The CBC is broken: how should it be fixed? Defund the whole thing? Refund the whole thing? Double down on digital? Stop chasing digital relevance?
The list goes on and on. You’ve heard them all. But for a moment, forget about funding or even political bias. Just ask: why does the CBC exist?
What is its underlying ideology? Not its political ideology, but its philosophy for why we need it. Does it have one? Does it need one? If it does have one, is it working or is that what needs to change?
David Cayley spent over 40 years at the CBC as a journalist and producer. For 30 of those years he worked on CBC Radio’s Ideas program. He’s now published a book, The CBC: How Canada’s Public Broadcaster Lost Its Voice (and How it Can Get it Back). It’s both an ideological history of the CBC’s past and a manifesto for the CBC’s future.
In it, he puts his finger right on the root problem. The CBC is there for everyone. It’s supposed to speak to all of the Canadian public. However, if the public has splintered beyond recognition, what’s left to speak to?
Host: Jesse Brown
Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)
Featured Guest: David Cayley
Fact checking by Julian Abraham
Additional music by Audio Network
More information:
Sponsors:
oxio: Head over to https://canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!
BetterHelp: Visit https://BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.
Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.
If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
