Toronto Star: CBC Going Subscription-Only???

[dewline]

And here's a disturbing news item:

http://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2014/09/12/canadians_ready_to_pay_for_cbc_network_says.html

Comments

Interesting, as wll as disturbing

[ed_rex]

I don't much like the suggestion that it's time to get rid of over-the-air broadcasting, but the idea seems as if the CBC is trying to figure out a way to get the kind of (relatively) stable funding the BBC gets through the annual TV licence fees the Brits have to pony up for the privilege of owning a set.

God knows, stable funding for the Mother Corp would be a step in the right direction.

Re: Interesting, as wll as disturbing

[dewline]

Stable funding for the Ceeb would indeed be an Improvement.

I've had this idea of a one-off "point of original purchase" levy on anything capable of receiving, storing, re-sending CBC content: cleverphones, TVs and radios, computers, portable hard drives ranging from flash thumb drives up to the bigger stuff...you get the idea.

I think the annual TV set ownership license fee arrangement that BBC has is a bit too intrusive and draconian, but this might be a workable alternative. And we'd leave off second-hand stores, inheritance of gadgetry, and garage sales. Too difficult to police the last two of these without that "intrusive government" charge being rightly levelled against the levy, yes?

Re: Interesting, as wll as disturbing

[ed_rex]

They're already doing it (unless they've stopped) on at least some recording media with the aim of putting them into one or more funds to compensate creators, so it certainly could