OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is asking Canadians to have their say on the country’s national broadcaster.
As it gears up to renew the CBC’s radio and television licences for the first time in 12 years this fall, the Commission has launched an on-line consultation seeking input that it will consider during the renewal hearing. That hearing is scheduled to begin on September 12, 2011, in Gatineau.
Specifically, it would like to hear from Canadians on the following questions:
– How can the CBC be relevant and meaningful in the future?
– How can the CBC best deliver content to all Canadians?
– Should the CBC only provide different programs and services than private broadcasters?
– Does the CBC’s programming meet all of its objectives?
– What more (or less) should it be doing?
– What should it do differently?
– Do you feel the CBC reflects your specific Canadian interests and needs?
– Does the CBC fill your need for reliable and authoritative news and information?
In the CBC’s application, also made public by the Commission on Friday, the pub ‘caster asked the CRTC for three things:
1. Streamlined regulation that will allow it to adapt to the interests and requirements of its audiences, as well as the constantly changing broadcasting environment;
2. Stable funding under programs like the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) to continue enhancing the local services it has promised Canadians and that it says Canadians want; and
3. Prominent access to all distribution platforms that Canadians are using, which it calls critical given the extent of vertical integration in the broadcasting industry.
"Through our new strategic plan and through our application, we’ve committed to improving the service we offer Canadians over the next five years," said Hubert T. Lacroix, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, in a statement. "We’ve promised to provide even more Canadian content than we do today, improve and expand our local television and radio service, and double the investment we make in digital platforms. To deliver on that promise, we need a flexible regulatory framework that will enable our progress, not hold it back."
The on-line consultation, available at www.cbc-consultation-src.ca, will wrap up at midnight (EST) on July 18, 2011.
