonymous

  8. Ahem, CBC, you also told me to go to he**
    I was a faithful listener/watcher of; As It Happens, The Journal, The National, Radio Noon, Quirks&Quarks, Venture, Nature Of (phsssst)Things, Ideas, and more.
    Although I believe the quality was not too bad back then, I had nothing to compare it too.
    The Internet plus g*d awful programing (especially news) now has changed my viewing habits. If it is on, I turn it off. CLIck…

  9. Why not just have our friends in Ottawa sell a licence for a cable channel (like fox news did in the US). We could get our own fair and balanced Canadian news out and have fun trashing the CBC/CTV while doing it.

  10. Mama don’t allow no CBC type music in our den of iniquity. But really – would ya really listen to crap by anyone called Rotchacockoff!!

  12. I voted No on more CBC funding. But if it had been School Day 4 or Garbage Day 2, I might have voted Yes.

  14. Re: “Not to mention the ‘Songs listeners would like played at their funeral’ special I listened to one night… Did anyone else hear that one?”
    No, but that strikes me as an interesting topic; I have a few selections myself. “Soon” by Yes, for example.

  15. CBC has ~10,000 employees and receives ~ $1.1 Billion in direct subsidy from the Canadian taxpayer, and nearly another Billion$$$ in indirect subsidy.
    That’s and annual subsidy courtesy of the Canadian taxpayer of ~$200,000 per CBC employee…!!!
    Seems a tad high to me … particularly since the CBC does not provide value for money spent …!!!

  16. At 11:15PM (Pacific) the Winnipeg Free Press poll showed 84% NO for me. Something is funny with those earlier numbers, for sure…maybe the LibLoggers are linking to it as well?

  18. All you monarchists are shooting yourselves in the foot..er…feet? Where will your next Governor-General come from? What about Tremonti’s or Slaphead’s career paths……On a serious note[because I know The Corpse will continue to suck the taxpayers dry],I read this morning [in the Ottawa Sun] that paroled ex-con Richard Condo has seen the light and has produced a 90 minute film on his life of violence…..sounds like a real good buy and probably the CBC could pick it up at rock bottom price in view of their financial wows

  21. NV53
    “Soon” is an interesting selection that I have heard others refer to in the same context. I have also heard people suggest “To Be Over” from the same RELAYER album. YES is an aquired taste that I acquired many years ago – and still enjoy, despite the somewhat garbled lyrical elements.

  22. CBCpravda may have to backfill thier timeslots with reruns of Razzle Dazzle and junior forest rangers.
    maybe the last time I truly liked any of their shows.

  23. If CBC can outbid private networks for US shows like Jeopardy and Martha Stewart, they have some gall begging us for more.

  24. Interesting/obvious connection between CBC and Globe readers and lib bias.
    43% of Globe readers say ‘yes’ to increased funding to CBC.
    Other polls have a much lower ‘yes’.
    Quelle supris!!

  25. Perhaps the CBC budget for this new year should be divided per capita and given to the provinces. CBC hard assets should also be ceded to the provinces that house these assets. Starting next year(year 2) the said provinces are on the hook for half the budget needed and fully responsible for the year after and beyond. No strings to be attached as far as programing is concerned or for keeping this broadcaster at all if not wanted by the said province as the funding will have to come from provincial monies by year 2. Transfer payments and /or equalization payments from the federal government cannot be used after year 2. Just a thought to enliven the upcoming rants from CBC acolytes about “CULTURE” provided, please keep in mind Bloc Quebecois say English Canada has no culture and Central Canada says westerners are to backwards to even know what “acceptable” culture is.

  28. G&M poll is odd (quite a surprise).
    As of a few seconds ago, it stood at 44% Yes and 56% No. But the total of the votes is 3,534. Earlier posters show the total of the votes over 4,000.

  29. For all you “old geezers” like me who used to listen to CBC2, I have started listening to KING-FM out of Seattle, WA on the internet. All classical, commercial radio.
    Commercial and classical? No government handout? Who’d a thunk it?

  30. For all you “old geezers” like me who used to listen to CBC2, I have started listening to KING-FM out of Seattle, WA on the internet. All classical, commercial radio.
    Commercial and classical? No government handout? Who’d a thunk it?

