Outgoing CBC/Radio-Canada CEO Catherine Tait said this week that the breakup of the nearly 90-year-old public broadcaster was an “absolute tragedy,” and Conservative leader Pierre Poièvre said He said politicians should think twice before attacking something so closely tied to Canada’s “cultural fabric.” . ”
But Tait acknowledged the company has work to do to rebuild trust among Canadians who are wary of public broadcasters and their programming.
As Tait approaches the end of his more than six-year tenure at the CBC in January, he said his biggest regret is the loss of trust in the station among some people.
Polls show Conservative voters are among those most likely to support abolishing the CBC.
Poilievre has vowed to “free up all funds” from the company if elected, a promise that is often bandied about. applause and cheers from the welcoming audience at his rallies.
Delegates at the Conservative Party’s recent policy conference also said they would cut funding to the CBC over what its supporters describe as the broadcaster’s “increasingly politicized agenda.” moved the proposal. it is ultimately lost to party member.
“If we could turn back the clock, we would have started the conversation around trust sooner,” Tait said in an interview with CBC News on the sidelines of the Public Broadcasting International (PBI) conference in Ottawa on Thursday. Ta.
“We need Canadians to feel ownership of their public media services. People have become alienated from us and that’s the challenge going forward.
“And it’s not just Conservative leaders. I say to all Canadians, we are here to serve. We are an absolutely vital part of the cultural fabric of this country. ”
CBC CEO Catherine Tait calls public broadcasting a “huge treasure” and “an important part of our cultural fabric” in Canada. “I would pause for a moment before thinking about tearing it down,” Tate said.
A January 2024 poll of 1,300 respondents by the Gandalf Group for Friends of Canadian Media, an advocacy group for Canadian public media, found that Conservative voters surveyed It found that about 40 per cent want the government to continue funding CBC/Radio-Canada.
According to the poll, about 48% want funding cut, while 11% are unsure.
This means a majority of Conservative respondents either want Ottawa’s support for Crown-owned broadcasters to end, or have no idea what to do about it.
Meanwhile, the poll found that an overwhelming majority of Bloc Quebecois (68%), Liberal Party (82%) and NDP (77%) voters want broadcasters to be federally funded. .
Tait said most Canadians want public broadcasters to tell their country’s stories, especially as other media decline and foreign companies, primarily U.S.-owned, dominate the broadcasting world. While it is happening, it is said that it is.
‘Public broadcasting is worth fighting for’: Tate
“I’m going to pause before I think about dismantling it,” she said of CBC/Radio-Canada.
“This is a huge treasure. It’s almost 90 years of heritage. It would be absolutely tragic to close the company,” she added.
Tait noted the station’s extensive coverage of the recent Olympics and its free programming attracted a large audience.
“Public broadcasting is worth fighting for,” she said.
“I think it’s a great gift to have public broadcasting in Canada. As far as I’m concerned, public broadcasting ranks high in the medical field. It’s what really sets Canada apart from the United States.”
CBC CEO Catherine Tait said it was her “heartfelt hope” that the public broadcaster would earn people’s trust “every day” and that its good journalism would “eliminate” talk of bias in the media.
As CBC News reported last week, the Liberal government will soon select a new CEO to replace Tait, announce a revised mandate for the broadcaster, and provide guidance for the company in the coming years as it grapples with a rapidly changing media ecosystem. We will decide on the best way to provide funding.
Asked if CBC could become an election issue, Tait said the company would deal with whatever happens.
“We need to put aside the noise and focus on the news and facts we trust and the work we’re paid to do,” she said.
“The partisan noise isn’t really our job, it shouldn’t be our focus. If we can earn trust and prove every day that our journalism is good, then my wish, my My sincere hope is that the problem will be resolved.” ”
While insisting that he retain parts of French-language Radio-Canada, Serving minority French-speaking communities outside QuebecMr Poièvre said there was no need for a British public broadcaster if there were private options.
He said the parliamentary allocation to CBC/Radio-Canada (about $1.3 billion last year) could be better spent elsewhere or saved to reduce the budget deficit.
Poièvre and his party have particularly criticized the company’s decision to pay performance pay, or “bonuses,” to executives in a year when hundreds of employees were scheduled to be laid off.
Yes, dozens of people lost their jobs, but the worst cuts were avoided because the federal government committed more money in the recent budget.
CBC bonus ‘insulting and disgusting’: conservative
A Freedom of Information request by The Canadian Press revealed that the company paid $18.4 million in performance pay for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The company said it was unfair to call this a “bonus” in the traditional sense, as a portion of a manager’s salary would be withheld and paid only if certain performance indicators were met. defends the measures.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, said the payments are “beyond an insult and frankly disgusting,” especially at a time when so many Canadians are facing homelessness and other hardships.
Asked if he had any regrets about the company’s handling of the issue and the reputational damage it caused, Tate was unmoved.
“Everyone should be fairly compensated for the work they do,” she says.
“And I don’t live with regrets. I believe we’re doing the right thing. And the fact is, we’re kind of a conversation that’s being done for a specific purpose. It is the subject and target of
But Tate said the company’s board is considering a more general review of its performance pay program and compensation policy.
“The board will consider, with the help of third parties, whether our approach to performance pay and remuneration is appropriate in the current environment and the efforts of other public broadcasters and other media companies.” said.
That’s not the only thing that needs to be revisited, Tate says.
‘Sustainable finance is absolutely necessary’: Tate
Tate told attendees at the PBI conference during a panel discussion focused on social media that the company faces an existential threat if it can’t expand its audience and appeal to younger media consumers.
CBC/Radio-Canada is working with other public broadcasters, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), RTBF (Belgium), SRG SSR (Switzerland) and ZDF (Germany), to develop a project that could change the landscape once completed. He is working on a “public space incubator.” How are media companies engaging with their audiences online as traditional social media platforms become increasingly toxic?
According to the project’s website, the broadcaster is working with American company New Public to develop a “prototype of a digital conversation space that provides a forum for healthy connections and increases participation in public debate.” That’s what it means.
“Social media is where today’s audiences are, young viewers,” Tate said Wednesday.
“They don’t appear on TV, they don’t listen to the radio, they don’t participate much on our streaming platforms. If we can’t solve this problem… If we can solve this problem, we can has a future. If they don’t, I doubt it,” she said.
To that end, Tait said he would like to see the government provide more funding to CBC/Radio-Canada.
In an interview with CBC News, Tate said resources are needed to reach new audiences online.
“We absolutely need sustainable funding into the future to maintain the status quo,” she said.
