People walk into the CBC building in Toronto on Wednesday, April 4, 2012. CBC/Radio-Canada has announced that it will have to cut 650 jobs over the next three years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

There is no place for CBC in modern society. Once upon a time, long, long ago: your television offered two or three stations.

We live in a world of instantaneous communication. Pick up your remote control device and you have access to hundreds of TV stations with limitless variety.

CBC, on the other hand has moved into the world of political pandering in order to keep this rusty old barge afloat. Journalistic integrity has been exchanged for news reporting and editorialist practice that shows willingness to happily drift into the realm of propaganda.

CBC’s coverage of the Federal election (2015) catered to the antics of Justin Trudeau almost every evening. The other two major candidates were more or less ignored as they attempt to get their messages out to voters. The saddest (perhaps) vignette saw Rick Mercer slagging Harper while Robertson was engaging in one on one interviews with Trudeau.

Hidden Salary Structure BUT Publicly Paid

Most of us are aware of the “SunShine” list that is published each year. The Sunshine Lists are regularly aired on the CBC network. This list reveals salaries of high paid public servants earning (receiving) more than $100,000 each is considered news- worthy on CBC. The incongruity is that a very large number of CBC’s “talking heads” are taking home salaries far in excess of the $100,000 plateau but have managed to hide the CBC details from the network’s benefactors (the Canadian taxpayer).

It is astounding to hear of some of the executive, senior and middle management salaries and bonuses being paid at CBC. Added to that we have a goodly number of on-air “personalities” who draw astronomical wages!

Although CBC management has managed to hide their publicly funded wages from the public, the wastage does start and end with salaries and bonuses. Periodically stories seep revealing nice little executive junkets to Europe and pricey executive soiree’s.

An Abacus Poll (2011) reveals that 59% of Canadians feel strongly that the veil of secrecy at CBC must end. Many of us question the logic of restoring and enhancing CBC funding from the public purse.

How to Sort out this Broadcast Dung Pile

CBC’s own disclosure (Posted: Mar 29, 2012) reveals that this decaying farce operates thanks to $1.1 BILLION/per year thanks to a gluttonous grab into the tax-payer’s money.

The broadcast licenses held by CBC (TV and radio) have significant value in today’s competitive markets. Sean Silcoff (Globe and Mail Media specialist) shared news (Globe: Sep. 11, 2012) that one single radio license sold in the Toronto market for upwards of $27 Million!

In Ontario (for example) CBC owns such 84 radio broadcast licenses. Proportionately across the other provinces upwards of 600 radio broadcast licenses are owned by CBC (thus, the taxpayers).

Similarly, CBC own about 30 television broadcast licenses.

Trudeau’s BFF and confidant, K. Wynne is selling huge assets of Hydro One in Ontario. It’s time to inflict the same logic at CBC. Carve this thing up, sell what is salable, end the waste and pay down a massive Federal debt at the same time.

Sale of the broadcast licenses presently held by CBC would knock a major hole in Canada’s national debt. Charles Lammam from the Fraser Institute informs that the Federal Government has built a $1.3 TRILLION debt load that costs Canadian taxpayers $26 BILLION in interest payments annually (Ashley Csanady National Post, January 5, 2016)

Additionally, in terms of physical assets, the CBC holds an immense portfolio of real estate scattered across Canada.

For the Consumer?

CBC has (long ago) moved away from local content. By clearing the field, opportunity for PBS type formats with smaller local stations would more than satisfy the void vacated long ago by CBC.

It is doubtful that much of the present CBC staff would fit into the pay schedules of private broadcasters at often insane pay levels of its 7,400 employees.

There is one single valid situation where a state run broadcaster is valid: the far north.

There is no place for state run broadcasting in Canada’s major cities and the potential benefit of jettisoning its $1.4 BILLION annual budget plus reaping billions through resale of the various broadcast licenses is something that I would love to hear aspiring politicians undertaking as a platform plank.

I will be voting in the CPC Leadership election in May and plan to put the question of CBC funding to each candidate at every opportunity prior to deciding who to vote for. Colossal government wastes need to end. There are many much more worthy uses of my tax dollars.

Follow Lloyd’s articles on Twitter @LloydFournier1

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