OTTAWA – "We successfully overcame many challenges and managed to come out of the year stronger, more focused and more financially sound than we were at the outset," said CBC/Radio-Canada board chairman Tim Casgrain in kicking off the Corp’s second Annual Public Meeting held Wednesday morning in Ottawa.
Canadians from across the country participated via live webcast as Casgrain, president and CEO Hubert Lacroix, and VP and CFO Suzanne Morris reviewed the highlights of 2009–2010, provided an overview of the next year and took some questions.
Lacroix focused on the myriad changes in the media industry globally – and locally as he noted the purchase of Canwest by Shaw Communications and CTV by Bell Canada.
"Recent changes in our industry leave CBC/Radio-Canada as the country’s only national television broadcaster not owned by a cable or satellite company,” he said. “What’s clear to me is that the continued concentration of ownership in Canada’s media industry reinforces the need for strong, independent public broadcasting in Canada. It also underlines the need for a regulatory environment that guarantees an open system where Canadians have access to a wide range of programming, including ours, regardless of who owns the distribution channels.”
While some hoped that more meat would be put on the bones of the CBC’s new strategic plan which Lacroix has been touting, the meeting was short on details.
Lacroix noted the public broadcaster will focus on three core strengths: to be the home of Canadian content; to reinforce a commitment to all regions; and to innovate across all platforms, be they traditional or new media.
For video highlights of the meeting, click here. For the speeches themselves, click here. For the full archive of the webcast, click here.
