The Editor,
Re. "Should Canadian taxpayers continue to help fund CBC?" (Face to Face, The Tri-City News, Nov. 18).
I've been following news on the future of CBC for years, and I'm keen to read anything on the seemingly endless process of resolving CBC's future.
Each Face to Face columnist's piece was well researched, with a caveat on Jim Nelson's offering. Mr. Nelson's reliance on half-century-old CBC successes as justification to continue funding the broadcaster is entirely irrelevant in 2011. Even the iconic Hockey Night In Canada has lost much of its lustre to numerous channels dedicated to sport only.
I would have found Mr. Nelson's point even more convincing had he included some contemporary examples rather than those that began airing before most of today's viewers were born.
Last, I'm surprised neither Mr. Nelson nor Andy Radia noted the enormous cost of running CBC compared to that of PBS in the U.S., funded in part by generous donations, public and private. On the west coast, it is notable the PBS station in Seattle receives fully one third of its donations from Canadians and far exceeds the number contributing to any Canadian broadcaster coast to coast. Surely this fact alone would seem to indicate the CBC as a preferred source of education and entertainment may not be as valuable an asset as the CBC itself claims.
It is difficult for me to believe in our present digital age that the CRTC forces our broadcasters to provide programming that in some (not all) cases is abysmal.
Gordon McGregor, Port Coquitlam
