The Role of Technology in Shaping U.S. Business Success

This begs the question of whether the CBC is embarrassed by its government support.Does it aspire to be a powerful, commercial news and entertainment provider? More NBC/MSNBC than the BBC? Before its executives go to bed, do their eyelashes flutter at the prospect of dominating the media environment and crushing the competition?There is certainly evidence to suggest that CBC management are significantly more engaged in managing a successful commercial business than in running a competent public broadcaster.Just ask the once-passionate staff of Radio Canada International, who have been forced to watch as the service that once took Canada to the world has been converted (in clear violation of the Broadcasting Act) into, essentially, an ethnic radio streaming service competing against the nation's private-sector (in other words, non-government-funded) ethnic radio services.Or those who are horrified by the concept of Tandem—a new revenue line being established to sell (in less flattering terms) "sponsored" advertorial content under the CBC brand as if it were standing on a street corner in fishnets, smoking a cigarette.After all, at a CRTC public hearing, the CBC's management defined themselves as representing a "publicly-funded commercial broadcaster," rather than a "public broadcaster." And that is exactly what the CBC has become: a subsidized monster that dominates its private-sector competitors. It is exactly what Globe and Mail publisher Philip Crawley predicted when he testified before the House of Commons Heritage Committee in 2016.

The playing field is "not level if taxpayers' dollars 

directed to the public broadcaster make competition for digital ad dollars more difficult," Crawley told the committee at the time. "Among Canadian-based media, the CBC is The Globe's most significant digital ad competition. My industry colleagues and I do not believe that increasing funding for the CBC benefits local or national publications.Indeed, as the Globe wrote at the time, "the CBC is increasingly described as a great disruptor of the media landscape, with its recent budget increase of $675 million over five years coming as losses are rising and newsrooms are closing in the private sector.""The CBC is specifically facing criticism over the expansion of its presence on the Internet, including the recent creation of an opinion section on its website with columns and op-eds that are in direct competition with several newspapers."Brian Lilley, currently of the Toronto Sun/Postmedia, appeared before the committee in 2016 as a co-founder of The Rebel. He, too, encouraged the committee to rein in the CBC's efforts to monopolize the online audience."You can't have a level playing field when the public broadcaster

wants to be all things to all people," according to him

"There is no reason that they should be expanding digital-only platforms of opinion."At the time, the CBC's answer was essentially, "Oh pshaw, our digital advertising is only one percent of our revenue."But, half a dozen years later, and, according to the CBC's 2021-22 annual report, those digital revenues are closer to $86 million, or about 20% of the company's $440 million in advertising revenue. To put this in context, the Parliamentary Budget Officer believes that if the Online News Act (Bill C-18) is successfully implemented, web giants will produce around that amount of money for newspapers. He also predicts that CBC will be the largest recipient of C-18 cash.It's no surprise that the CBC was embarrassed by the moniker "government-funded" bestowed on it by vulgar figures like Mr. Musk.However, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions effectively and efficiently, we must treat emissions consistently across all areas and sectors. A cap on oil and gas emissions takes us away from this fundamental premise. And it has a significant cost.last could very well be the case for the CBC, which, after siding with Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party, went completely insane last week when Twitter labeled its government-funded tweets as "government-funded".

Okay, OK, Twitter's definition of "government-funded" 

indicates problematic levels of political meddling, but such distinctions are of little concern to the Marthas and Henrys of the world, who may have heard about the debate.All they witnessed was the CBC's damsel in distress response—faint, vapour-laden pleadings for journalistic independence, followed by a huffy exit from the highly political social media platform. And, of course, there was its protagonist, Twitter founder Elon Musk, who was perfectly suited to the role of Bond villain, achieving peak smartass status with his responses while twisting a rhetorical mustache.Tristin Hopper of the National Post found a graphic from the CBC's 2018-19 annual report while sorting through the rubble. While the facts are correct, the graphic presentation plainly misrepresents/understates the amount to which the CBC relies on government funds.In August 2007, I walked up the driveway to the Governor General's mansion, Rideau Hall, for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony. My next stop was my minister's department, Industry Canada.Our policy focus was the approaching Advanced Wireless Spectrum auction. AWS is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band that is utilized for mobile telephony and data services, as well as video messaging. Pre-billed as a program to cut rates by increasing competition in the cell phone market, the details were left to department officials to advise and the minister to determine. I would be the guy in the center. Working with officials, arguing, cleansing, mapping, incorporating ministerial values and judgment, and connecting political and public interest issues.