Source : Montreal Gazette

The CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, has possibly never been in greater need of a leader who believes in public broadcasting. Montrealer Robert Rabinovitch, who will step into the role of CBC president next month, is said to be bringing with him the friendship of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, extensive administrative experience in the private and public sectors, an independence of mind and a love of public broadcasting.

It is the last two qualities that matter the most. The CBC has become a battered, unloved, friendless institution, seen by critics and fans alike as being in near trusteeship under Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, its objectivity seemingly compromised.

From his few initial comments, it seems that Mr. Rabinovitch understands full well that the CBC can no longer put off critical decisions about its future. He has said he is a believer in public broadcasting. If that means that he will guide the network back to its original mandate of covering Canada for Canadians, we will be well served by his appointment.

Under Perrin Beatty, the previous president, and Guylaine Saucier, board chairman, an ambitious expansionary plan was formulated to add a number of new specialty channels. With no guarantee of funding, the plan seems not so much visionary as foolhardy.

At the same time, the broadcaster has become increasingly dependent on advertising dollars, drifting ever farther from its public-broadcaster roots and infuriating private networks, who point to the CBC's $800-million taxpayer-funded budget and complain of unfair competition.

The viewer, meanwhile, continues to be poorly served by both types of broadcasters. The assumption that private networks would leap in and take over coverage of news, current affairs and culture when the CBC was too crippled by budget cuts to continue has been disproved. CTV, for example, has dropped Question Period and Sunday Edition. In Quebec, private networks have bumped current-affairs shows to carry game shows instead.

Years of sniping - by government, private broadcasters, anyone with an axe to grind – at the CBC and its French-language counterpart, Société Radio-Canada, have left both networks unsure of their role.

Yet Canadians appear to want a public broadcaster. A poll released in May [by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting] found that 80 per cent of respondents believe CBC TV serves their community better than any other broadcaster. The same was true for 70 per cent of respondents when asked about CBC radio.

In a multi-channel universe, there is still a place for a public broadcaster that takes seriously its duties to present high-quality, commercial-free, Canadian news, documentary, entertainment and drama.

This is the role Mr. Rabinovitch needs to keep in mind as he repositions the CBC. Next month, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is to make public its conclusions on the future of CBC, following the hearings held several months ago, dealing mainly with CBC's request for several new specialized channels.

Mr. Rabinovitch could start repositioning right here, by forgetting about the specialty channels and instead concentrating CBC resources on providing the country with a recognizable, but still economically viable, Canadian voice.

© The Gazette