  31. Oh dear, looks like the Yes side is pulling ahead. (One vote per day allowed.)It looks like the CBC have got their employees on the case. Quite frankly, I am astonished that anyone would argee to more money for CBC in such dire economic times — what happened to other important “priorities” favoured on the left . . . extending unemployment, more safe injection sites, money for researchers, status of women, auto bail out . . . oh well, I guess the already generously funded CBC is more important.

  32. What about Al Jazeera,they’ll take over where the corpse leaves off.It will be a seamless transition one would think.

  33. Polls: there are two, the one at Winnipeg Free Press is neck and neck-50% yes , 49% no,,,The G&M is still – 44% yes , 56% no. Both have over 4000 total votes.

  34. “I may eventually get around to hooking up the antenna, maybe even add an HD antenna. Maybe. We’ll see when the weather gets nicer. In the meanwhile I’m hard pressed to see a down side to having no idiot box to burn time in front of.”
    Two words: March Madness

  35. No bailout funding for the CBC is a slice of red meat for conservatives, who sorely need a good bite around now.
    None of the usual leftie suspects (Atwood, separatists, etc) who will soon scream “Censorship!” will NEVER EVER vote Conservative anyway. We don’t have to cave on EVERY issue, for pete’s sake.

  37. Now isn’t that a classic case of the kettle calling the frying pan black? Or was it the melting pot?

  38. You can be sure that the CBC’s secret bloggers are voting like crazy
    in the on-line polls and posting comments to create the impression that
    Canadians want their CBC. Fire them all.

  39. Indiana, two more words, who cares?
    😉 JK!!
    Seriously though, CTV and Global get zero viewing from me and the CBC gets 90 minutes a year on the 11 November for the national Rememberance Day service.
    History, Space and CBS get the rest of my viewing hours.
    Radio? That is what CD players are for.

  40. Looks like the CBC has hitched their wagon to the wrong horse.I guess they must have thought we wouldn’t notice the thieving Liberals and boot them out of office.Should have thought of that when they constantly lied to the public.And if one extra cent goes to the CBC not another of my hard earned dollars will be donated to the CPC.

  41. “posting comments to create the impression that
    Canadians want their CBC. Fire them all.” — this is not credible, really. Two reasons. CBC does not have a very significant audience share of the Canadian market and their most loyal fans (50+ and probably majority female I would guess) are not big bloggers. I’m in that category myself and hardly anyone I know in my demographic blogs. So, I do really suspect CBC employees of skewing the results on the poll. Do these people realize that average salaries at CBC are in the $75,000 range — rather different from private broadcasters. Time to join the real world.

  42. “sounds like a real good buy and probably the CBC could pick it up at rock bottom price” Actually, the CBC could pick up a lot of cheap footage, and they should not be going after expensive American fare. What’s the point of a taxpayer funded entity going after U.S. programming? They should consider re-broadcasting some of the Provincial tv programming nationally. I hear there are good things in Vancouver that we never see in Ontario and vice-versa. Also, there are enough independant films still around that should be cheap — why even Mr. LaFond (LaFrond) — whatever — the GG’s husband — has quite a few films that should be cheap. I am not saying viewers would watch all this stuff, but at least it’s Canadian.

  43. “Are they still getting free doughnut” — and luggage too. Used to be if you worked for CBC and travelled, your own luggage was not good enough. I am sure that has stopped, but if they looked hard they could probably find dozens of existing perks that could be cut back.

  44. Another conservative bashing entity hurting.
    BNN reporting Torstar has $211 million loss in Q4, dividend slashed 50%.

  45. The poll at the G&M is laughable. While it was fairly close all day, it is now at 70% yes (increase CBC funding) versus 30% no. Total votes just over 16,000.
    This reminds me of the poll that the G&M had a year or so ago (something about gay rights of some sort) where the pro gay-rights side was at about 20%…..when the poll was over, the G&M poll magically said it was 50/50.
    What a joke. The CBC staff and clingers and hangers on must be jamming in the votes pretty hard. But the the G&M is nothing more than a paper version of the CBC so that shouldn’t be a surprise.

  47. From CNEWS;
    Are you concerned about the CBC’s financial crisis?
    Yes
    20%
    No
    22%
    I don’t care about the CBC
    24%
    I hope the CBC ceases to exist
    33%
    Total Votes for this Question: 2276

  49. They should consider re-broadcasting some of the Provincial tv programming nationally.
    Perhaps Coren’s show, for one. It’s currently on a “religious network” (and I’m not particularly religious, myself) but it’s a pretty good program with good discussion.

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