Speeches and Interviews

November 16, 2005

Content is Everything

Notes for a Panel Discussion by Robert Rabinovitch, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada, at the World Electronic Media Forum II, Session I, in Tunis, Tunisia.

(Check against delivery)

The challenge broadcasters face today is strikingly similar to the one faced by newspapers in the 1920s with the dawn of radio; by radio, in the 1950s, with the onset of television; and by newspapers, radio and television in the 1990s with the upsurge of the Internet.

Today, in 2005, music videos, television shows and short films can be downloaded on iPods, a new technology that dramatically changes the distribution model of content to consumers. You can now, for a minimal charge, watch last night's programs on your iPod the next morning.

For every voice that heralds the emergence of a potent new medium, it seems another confidently proclaims the downfall of those that came before it. And yet it's never how the story ends. Newspapers abound. Radio is flourishing. And television is alive and well.

History shows us that new media do indeed incite change, but that their forerunners often emerge stronger and more nimble and creative as a result. Media survive - and in many cases thrive – in a state of perpetual evolution brought about by an edgy and forever competitive co-existence between what's old and what's new.

Today is no different. Yes, the cycle of innovation is accelerating. Yes, the digital revolution has given rise to a multi-channel, multi-platform universe where choice is now more than ever in the hands of the consumer. A world where you can see it or read it when you want to – not when an editor of the television news says you should see it. Value, choice, speed is the new mantra of the technological changes. These utilization patterns have radically altered the economics of broadcasting and are forcing us to think about doing business in new ways.

But as much as the context might change, the keys to success remain: we need to see technological innovation as an opportunity, not a threat; and, we need to understand that content is everything. The consumer is key and that fact will drive content.

Technology has always been a means to an end. For broadcasters, it's about delivering content, faster, better, more cheaply, and more clearly. For audiences, it's about getting content faster, better, more cheaply and more clearly. More flexibility. What I want, when I want.

For broadcasters, new technologies allow us to employ better production, information-sharing and work processes. The focus of our efforts, however, should be how to use technology to deliver gripping content to our audiences when, where and how they want it.

Broadcasters increasingly have to embrace a willingness to take risks and be resilient, to provide audiences with quality programming they can't find anywhere else. But, with audiences to traditional media diminishing and with margins thinner than ever, there's very little incentive to take risks. Rather, there's a huge incentive to play it safe.

So who can afford to take programming risks? Public broadcasters can, because they have the flexibility to take programming risks that private broadcasters cannot. But therein also lies the greatest challenge. The challenge to ensure that the lives of all people are enriched. We must strive to ensure that technology does not just serve the needs of consumers, but that it also serves the more ennobling requirements of citizenship. And that is surely why we are gathered here at WEMF II.

At its most basic level, technological innovation can make day-to-day broadcasting operations more efficient and economical. But, on a grander scale, it underwrites a creative journey to flesh out answers to practical questions – many of which, I suspect, will be posed here – questions such as how to reach out to existing and new audiences with more compelling content on more platforms than ever before.

The broadband revolution provides us with an opportunity to make our media more democratic, more diverse, participatory, and culturally inspiring. By the same token, while it is clear that new platforms can exponentially enhance and enrich people's media experience and, in turn, their lives, we also run the risk of increasing the digital divide.

Change is indeed a constant, but the rate of change is ever-increasing. We're in the midst of a VoIP communications revolution, and there is a TV over IP revolution coming fast on its heels. We have not fully developed the potential of wireless technologies. And, we have not yet recognized, let alone harnessed, the true potential of these new technologies around the world.

This forum not only brings attention to the importance of technology. It is also, and perhaps far more importantly, an opportunity to share our knowledge and insight with a view to bridging the digital divide and finding ways of providing equitable and far-reaching access to technology. Through such technology, we can provide culturally rich and meaningful content – content that contributes to culture and social responsibility, content that can stand as an immovable cornerstone of democracy.

This is truly a shared responsibility among governments, and public and private broadcasters around the world. We know from experience that strong and healthy media are fundamental to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to the enrichment of citizens' lives. And the onus is on us to build on what's already been done, and to devise and pursue strategies that will enable media, both new and old, to take advantage of new technologies and thrive in today's ever-changing media landscape for the benefit of all.