Poll currently going horribly wrong. 71% no.

People frickin' hate the CBC. I mean, what is there to like if you're not a granola crunching geezer who likes classical music? What's on there, anyway? Corner Gas? Ew. Little Mosque on the Prairie? Double ew.

Half of Ontario's manufacturing sector is out of work. I think the CBC can take a frickin' pay cut.

Maybe have to cut back on the corporate travel & executive perks ?

The poll is over 70% "NO".

I suppose they could sell some advertising space on one of their cherished programs, what's that you say? you need to state how many people watch or listen to these programs in order to sell ad time?

never mind... we'll just beg for more.

Are they still getting free doughnuts etc. at the Mother*******Corps like they were years ago?

People frickin' hate the CBC. I mean, what is there to like if you're not a granola crunching geezer who likes classical music? What's on there, anyway? Corner Gas? Ew. Little Mosque on the Prairie? Double ew.

Silly Phantom -- Corner Gas is on CTV, and is actually worth watching. Plus, the only good thing that CBC Radio 2 had *was* the classical music. Now, they've gone and changed formats, alienating 75% of their listenership. I'd rather listen to Shostakovich than some folk ensemble from Botswana or a new-age fusion quartet from Chicoutimi.

Slightlly O/T but check out this media-related link:

http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1235434864/

Scroll down to the letter from the CFO and CEO of Canwest...

Harper's opportunity

Yukon Gold - amen to Corner Gas and CBC 2. I haven't listened to CBC 2 since its "remake" - used to list often

If you can not figure how to keep the HNIC theme,and still pay Bob {I have no clue}Cole on the payroll you do not deserve any tax dollars.
Just wondering if the very pleasant interveiw of PMSH with Mansbridge ,post Obama was just a setup for the money plea. NO,No,NO and NO!

Corner Gas is not produced by CBC and it is funny. It has made money and stands on its own in a free market.

I'd say NOW would be a good time to contact your MP's and let them know funding should be cut off to the CBC totally. Kick them when they are down sorta scenario.

I've been pissed off at the CBC since they canceled The Food Show. It was on at 0-dark-30 on Sunday morning, and I set my alarm so I could listen to it.

Sell the TV arm. Then smack Radio 1 and 2 with a friggin' clue-by-four.

Gee, I wonder why the CBC isn't resonating with the good people of Western Canada. Oh, wait a minute, could it be that we have nothing in common and we just fundamentally see the world differently.

I told my commie NDP MP i wanted cuts to the CBC and he told me I was way wrong and not to think that way. He tried to make me believe these scum plays an important role in the cultural life of our nation and these commie ndp'ers want the $$ to never stop.

linky no worky for winterpig free press

The CBC used to be populated with real thinkers, and hardworking investigators. Now it's full of bloomin's J-school grads and leftwing neo-libs, babbling away at Commie Party talking points all day.

I mean, Anna-Maria Tremonti? Geeezzzz... No wonder the Aussie Foreign minister told her she was doofus on live radio...

Too bad, but just let 'em drown. Actually better yet, why is it that CTV has to compete with massive state subsidies for the CBC. There shouldn't be a SINGLE ad on CBC. They already get hundreds of millions!

Yukon you must admit you're not really the middle of the CBC consuming demographic. How many seconds does it normally take before you yell at Peter Mansbridge?

Anyway, CTV, CBC, hard to tell the difference anymore. I don't watch either of them. At all. Ever.

In fact, this very month I told Bell Expressvue to shove their $100/month satellite dish. Twelve HUNDRED dollars a year for 500 channels of nothing on? Pffft.

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.

I burn enough time at SDA as it is. ~:D

I agree with the "kill them while they're too weak to fight back" idea. It's an upward spiral, kill off the CBC. They and their lib-lefty fan base will scream bloody murder for a while (they always do) but the screaming will end quickly and then they'll have one less outlet to continue spreading or reinforcing their poisons groupthink.

Yukon you must admit you're not really the middle of the CBC consuming demographic. How many seconds does it normally take before you yell at Peter Mansbridge?

No arguments there. I estimate it at 0.2 seconds, and that's only because Pete looks like my dad would if he shaved his beard and lost his sense of humour.

But the Radio 2 thing was different! I loved waking up to Tom Allen and a little classical. Heck, if got me, a 33-year-old informed Prairie Conservative, to listen to that station they had to be doing something right.

http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/facilities/stations/index.shtml

Surely something could be down-sized in the total collection of stations and affiliates squealing for more funding.

Look at each province and see how many stations there are...OMG!!!!!

