OTTAWA – Outgoing CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch said Tuesday the public broadcaster needs a contract with Canadian in order to reach its potential before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
It’s a message similar to the one Rabinovitch delivered last march in his first appearance before the standing committee, which is review the role of the public broadcaster in the 21st century. Today was his second and last appearance before the committee.
“The Broadcasting Act has not changed in more than 15 years, CBC/Radio-Canada has not received an increase to its base operating appropriation in more than 30 years, and the broadcasting environment is shifting dramatically and rapidly,” Rabinovitch told the committee. “The national public broadcaster needs to remain relevant and to ensure that Canadians have access to its content when, where and how they want.”
He asserted that a contract reviewed on a regular cycle would provide direction on what Canadians could expect from their national public broadcaster in return for a clear commitment from government with regard to funding commensurate to the mandate.
Rabinovitch was accompanied by executive vice-president of English Services, Richard Stursberg, and executive vice-president of French Services, Sylvain Lafrance.
Rabinovitch’s full opening remarks can be accessed at: http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/speeches/20071127.shtml.
