The CBC, for its fans, should evolve into a subscriber / user funded model and be completely defunded by tax dollars thus leaving those who actually support it to pay for it and freeing the rest of us from the burden. It’s a money consuming beast and not spending those dollars supporting it could be the start of a general cost reduction program that would ultimately leave more money in tax payers pockets and return government to some minimal form of fiscal sanity.
I look at the CBC News app daily. For all that they claim to deliver regional and local news that their competitors don’t, I find that the CBC Nova Scotia feed cranks out a grand total of about five news items a day, on a good day, half of which are “woke” in some way or another. I’m quite sure the dollar cost per item is very high.
I recently pulled the Heritage Committee transcripts. CBC executives constantly defend their billion-dollar subsidy by pointing out digital growth. The fact that not a single CBC YouTube channel cracks the top 100 in Canada is staggering. It makes you wonder how Ottawa measures return on investment. If any other department spent this much money with so little measurable reach, the Auditor General (the government's official watchdog) would be all over it. We are paying for a digital pivot, but the data shows everyday Canadians just aren't tuning in.
The claim is made repeatedly in their annual reports and in conversation deep inside the corporation. I think they truly believe it's true. But I can't see any metric that supports the last, best justification for funding.
Since Gem is a subdomain of CBC (i.e., gem.cbc.ca) I suspect that at least their non-app traffic is included in the 64M views/month web traffic number. If true, that would be truly embarrassing.
They absolutely go in the minus there's I don't think there's even 1% that does they can't get anybody on anything it's a lie they're buying they're spending money on their own subsidized money they subsidize money on subsidize money and add some money all themselves no one watches none 0%
Just like the pride and trans bull poo this scam has to go!!!! Did you see the budget watchdog is gone?? Doesn't surprise me, just another budget cover up.
1. All developed countries outside the US have a public broadcaster and they all face issues.
2. Canada under-funds it's service. We're already a small population so our total numbers will be lower to start with but on a per capita basis we still only fund at about half the average and one third the BBC funding.
3. The sly inference that CBC online viewership numbers are inflated by bots and fakes applies much more clearly and significantly to the other services cited.
4. We all pay to fund schools. Not everyone uses them but we all benefit. The only broadcaster with a mandate, and perhaps the only one with any interest, in sharing Canadian stories told by Canadians is the CBC. We are inundated by the US culture and news to the point where people's understanding of thier legal and political system is corrupted with the bad information. The Alberta premier thinking she could issue pardons because a premier is like a governor was a classic example of this systemic ignorance, which is, incidentally found in the rhetoric of Alberta separatists and others that would diminish our country. The CBC isn't the sole answer to this, nor is that it's sole purpose. But it's one or its benefits. It is part of the solution.
5. Lastly (for now). The CBC has challenges. I do hope they can address them. Their online presence is NOT highly curated. It is lightly curated. You can't even get today's national news on CBC Gem (or even Youtube) most of the time. The app is glitchy and doesn't allow downloads, they have too much US news, etc., etc.
Other than that (and the other bits I didnt get to) good article.
In the transition of all democracies from bankrupt welfare state to tyranny, the subsidized Canadian state-approved corporate media and the increasingly irrelevant state-owned and funded media are both a contributor to and symptom of the progress. This media is no longer just the heavily partisan activists for the hegemonic left but existentially bound to their dominance.
There certainly are people who, like you, are faithful consumers of CBC content. But the hard data shows that you are part of a small (and shrinking) slice of Canada's population. The question isn't whether the content is useful or worthwhile, but whether Canada can afford to continue heavily supporting a service that so few people are consuming.
What's the threshold below which we pull the plug? 5% of the country? 2%? 0.5%?
But governments have no right to base their spending decisions on vibes. There are too many Canadians without access to clean water and primary medical care to allow that.
The CBC, for its fans, should evolve into a subscriber / user funded model and be completely defunded by tax dollars thus leaving those who actually support it to pay for it and freeing the rest of us from the burden. It’s a money consuming beast and not spending those dollars supporting it could be the start of a general cost reduction program that would ultimately leave more money in tax payers pockets and return government to some minimal form of fiscal sanity.
