Privatize the CBC!

Today's Vancouver Sun ran an editorial (lefty rant), The CBC at 75, by Janice Kennedy:

Poor Rob Ford. ...

... it’s an article of faith among red-blooded Canadian neo-cons everywhere that the CBC is an instrument of the liberal devil, one you must never, ever watch, listen to or in any way support.

... The CBC, long — and unfairly — viewed as a mouthpiece for the left, has become one of the Canadian right’s favourite bugbears.

... For the life of me, I don’t understand it.

... we should be celebrating. Canadians across the spectrum — yes, even Rob Ford — have countless reasons to be thankful for the CBC. Let’s honour 75 rich years by demanding many more to come.

I couldn't resist sending in my comments (to the digital edition):

Privatize the CBC! It has become a fat, lazy, sloppy, unaccountable behemoth with an overblown sense of entitlement. That’s what its $1.16 billion dollar annual subsidy from taxpayers, more than 2/3 of its revenue, has done for it. If that isn’t bad enough it is also insular and arrogant in refusing to comply with legal orders to obey access to information laws. Instead, it wastes taxpayer subsidies paying its lawyers to fight these orders in court.

As for Janice Kennedy’s dopey claim that the CBC is politically unbiased and "bends over backward to provide balance", maybe she can explain why it is that the vast majority of complaints about its bias come from right-wingers while its apologists, defenders and enthusiasts are all left-wingers. If the left loves the CBC so much they should put their money where their politics are and pay for it themselves - like I pay for my SunTV and Fox News subscriptions.

The CBC is by far the largest media corporation in the country, and it competes directly against smaller companies who receive no taxpayer subsidies. Clearly this is just wrong. There is nothing in the CBC mandate that can’t be accomplished more effectively and efficiently by the private sector. So, again, privatize the CBC. And if there’s a need to subsidize any part of its current mandate then outsource it on a competitive basis to all private media companies. The product would be better and less costly to taxpayers.

The National Post smells like the CBC

This latest lame screed from Jonathan Kay, attacking Mitt Romney and the Republicans while offering nothing but praise for Barack Obama, has a distinct whiff of CBC about it.

Kay complains that Romney, et al, fail to credit Obama for recent American successes in the war-on-terror (keeping Guantanamo open, drone attacks on al Qaeda, killing bin-Laden, killing al-Awlaki, etc.) and now for winning in Libya. He also thinks Republicans unfairly attack Obama for being a weak, even anti-American leader (dissing America’s friends while apologizing for it’s alleged past mistreatment of everyone else.)

First, the American right (eg. virtually every commentator on Fox News) freely credits Obama’s prosecution of the war-on-terror and gives him due credit for Libya.

Second, Obama’s global “apology tour” is a fact. Obama campaigned on weak-kneed multi-lateralism and anti-Bush rhetoric (plus “Hope and Change”). The apology tours came early-on in Obama’s presidency and produced no discernibly useful results. His war-on-terror creds came later, after he began to acknowledge the real world (but continues to bash Bush).

Third, you’d think Kay was completely unaware that there’s a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION in 2012 and that the Republicans are in the midst of choosing their candidate. Only an idiot would campaign for that job by praising Obama’s performance. There’s no way Jonathan Kay is dumb enough, or ill-informed enough not to know this.

Conclusion: Jonathan Kay is, just like the CBC, blatantly in the tank for Obama’s re-election.

What’s really weird is that he’s selling out his journalistic integrity on the dopey, narcissistic premise that what he writes might actually make any difference. How much more like the CBC could he be, short of actually joining them? It looks like the Post’s mega$ relationship with the CBC includes swapping editorial content.

Sun News v. the state broadcaster

Further to this is Ezra Levant ripping into the CBC:

[Video from blazingcatfur]

National Post shilling for the CBC

Glen McGregor at NP:

... In an unusual move, the CBC posted a “Get the Facts” news release on its website that alleges the Quebecor chain has received more than $500-million in public grants and subsidies over the past three years.

... The public subsidies have allowed Quebecor to make profits, yet it “complains that its TVA television network ‘competes’ against Radio-Canada,” CBC claims.

... A document attached to the news release ... itemizes $61-million received through the Canadian Media Fund and $13-million that flowed through the Canadian Periodicals Fund to Quebecor magazine titles such as 7 Jours, TV Hebdo and Clin d’Oeil.

... Quebecor’s Sun papers and TV channel rail against the CBC on a nightly basis.

Sun responds:

... "We are totally astonished; flabbergasted that CBC would do this on the eve of Quebecor's CEO appearing before a parliamentary committee," said Quebecor spokesman Luc Lavoie. "It's contempt of Parliament by a creature of Parliament."

... Of the more than $500 million in "benefits" that CBC claims Quebecor has received, it cites $333 million in "savings" from a wireless spectrum auction. In 2008, the federal government set aside a certain segment of the wireless phone market for new companies in the hope of fostering competition.

... CBC also claims Quebecor's TVA television network receives millions of dollars from the Canadian Media Fund (CMF), but does not note that Videotron, also owned by Quebecor, pays more into the system than TVA takes out.

... CBC is also a beneficiary of the CMF, but does not pay into it. The monies received from that fund are on top of the annual $1.1 billion subsidy....

Now, for his next assignment, maybe McGregor can write a column detailing how much business the National Post does with the CBC. How much of that $1.1 billion subsidy is the Post raking in?

Update [via Xanthippa]: Ezra Levant on The Source today. And here on YouTube from blazingcatfur.

Is Islam Christ-Friendly?

Is Islam Christ-friendly, as its proponents insist?

Apparently not. Being a true friend of Christ can get you killed. As Christians, we need to be prepared to die. Most of us will never experience martyrdom, but the possibility comes with the territory.

If this guy was gay, the CBC would be all over it. But he's just another Christian, so don't expect them to get too excited. I'll be happily surprised if they do. The photo headline above was from Fox News.

Lord, have mercy on this man and on his family -- and on his persecutors too.