News Releases
March 25, 1999
Taking the CBC Into the New Millennium
Ottawa — Guylaine Saucier, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, today released the CBC's strategic vision and plan for the future: Our Commitment to Canadians, the CBC's Strategic Plan. This spring, the CRTC will review for the first time ever, all of the CBC's broadcasting licences at the same public hearing starting on May 25. The applications will be examined in the context of the CBC's plan for the next licence period.
"Like other broadcasters, the CBC is at a crossroads; facing the multiple challenges of dramatic changes to our industry, globalization, and audiences who are consuming media in new ways. Obviously we must evolve in order to continue to meet our comprehensive public mandate. More than ever Canada needs one strong national institution dedicated to connecting Canadians and telling our stories. The plan we have approved establishes a course which is both forward looking and prudent, and within the means afforded to us," Guylaine Saucier commented.
The CBC's Strategic Plan addresses five key priority areas:
- a determination to maintain and deepen our regional roots
- a commitment that the CBC's programming will be pan-Canadian
- continuing revitalization of CBC's English television
- CBC's news and information services will set the standard for Canadian journalism
- opening the CBC's corporate culture to respond to the new environment
"The plan calls for both renewal and consolidation. The pioneers of public broadcasting did not create the CBC to see it overtaken or marginalized by new technologies or multiplying services. We will strengthen our core services in Radio and Television, and create new services to reach new audiences. We have to provide our content — the highest quality Canadian content — to Canadians whenever and however they choose to access it," Beatty said. "We also heard loud and clear at the recent CRTC public consultations, that Canadians value and support CBC and that they want it to be even more deeply engaged in their communities. We will enhance our regional commitment."
Specifically, English Television will increase the number of prime time hours available to the regions, and increase funding to the regions for non-information programming. This injection of funds will trigger locally produced documentaries, or other types of programming to be aired within the region and inter-regionally. French Television will increase regional presence in information programming, and in documentaries.
Sports will continue to play a role since coverage of the Olympics and most professional sports does not require one cent of the CBC's Parliamentary appropriation. Sports also produces revenue used to help finance specialized programming, and is important to maintaining CBC's network of affiliates that allows the CBC to reach all Canadians.
CBC's plan points out that private broadcasters have been able to achieve economies of scale and distribution with multiple specialty channels while CBC has obtained only two out of the more than 50 pay and specialty licences over the last 20 years. The public broadcaster needs more "shelf space" for high quality Canadian programming, so that its shareholders, the people of Canada, have more opportunities to enjoy the programming in which they have invested. Consequently, CBC has applied to the CRTC for four French-language specialty channels (Le Réseau des Arts; Le Réseau de l'histoire, Le Réseau de l'économie and Télé-Classique) and two new English-language channels. CBC expects these new ventures to be self-sustaining.
In addition, CBC must reach out to younger audiences, particularly on radio. CBC has applied to the CRTC for a national youth radio network to provide a forum from coast-to-coast-to-coast for young Canadians to share their music, their issues, their ideas and their dreams.
CBC's project for the creation of a French all-news radio service is an integral measure in the plan's commitment to expand services available to Francophones across Canada and generally, to service audiences better.
The plan envisages a more entrepreneurial CBC, continuing to reduce overhead, improve productivity and entering into more partnerships with private broadcasters to achieve its goals. The plan asks for a review of current limits to its borrowing powers and the necessity of obtaining Governor-in-Council approval before forming alliances with private companies.
Although the Internet is still in its infancy, no one who has watched its spectacular growth can doubt the important role it will play in our lives in the coming years. To properly fulfil its mandate, CBC must be present in this new medium. The prudent course is to build a strong Internet beachhead in both official languages. CBC will commit 2% of its budget for that purpose.
Radio Canada International will play an even more important role in CBC's future having secured a stable funding base for the future as it undertakes its mission to project Canada's image abroad. CBC will encourage a closer relationship with the rest of the Corporation by relocating RCI's operations into La Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal.
CBC's plan incorporates its commitments to Canadians and provides for enhanced accountability. To this end, CBC will issue an annual Statement of Promise, which will include programming and other elements, and set targets for the coming year. "We are determined to offer Canadians, our shareholders, clear commitments on which we can be held to account," Saucier concluded.
The CBC's Strategic Plan as well as submissions for French and English Television Networks, English and French Radio, Newsworld and RDI will be reviewed at the CRTC hearings in Hull this spring.
The CBC's plan for the future and the individual licence applications will be available to the public at all CRTC regional offices and at its headquarters in Hull. In addition, all CBC locations across Canada will have complete sets available for on-site consultation. Summaries will be available in English and in French on our websites at www.cbc.ca and www.radio-canada.ca.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. CBC/Radio-Canada reaches Canadians through eight national radio and television networks, its full-service Web sites, local/regional stations and affiliates, as well as the digital television channel Country Canada and the continuous music network Galaxie. In addition, CBC/Radio-Canada has forged partnerships with other broadcasters and is a partner in the satellite radio service SIRIUS Canada as well as in the specialty television services ARTV and The Documentary Channel. Through this array of activities, CBC/Radio-Canada brings diverse regional and cultural perspectives into the daily lives of Canadians in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. (2006)
For additional information, please contact:
Katherine Heath-Eves
Media Relations
CBC/Radio-Canada (Ottawa)
Tel: (613) 288-6235
heathevk@cbc.ca
www.cbc.radio-canada.ca
