CBC president calls for long-term mandate

Last Updated: Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 12:40 PM ET

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CBC president Robert Rabinovitch asked the parliamentary heritage committee on Thursday to give the public broadcaster a 10-year mandate.

"CBC is at a turning point that no one-year plan will address," he said, urging MPs to adopt a long-term charter for the CBC similar to the one enjoyed by the British Broadcasting Corp.

CBC president Robert Rabinovitch says a long-term mandate is needed for the public broadcaster.
(CBC)

"Anything less is to pay lip service to public broadcasting while watching it wither," he said.

Rapid changes in the broadcasting environment, including the introduction of satellite radio, the rise of internet video sites such as YouTube and delivery methods like podcasting, are significant challenges for the public broadcaster, he said.

A long-term mandate would set out the expectations the public broadcaster would be expected to meet and provide the financial means to meet those commitments, he said.

On Wednesday, Heritage Minister Bev Oda announced a $60-million "supplementary contribution" to the CBC for each of the next two years.

Rabinovitch thanked Oda for the funding, which he said would be devoted to programming, but pointed out there has been no permanent increase in the CBC's annual funding base for 33 years.

CBC's annual budget is currently about $1.6 billion a year, including about $930 million from Ottawa.

The heritage committee, a standing committee of Parliament, is reviewing the CBC's mandate, its future and its funding. Previous presenters to the committee, including Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and Canada's independent producers, have covered issues such as program quality and use of new technologies.

Rabinovitch said the CBC is prepared to consider recommendations from the committee that might include:

• A commitment to Canadian programming in prime time.
• An increase in regional coverage.
• A need to engage Canadians in policy issues.
• Ways to promote social cohesion in a diverse society.
• Ways to advance democratic principles.

But he pointed out the cost of production for both television and radio is increasing and any review of the CBC's mandate must also take into account what can realistically be done with the resources provided.

"What I'm finding comforting from these hearings so far is the growing recognition that you can't just say to the CBC, 'Do more,' " Rabinovitch said.

Of the 18 industrialized countries with public broadcasters, CBC's need is the most complex, he said.

"But our funding is the third least, at less than half of the $80 per capita average. The BBC does its job in one language and one time zone with $7.3 billion," he said.

"We do ours with $1 billion in public funding, or about $30 per person over five and a half time zones in two languages."

Need to fit content on all platforms

Committee members were particularly interested in CBC's use of new technologies, with several questions addressing high-definition TV and new media.

CBC sees itself as a content provider that is "platform agnostic," Rabinovitch said, so that the same content can be available on podcasts, cellphones or other electronic media, rather than just traditional TV or radio.

That approach has been criticized by lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, which in an earlier submission recommended CBC concentrate its resources on TV and radio, committee member Jim Abbott said.

Richard Stursberg, vice-president of English television at CBC, said CBC.ca is already the most important news and information site in the country and is important to Canadians.

CBC will reach a larger number of Canadians from more diverse backgrounds by adopting new technologies, including internet and wireless technologies, he said.

"What we need to do is fit all content to all platforms," he said.

This has led to a dispute with the independent producers, who don't like the deal CBC offered to pay for rights to work they produce and CBC might distribute.

"We said we'd split the proceeds 50/50 until we see the shape of the market," Stursberg said. "They declined. Frankly, this will slow our capacity to develop Canadian content for new platforms."

The terms of the Canadian Television Fund will have to be amended to accommodate deals that cover new platforms as well as broadcast rights, he said.

"A significant number of Canadians do not feel the CBC reflects their perspective," MP Ed Fast said in a question, asking how these Canadians can feel they get value out of the public broadcaster.

"Often it's not balance that people want, but their own point of view. Our job is to be balanced and fair," Rabinovitch.

CBC already has an ombudsman to handle fairness complaints and a number of feedback mechanisms to hear from Canadians, he said. The role of ordinary Canadians is about to expand with the advent of  MyCBC — a pilot project operating in Vancouver — that will encourage citizens to upload audio or video to CBC.