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Path: utzoo!hcr!hcrvx2!jimr
From: jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Free trade, Canadian culture, $$
Message-ID: <2750@hcrvx2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Feb-87 12:52:20 EST
Article-I.D.: hcrvx2.2750
Posted: Mon Feb 23 12:52:20 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Feb-87 03:35:42 EST
References: <183@fornax.uucp> <840@mprvaxa.UUCP> <188@fornax.uucp> <3044@watdcsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson)
Distribution: can
Organization: HCR Corporation, Toronto
Lines: 25
Summary: 

In article <3044@watdcsu.UUCP> brewster@watdcsu.UUCP writes:
>    If the cbc is such a great deal, why hasn't it been able to 
>    operate insuch a way as to become financially independent? 
>    Why hasn't it been able to operate in such a way as to at least
>    break even including the government subsidizes ?  The obvious
>    conclusion is that its mandate is not supported by a majority
>    of Canadians, and if its mandate is not supported by a majority
>    of Canadians then it should be allowed to die.  

I don't have a TV and when I listen to non-music radio it's CKO, so I'm
quite sympathetic to the above view. To me, it's hard to justify
blowing $800 million a year on the CBC when we've got underfunding of
post-secondary institutions, over-crowded hospitals and a military that
had better not have to fight any country larger than Barbados.

An alternative solution I've heard suggested would be to turn CBC TV
into a pay TV station. Since it would be non-profit one would think
that it could be delivered at a reasonable cost (that cost being
whatever it takes to break even). And, only those people who wished to
avail themselves of this service would have to pay for it. If it
couldn't be delivered at a reasonable cost it would be because it did
not manage to garner sufficient support; in which case it should be
given the burial that it would deserve.

J.B. Robinson