Speeches and Interviews
December 10, 2003
New Media & CBC/Radio-Canada: No Choice
Speaking Points for Robert Rabinovitch, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada
World Electronic Media Forum, Geneva, Switzerland
Session III — Setting the World Agenda
Panel II — New Media challenges to mainstream media
Introduction
I fear I may sound like a bit of a Luddite but I'm not sure why we even call some of these services New Media.
In the 1950's, many feared that the advent of the television spelt the demise of Radio. At times during the 20th century many believed radio would destroy the printed word.
Yet people still read newspapers every day. And half century later, Radio is robust and profitable. It has defined its role to suit its advantages.
Over the past few years, the promises made on behalf of electronic media and of New Media, have been no less hyperbolic. New Media was to overthrow the order of the traditional media industry. And in some ways it has.
And clearly, the digital revolution has delivered much of what it promised … a multi-channel, multi-platform universe where the choice is in the hands of the consumer.
It has changed broadcasting in both predictable and unforeseen ways:
- Shifting consumption patterns have dramatically altered the economics of our business.
- Today's empowered audiences are "leaning forward" into the content, they are demanding content on their terms, where, when, and how they choose.New systems like Personal Video Recorders (PRV) liberate citizens and free them to see what they want when.
But, the rise of New Media has not delivered the much-talked-about demise of traditional media.
- In Canada for instance, the average consumption of television has increased by 2hours from 22 to 24 hours per week.
- Reach and ratings of Canada's public radio have not been higher in decades.
- News coverage has not been displaced by this new technology. In fact, it has been enhanced. The use of online news services is growing rapidly and few "traditional" media outlets today lack a Web presence. In effect the Internet has been defined as a necessary complement to traditional media and not a substitute.
Rather than precipitate their decline, New Media has propelled many media companies into powerful conglomerates with stakes all along the media value chain.
These companies are using New Media to reach out to new audiences, in new ways.
I must emphasize that New Media has not displaced or replaced Old Media. New Media is an addition, an enrichment that challenges traditional media and forces change but not its elimination.
CBC'S NEW MEDIA APPROACH
CBC/Radio-Canada is no different.
We see New Media as content enrichment.
We too have invested in a wide range of New Media platforms.
- On the Internet, CBC.ca & radio-canada.ca have emerged as top Canadian providers of information and news.
- We have also become a top provider of news headlines on wireless devices.
- We are also reaching out to younger audiences through innovative, interactive sites for youth.
We are using New Media technologies for the re-purposing of content across our many platforms and to facilitate greater cross-media collaboration.
An excellent example is our coverage of the War in Iraq.
- Many of our journalists filed their reports in English and French for Radio, Television, and the Internet allowing us to leverage our hefty investment to reach audiences where and when they wanted.
New Media technologies are also helping CBC to employ better production, information sharing and work processes throughout the Corporation.
Using desktop technology, our journalists are now able, with a simple click and drag method, to move content between media — television to radio to Internet and back.
This will help us to enrich the content we offer and to leverage our investment in that content further.It will allow us to carry out our newsgathering in an integrated fashion more extensively and more effectively.
There are more changes coming — the voice-over IP revolution is just starting. We have not fully developed the potential of Wireless Technologies such as Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) and we have not yet recognized the potential of these new technologies throughout the world.
These New Media platforms will enhance and enrich but they may also increase the digital divide.We all have a responsibility to ensure that the lives of all people are enriched by these technologies.
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that electronic media is challenging the traditional media to think about the business in new ways. But it is a challenge more than a threat.
CBC/Radio-Canada is employing New Media to reach out to existing and new audiences with more compelling content on more platforms than ever.
That is what every broadcaster must do to thrive in today's ever-changing competitive landscape.
But we must not mistake the instantaneous newsgathering of information that new technology allows us with evaluation and analysis. The technology frees us to be informed analysts. But it does not replace intelligent analysis and evaluation.
