TORONTO – Calling it “a closely guarded secret plan,” Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says the CBC wants to relocate The National from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weeknights.
According to the watchdog group, “(t)his would reduce the reach and influence of Canada’s most important news program and compromise the CBC’s mandate,” reads a press release.
FCB says the Corp “may fill the 10 o’clock slot “with entertainment programming, possibly of non-Canadian origin,” adds the release.
"Funding cuts may have left the CBC struggling to make ends meet, but only someone who does not understand or care about the CBC’s public broadcasting mandate would come up with this plan," said FCB’s spokesperson Ian Morrison.
The CBC, on the other hand, calls the release and its rumour absolutely false.
In an e-mail to Cartt.ca in response to our query, CBC spokesperson Chris Bell said: “(W)e’re aghast at how Friends of Canadian Broadcasting could make such baseless assertions.
“There are no plans to move The National from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.”
And the statement that more U.S. programming could be arriving to fill that hour? “100% false,” said Bell.
“CBC’s new fall line up will actually have less American programming on it than in the past and will include an expanded local supper hour newscast from 5-6:30 p.m. The National will remain at its current timeslot.”
Head of CBC English programming Kirstine Layfield has sent a letter to FCB outlining the above.
– Greg O’Brien
