XPost: can.politics, ont.politics, bc.politics   
   From: "@nyet.ca   
      
   On 6/1/2014 9:17 AM, Greg Carr wrote:   
   > 20,000,000 tax payers paying $60 each for the bloated CBC equals 1.2   
   > billion dollars and the actual subsidy is 1.3 billion dollars.   
      
      
   You do math like every other right wing idiot.   
   1.  Canada doesn't have "20 million taxpayers".  You're a perfect example.   
   2.  The cost per taxpayer - latest figures being for 2012 - is between   
   $29 and 34 per taxpayer.   
   3.  And Canadians - those of us who aren't right wing nut jobs - love   
   CBC for its honest, unbiased and well-investigated reporting.   
      
   Here are just a few of them:   
      
      
   Published on Wed Mar 28 2012   
      
   Hands off our sacred CBC   
   Death by a thousand cuts, March 24   
      
      
   The CBC exists to improve national unity and to foster intelligent   
   debate among all Canadians. Surely we don’t want the U.S. shock-radio   
   model, complete with Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc.   
      
   At $34 per person, that’s less than a case of beer. Cancel the CBC?   
   Let’s cancel Christmas. It costs much more.   
      
   William Whitehouse, Sudbury   
      
   Thanks for the interesting and informative story on the CBC — in   
   particular the TV part. Concerning the “thousand cuts,” the CBC seems to   
   have weathered the storm quite well.   
      
   I have watched the CBC now for some 52 years, and I must say today’s   
   version — discounting the technological improvements — is a better   
   medium than ever. There was, indisputably, fat to cut; at times, it   
   became rather bureaucratic and staid.   
      
   There might even be room for some more fine-tuning there. Why, for   
   example, do we have two CBC news channels — the regular CBC one and the   
   news channel? And why repeat the evening news several times a night? If   
   the incremental cost is marginal, I can see an argument for it. But   
   surely, it cannot be zero.   
      
   I enjoy “The Fifth Estate” and other in-depth news reports and   
   documentaries. These you would not likely find on other Canadian   
   independent media, and certainly not in U.S. media. Programs such as “At   
   Issue” are both entertaining and informative; I don’t believe it is   
   “cheapening” the newshour at all, and I see no reason why they should   
   not be retained.   
      
   I understand the importance of advertising revenue, but there could be   
   an argument for getting rid of ads and charging a viewer’s subscription   
   fee. The network would be smaller, but it would avoid overlapping   
   broadcasts, which can easily be obtained from U.S. and other Canadian   
   networks.   
      
   It would rekindle the vision of Graham Spry, and again make the CBC a   
   truly Canadian broadcasting entity, promoting Canadian values and interests.   
      
   The references to Europe’s per capita public funding of broadcasters is   
   a little misleading, as the broadcasting environment is somewhat   
   different from North America. Norway, with the highest per capita   
   funding, used to be a monopoly until recently, and the annual licensing   
   fee is compulsory both for radio and TV.   
      
   Also Norwegians did not have access to foreign TV, though there is some   
   private broadcasting now, and with the Internet, there are much more   
   choices.  Some 94 per cent of Norwegian broadcasting (NRK) funding comes   
   from a mandatory annual licensing fees charged to each person in   
   possession of a TV.  The remainder comes from commercial activities such   
   as program and DVD sales, spin-off products and certain types of   
   sponsorship.   
      
   Perhaps the time has come to rethink the CBC’s objectives, but   
   privatizing it is not the way.   
      
   Sigmund Roseth, Mississauga   
      
      
   Your review of public broadcasting costs for many countries worldwide   
   was certainly interesting and useful. It’s amazing that Canada comes in   
   with the third-lowest cost per capita at $34 and, of course, it’s   
   understandable that the U.S. is lowest at $4.   
      
   I was disappointed, however, to find that the chart neglected to give   
   comparative figures for any communist country. It would be insightful if   
   we could compare the costs in China, Cuba and Russia with the others.   
      
   George Dunbar, Toronto   
      
      
   I have been a CBC fanatic for more than 45 years and I don’t watch   
   television. For the first time, a major article about CBC actually   
   mentioned that there was a radio component.   
      
   Unlike the television side of CBC, there is no national public radio   
   network or system that provides commercial free, high quality Canadian   
   news, documentaries, comedy, music and public affairs on an in-depth basis.   
      
   Perhaps, it is time to cut the TV component and concentrate on CBC   
   Radio.  I can’t imagine a day without it.  We voters will be watching   
   the budget closely.   
      
   Jim Sanders, Guelph   
      
      
   Your article claims CBC Radio doesn’t air advertisements. This is an   
   erroneous assertion that the corporation likes to repeat. CBC Radio is   
   replete with ads. It’s just that the corporation chooses to give it a   
   different name, such as promotions for the corporation.   
      
   All day long the CBC Radio listener is hammered by the ridiculous,   
   breathy voice of a male Marilyn Monroe incessantly reminding us “CBC . .   
   . Where Canada Lives,” and other sonic irritations.   
      
   The corporation chooses to misunderstand why listeners object to ads.   
   We don’t like the interruption, the intrusion into programming, whether   
   it’s to tell us a hamburger or where Canada lives. And, please, give a   
   much-deserved rest to Marilyn: the poor woman died 50 years ago.   
      
   Jerry Tutunjian, Toronto   
      
      
   Before dispensing with the CBC, I suggest we abolish the Senate first.   
   At least the CBC serves a purpose.   
      
   Francine Dick, Toronto   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)