I wake up to a CD. Darude, "Before The Storm". The pump needs a serious kickstart before it begins to move blood first thing in the morning. :)

I went to the poll, and it was 86% no, so I would say that it is actually going wonderfully right.

I just went to the site and voted. It just reset back to the main page. I clicked on "view results" but showed me nothing but the main page again. Maybe its over. Sounds like an ass-whoopin to me.

Thank God the people understand what a waste of money, CBC is!
Glad that the government did not cave into the begging of the elite mother corp!

Just caught the tail end of this, government will not cover their 65m shortfall, was that right?

I haven't had a tv in a coupla decades. I am a radio nut though. I have internet radio (12,000 stations) xm and of course terrestial radio (Adler etc). I just can't think of a reason why taxpayers should provide me with a form of entertainment that I want to listen to. I like Limbaugh Savage and Liddy. I pay to listen to them. These are extraorinary times. Most of us have not experienced this type of financial unrest. To suggest that a tax funded public broadcaster should escape unscathed is unconscionable. What sets them apart?

Who needs the CBC when we have SDA Late Nite
Radio? Here, Yukon Gold, is our last Shostakovich:

www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/009429.html

Toronto Star Poll from today

Should Ottawa give the CBC $65 million to cover an unexpected shortfall?

Should Ottawa give the CBC $65 million to cover an unexpected shortfall?

Yes 1426 31%
No 3008 66%
Don't know 108 2%

Not only the CBC, but every government employee in this country(federal, provincial, municipal)should take a 10% pay and benefits cut.

We cannot afford all of this fluff trough wallowing any more!

Time. For. Some. Cuts.

Worth noting that although Corner Gas is on CTV, it too is paid for with tax dollars from the Canadian Television Fund.

In fact, CBC's own productions, with the exception of News and Children's programming, are paid for with money from the Canadian Television Fund.

Let us see now.

If they cut the pay of the CBC, let’s say 15 % that would solve the perceived problem with some cash to spare and return back to the taxpayer.
What is strange in most cases, like municipalities, cities and towns they threaten layoffs in hope the more senior government will throw some monies their way. They never, ever consider cut in pay, at least not for public consumption.
It is clear that the taxpayer financed corporation should consider reducing interference in the life of the population to base minimum with projection of going out of businesses.

Though the channel 933 on Bell could continue. There is no money in classical music.
There is no CBC 2 in Okanagan, the lotus eaters don’t listen to classics.

Boo hoo: The CBC is going to have to make some "difficult choices," just like the rest of us. Well, duh. It's been a long time coming.

I've never been able to understand how come the CBC is allowed to collect advertising revenue when it already receives $1 billion plus from the Canadian taxpayers and then dares to ask for more. And what assets are they planning to sell? What assets does the CBC have that don't belong to the taxpayers of Canada?

It's time the CBC brass took a good, hard look at why their revenues are down. Might it be that what they're offering is of absolutely no interest to a majority of Canadians? Might it be that a great many requests for balanced reporting instead of a constant lib-left bias have fallen on deaf ears? Might it be because CBC CEOs receive BONUSES at the end of the year, even when hardly anyone watches their programs and even when they're a publicly funded corporation?

Tough times at the CBC are the logical consequence of years of arrogance and entitlement. Canadian taxpayers who are having to cut back should not have to bail out a bloated, unresponsive broadcast bureaucracy. Like the rest of us, they're going to have to cut back and live within their means ... and I'm hoping that means scrapping Little Mosque on the Prairie, to name just one extravagance that needs to go.

And check this out:

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/2009/02/25/8521411-sun.html

The CBC is lobbying using our money!!

The poll question that has to be asked - Should the Government sell the CBC at a time when the deficit is $30 billion and the CBC gets over $1 billion.

Should Ottawa give the CBC a funding boost?
Yes 15%
No 84%
Total Votes: 542
as of minutes past......I think they are getting the message.
This CBC funding is just another political subsidy---just for the LIBRANO$........
Poor LIBRANO$....broke and maybe disconnected from their taxpayer funded media propaganda network.
HEE HEE HOO HOO HAW HAW HEE HEE HOO HOO HAW HAW HAW
I'll be alright...give me a mo....

I am all for introducing cyanide into the CBC's veins. People(socialists)will be upset at first, but after a week or so they won't remember. Honestly what's to remember? I personally like Mercer, but he sells his show to CBC so he can go anywhere. Other than him, CBC sucks arse. I honestly haven't seen much evidence that government funding provides quality. Don't even try and use health care as an example, because I have never been able to experience a family doctor.

84% no.

Consider that a kick to the nards, Mansbridge.

Little poll on the prairie.

Heh.

