Canadian Broadcasters of Culture The CB is a publicly owned media outlet funded (in part) by taxpayers. The CB was formed in the context of a very different historical moment than now. Given that the Canadian immediacies has changed, should the government continue to fund the CB? When the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CB) was created In 1936, It was intended as a public radio station to Inform Canadians across the country and to provide them news and information both nationally and regionally.
Since then, with the changing media-escape and the introduction of different forms of media, it has expanded into both the television and Internet realms. The CB should remain as a biblically funded media outlet as it is constantly adapting to the changing media- escape whilst still promoting and providing all Canadians with Canadian culture and CB Radio Canada, Canada’s first major public leap into the media world was established in 1936. It currently operates a completely federally funded, commercial free platform (O’Neill, 2006, p. 180).
Playing a minimum of 35 percent Canadian content, as outlined in The Broadcasting Act of 1991, CB Radio runs two on-air radio stations. These two stations; CB Radio One and Radio Two, promote Canadian news, culture and music (O’Neill, 2006, p. 184). CB Radio One, Canada’s leading on alarm destination for news features magazine-style news programming and some music. Broadcasting throughout three time zones across Canada and offering regional specific time slots, Radio One is built to ensure that both up to date local and national news and culture is available to all Canadians. O’Neill, 2006, p. 1 84) Cab’s Radio Two was refrained in 1997 into a more musically based programming schedule. Focusing on more classical music programming, It also touches on Jazz, CB created the game changing online formatted station Radio Three. Radio Three was Cab’s reaction and adaptation to the constantly changing media-escape of radio, geared towards a younger audience in contrast to it’s One and Two counterparts that are geared towards an adult audience.
Radio Three is intended to be less like radio and more reflective of Canadian music culture, hosting and displaying unsigned and newly established Canadian artists alike (O’Neill, 2006, p. 188). Although all three stations have different objectives and demographics, they all contribute to the Canadian culture and can be easily adapted to the ever-changing media-escape. Debuting in 1952; CB Television is Cab’s television network that is funded partially by the public, receiving only Just over a quarter of the Cab’s total government funding with fifty percent of budget coming from ads (Foster, 2009, p. 6). CB TV’s policy is to “contribute to shared national consciousness and identity’ (Bouzoukis, 2008, p. 49) which is accomplished by following the guidelines of The Broadcasting Act of 1991 mandating that public television broadcasters to air 60 percent Canadian content O’Neill, 2006, p. 181). Ensuring this requirement CB producing it’s own television shows and airing national and regional news and sports that both reflect and promote Canadian identity.
Hockey broadcasting accounts for a substantial 40-60 percent of ad revenue and grows ratings for primetimes with approximately 2 million viewers for Hockey Night in Canada, a commentary show featuring Canadian NIL games and players hosted primarily by celebrity and former NIL coach Don Cherry (Powell, 2010, p. L). On January 9th 2007 CB aired the pilot episode off ground reeking new series Little Mosque on the Prairie (LUMP). LUMP addresses Muslim culture and the racial stereotypes that come with it in a satirical comedy.
It is considered a giant leap in confronting and representing multiculturalism and the well-deserved right for other cultures to see themselves on primetimes television (Did & Khan, 2011, p. 185). The multicultural aspect of the television show also coincides with The Broadcasting Act of 1991 Section (l)(a)(iii), which states that “Canadian broadcasting systems must reflect equal rights, linguistic duality and multicultural tauter of Canadian society’ (Did & Khan, 2011, p. 186).
Lastly, CB TV has proven that it can compete with the fast-changing nature of the media and the way it is produced in the case of it’s acceptance of reality television as a useful and new form of production. In 2003, CB created a ‘Current Affairs Redevelopment Group’ that would incorporate reality type ideas emphasizing that it would create a “better brand of reality television” (Foster, 2009, p. 61). The network then continued to produce reality- type shows that also reflects Canadian ideals and culture. Two examples of this are
Dragons Den; a reality show with contestants competing to have their product ideas patented and produced while being reviewed by a panel of Judges, and Battle of the Blades; which brings both hockey players and figure skaters together to compete in figure skating competitions. Both of these new series in the reality genre embody both Canadian culture displaying economic and entrepreneurial talents and athletic talents alike. In 1995, CB launched its new homepage CB. Ca in reaction to the new booming campaign that the then president of CB Perrine Beauty outlined (O’Neill, 2006, p. 83).
