By Connie Thiessen
Catherine Tait’s appointment as President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada has been extended another 18 months.
Canadian Heritage Min. Pablo Rodriguez announced the extension this morning, which will see Tait serve in the role until January 2, 2025.
Tait initially took up the appointment on July 3, 2018, the first woman in the history of the public broadcaster to serve as president and CEO. The former president and CEO of Salter Street Films and co-founder of NYC-based prodco Duopoly, Tait’s leadership at CBC has been marked by a distinct platform agnostic approach as the broadcaster moves into the digital-first content space. She has also championed advancing CBC’s commitment to equity, diversity and accessibility.
“In this second term I also want to focus on the work we have undertaken with other media and stakeholders to address the urgent issues of polarization and distrust, which are undermining democratic and open societies,” Tait said, in a CBC statement. “It’s a critical issue that all Western democracies are grappling with. I believe Canada’s public broadcaster has a unique role to play to address disinformation, build trust in verified and trusted news, and, most importantly, to foster Canadian conversations in English, French and Indigenous languages.”
With her reappointment, Tait will also remain chair of the Global Task Force for public media, which represents the interests of eight of the world’s leading public broadcasters.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted that our CEO has agreed to extend her time at CBC/Radio-Canada, in order to complete several important initiatives,” said Michael Goldbloom, chair of the board of directors. “Her leadership over the past five years has been critical to positioning the public broadcaster for the future at a time of accelerated change in the news and media sectors in Canada.”
Canadian Media Producers Association president and CEO Reynolds Mastin called Tait’s extension a “sound decision.”
“Catherine’s breadth of expertise and deep knowledge of the sector began with firsthand experience as an independent producer in Canada’s vibrant domestic production industry,” said Mastin. “She has since served as a fearless leader and a vocal champion of Canadian stories. She truly values the importance of independent production and works to ensure that Canadian programming reflects the diverse perspectives and experiences of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.”
This story first appeared in Broadcast Dialogue and is reprinted with permission.