Somethings up - the poll is now 62% No. So it drops by 20% in 10 minutes??!!

Somthings fishy - shades of Olivia Chow...?

The more I think about it the more I am convinced the government should give the CBC its $65 million on the following conditions.

1. Meaningful Affirmative Action of Employees. 40% of all employees working at the CBC must be true Conservatives by the end of 2009.

2. Meaningful Affirmative Action of Programming. 40% of all programming must be Conservative oriented. For example Kathy Shaidle should be given a talk show entitled "Why MultiCulturalism Sucks". Ezra Levant should be given a show entitled "Why HRC's and Political Correctness Suck" and Mark Steyn should be given a show where he sings old show tunes and reads his columns.

3. Ron McLean is fired from Hockey Night in Canada and the Toronto Maple Leafs are only shown once per year.

This post made my week.
Thanks Kate.

I don't think there is a real big difference in the budget of the CBC and the RCMP. The CBC gets 1.1 billion plus what they can dig out of the government from other sources. The RCMP gets about 1.5 billion and is taking a pay cut. The way I see at it is they give some of the money to the guys and gals with guns. Let the CBC have a telethon to raise the shortfall. I hear Andean nose flute music is a cash cow.

Personally, outside of HNIC (and since I live in Toronto, that "H" is used pretty loosely), I haven't watched the CBC for years. I used to love Barbara Frum on the Journal, but sadly, she's gone on to her reward, and while Wendy Mesley is easy on the eyes, she's no Babs.

However, they bought Jeopardy! rights this year, so I've been forced to watch the Corpse. What galls me are their ads touting Mansonsbridge's "The National" as the most watched newscast in the country. Say what? It's easy enough to check the BBM measurements, which show that CTV news is the ONLY Canadian news program to break into the top 20 week after week. Global National occasionally sneaks into the list. The CBC? NEVER. So, isn't there someone I can complain to about truth in advertising? The CRTC? The Broadcast Standards Council? Any advice?

I would certinly tune in, Fritz, to listen
to Mark Steyn singing old show tunes.

One word solution to the cbc's woes:

LAYOFFS.

It's happening everywhere else in the private sector, and those are jobs that are actually adding to the economic base, not draining it.

Oh, and maybe the revenues generated by Little Mosque may not be sufficient to let that propaganda turkey strut and gobble under its own weight; perhaps it's time to harvest that bird, too.

mhb23re
at gmail d0t calm

They are a caricature within a farce within a lie. Making up a microcosm of fleas with delusions of power. In an opium dream of simulated fame beyond reality.

Thanks, Vit, once again, you deliver the goods.

Ahem: "granola-crunching geezers'' who did, indeed, enjoy Bob Kerr and Gilmour's Albums on CBC Radio have been told to go to Hell by present CBC management. So in between bites of granola the said geezers are ... muttering seriously impolite comments about the CBC being a money-pit and so forth.
It has not escaped our notice that the new geezer-unfriendly programming doesn't seem to appeal to anyone else either.

Gee - $65 million - it is a lot of money in personal terms, but it is so tiny compared to the amounts that our American cousins are throwing around these days.

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

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

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?

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."

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.

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

Phantom; Corner Gas is CTV

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...

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.

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!!

I'll take that yodeling lady over CBC radio any day.

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

Poll

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

@12:55 eastern
1800 and some votes TOTAL
69% NO!

P.S.
I love watching CBC tiptoeing around ADSCAM characters resurected, and joining the recent events.
"How should we spin this"

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.

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 ...!!!

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?

The CBC it's a lot worse than you think.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/BrAnalysis/tv2008/tv2008.pdf

(Page 21, 2008 Financial Summary)

Total Salaries & Benefits: 771,074
Average number of employees: 10,200
Remuneration/employee: 75,595

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

Attention: Globe Poll poised to go horribly wrong too.

No soup for you. Fire them all.

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.

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.

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

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!!

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.

Should Ottawa give the CBC a funding boost?
Yes 53%
No 46%
Total Votes: 4027

Should Ottawa give the CBC a funding boost?
Yes 52%
No 47%
Total Votes: 4075

Keep voting, people.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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

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.

"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

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.

More Not Waiting for the Asteroid news:

http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Crofton+Mill+Catalyst+announces+more+layoffs/1201158/story.html

The 35 day shut-down of Catalyst's pulp and paper plants is now looking to be semi-permanent. It's all over the local news this morning.

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

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.

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.

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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

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

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.

Charles Adler discussed this issue today. You can listen to it here at 7:00. Absolutely delicious ear candy!!!

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

The cable channels are bringing on ALL the quality new programming.

MSMers are buying or copying.

Parasites.

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.