CBC, CRTC still viewed as keepers of Canadian identity: study

Canadians rely heaviest on CBC/Radio-Canada and the CRTC to protect televised Canadian culture and identity, according to a new poll commissioned by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. When asked to score trust on a seven-point scale, 72 per cent of respondents gave CBC a score of 5-7, signifying high trust and confidence, while 61 per cent gave the CRTC the same score, said the report published Monday based on a study conducted by Nanos Research. Fifty-two per cent indicated the same level of confidence in the federal government to protect Canadian culture and identity on TV, but only 32 per cent and 26 per cent said the same for private broadcasters and cable companies, respectively. Internet-based broadcasters and platforms received the smallest share of trust, with Netflix Inc. in particular notching only 13 per cent of respondents who say they have high trust/confidence, compared to 61 per cent who gave them low trust/confidence scores. When it comes to the quality of news, Canadians place the most trust in news gleaned from the radio, newspapers and broadcast TV, with the least confidence in news sources found on Facebook Inc.’s platform, Twitter Inc.’s site or unaffiliated online news sites. Fifty-four per cent of respondents indicated they want the federal government to be “active in supporting local news,” while 58 per cent said “quality journalism is important for the future of our democracy and the federal government should take steps to address the decline of journalism jobs,” the report added. Media outlet ownership also plays a role, said the report, noting that “a majority of Canadians agree or somewhat agree that in light of the corporate ownership of private media in Canada, a strong and vibrant CBC is more important than ever, and if given the opportunity, they would advise their federal MP to either increase or maintain the CBC’s funding.” The study also queried the public broadcaster’s funding model, with 49 per cent of respondents saying they would prefer the CBC continue its practice of selling online and TV advertising, and 36 per cent saying they would prefer the government increase its subsidy so that it could ad-free. Last year, the public broadcaster said that to relieve the CBC of its reliance on advertising revenue, it would need another $318 million from the taxpayer. However, despite trust in the CBC to protect Canadian culture and identity, the report indicated a declining belief in the broadcaster’s independence, with 36 per cent saying its independence has decreased over the past four years. Another 54 per cent said the prime minister’s authority to appoint the CBC’s president and board of directors “gives the government too much influence” over the broadcaster, the report said. On Wednesday, NDP heritage critic Pierre Nantel raised the issue of CBC board appointments in the House of Commons during question period, pointing to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s stated commitment towards a new process following a governance-structure review. “It’s been a year. We are starting to believe that this will never happen,” Nantel said, according to a transcript. “CBC needs a competent board of directors that is not made up of Stephen Harper’s friends, or the Liberals’ either, for that matter.” In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who was fielding all questions that day — said his government knows “that Conservative supporters have been politicizing the CBC for a very long time and that we need to make the right choices to ensure the public broadcaster is managed independently.” The Liberal government has been touting ”a new process for nominations so that they better reflect Canadian diversity, gender parity and based on merit,” as The Wire Report has reported, which is expected to be in play for the coming CRTC chair and commissioner appointments. The Nanos report was based on a telephone and online survey of 1,000 Canadian adults conducted between May 12 and 16, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. — With reporting by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

CBC, CRTC still viewed as keepers of Canadian identity: study

News | June 12, 2017

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CBC, CRTC still viewed as keepers of Canadian identity: study

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