Thank you for this excellent piece of research. The results are scarcely surprising; but it is good to have data.
I look at the CBC News app daily. For all that they claim to deliver regional and local news that their competitors don’t, I find that the CBC Nova Scotia feed cranks out a grand total of about five news items a day, on a good day, half of which are “woke” in some way or another. I’m quite sure the dollar cost per item is very high.
I recently pulled the Heritage Committee transcripts. CBC executives constantly defend their billion-dollar subsidy by pointing out digital growth. The fact that not a single CBC YouTube channel cracks the top 100 in Canada is staggering. It makes you wonder how Ottawa measures return on investment. If any other department spent this much money with so little measurable reach, the Auditor General (the government's official watchdog) would be all over it. We are paying for a digital pivot, but the data shows everyday Canadians just aren't tuning in.
The claim is made repeatedly in their annual reports and in conversation deep inside the corporation. I think they truly believe it's true. But I can't see any metric that supports the last, best justification for funding.
It's telling that CBC has chosen "we will never reveal data about Gem subscriptions" as the hill they're willing to die on.
Since Gem is a subdomain of CBC (i.e., gem.cbc.ca) I suspect that at least their non-app traffic is included in the 64M views/month web traffic number. If true, that would be truly embarrassing.
Until today, I had no idea that CBC offered YouTube channels. Nonetheless, I won’t go looking for them.
You're far from alone on that one. For once, I believe both you and I can be counted among the overwhelming majority of Canadians. :)
They absolutely go in the minus there's I don't think there's even 1% that does they can't get anybody on anything it's a lie they're buying they're spending money on their own subsidized money they subsidize money on subsidize money and add some money all themselves no one watches none 0%
Just like the pride and trans bull poo this scam has to go!!!! Did you see the budget watchdog is gone?? Doesn't surprise me, just another budget cover up.
Just a couple points at the end of the day.
1. All developed countries outside the US have a public broadcaster and they all face issues.
2. Canada under-funds it's service. We're already a small population so our total numbers will be lower to start with but on a per capita basis we still only fund at about half the average and one third the BBC funding.
3. The sly inference that CBC online viewership numbers are inflated by bots and fakes applies much more clearly and significantly to the other services cited.
4. We all pay to fund schools. Not everyone uses them but we all benefit. The only broadcaster with a mandate, and perhaps the only one with any interest, in sharing Canadian stories told by Canadians is the CBC. We are inundated by the US culture and news to the point where people's understanding of thier legal and political system is corrupted with the bad information. The Alberta premier thinking she could issue pardons because a premier is like a governor was a classic example of this systemic ignorance, which is, incidentally found in the rhetoric of Alberta separatists and others that would diminish our country. The CBC isn't the sole answer to this, nor is that it's sole purpose. But it's one or its benefits. It is part of the solution.
5. Lastly (for now). The CBC has challenges. I do hope they can address them. Their online presence is NOT highly curated. It is lightly curated. You can't even get today's national news on CBC Gem (or even Youtube) most of the time. The app is glitchy and doesn't allow downloads, they have too much US news, etc., etc.
Other than that (and the other bits I didnt get to) good article.
How did you get those website visit numbers?
https://pro.similarweb.com/ - they provide fairly reliable traffic estimates
In the transition of all democracies from bankrupt welfare state to tyranny, the subsidized Canadian state-approved corporate media and the increasingly irrelevant state-owned and funded media are both a contributor to and symptom of the progress. This media is no longer just the heavily partisan activists for the hegemonic left but existentially bound to their dominance.
There certainly are people who, like you, are faithful consumers of CBC content. But the hard data shows that you are part of a small (and shrinking) slice of Canada's population. The question isn't whether the content is useful or worthwhile, but whether Canada can afford to continue heavily supporting a service that so few people are consuming.
What's the threshold below which we pull the plug? 5% of the country? 2%? 0.5%?
I'm always open to exploring new data sources.
But governments have no right to base their spending decisions on vibes. There are too many Canadians without access to clean water and primary medical care to allow that.