11. Assume for a moment that your federal member of Parliament asked for your advice on an upcoming vote in the House of Commons on what to do about the CBC funding. Which of the following three options would you advise him/her to vote for?
___increase funding from current levels
___maintain funding at current levels
_
X_decrease funding from current levels
___don't know
(This question makes me wonder if the Feds commissioned this survey.)
12. Who is most responsible for ensuring Canadian programming and content on television and radio is protected?
__ broadcasters
__CRTC
__ ???
(I didn't write this one down, and I can't remember what it was, but if it was the viewing public, I'd have given it my X. They are the market and if Canadian programming is what they want, someone will provide it. If it's quality Canadian programming, well anyone can do that as long as they have a bead on what Canadians want, which CBC does not. Even Americans can fill that need, if the audience is large enough, and if it isn't, well tough. We'll have to go without. That's not the end of the world.)
__ government
13. What do you think Canada's level of public broadcaster funding is relative to the level at which other Western countries fund their public broadcasters? Is it:
__ Lower __ About the same __ Higher __ Don't know
(After making a selection and submitting it by clicking on the button provided, the following comes up):
"Canada ranks 16th out of 18 major Western democracies in per capita annual funding of its public broadcaster in a recent survey, at $33 per citizen, compared to an average of $80 per citizen."
(Reading that makes me suspect the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting or maybe even the Minister himself, James Moore, who I think wants to save the CBC. In any case, it's indoctrination disguised as a survey, which is fairly common in surveys done with a political end in mind.)
14. To what extent do you agree with each of the following:
(For each statement, five answer options are provided ranging from "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree".)
__Canada's level of public broadcaster funding is insufficient to maintain a unique and vibrant Canadian identity and culture.
__ $33 per citizen is an appropriate level of funding.
(I presume the 'per citizen' notion uses Stats Canada population figures, which would mean that children, including new-born babies, stay at home moms, people on fixed incomes, people who reside in some kind of institution where they are completely dependent on caregivers, and so on, are included. If so, the fact is, only a much smaller percentage of the taxpaying public actually foots this bill. A family of four, including two preschoolers and a stay at home mom would have to pay $132.00. That money is coming out of the sole breadwinner's pocket. And who pays for the mentally or completely disabled older adult living in an institution dependent on caregivers? Must be the same breadwinner who doesn't even know the institutionalized Canuck even exists.)
__Canada's level of public broadcaster funding is indicative of the federal government's treatment of the cultural sector over all.
(Hmmm. Maybe the NDP commissioned this study.)
Now we dip back into the propaganda game:
" When he was leader of the Opposition, Stephen Harper recommended radical changes to CBC TV and Radio Two: 'When you take a look at things like main English language television and probably to a lesser degree Radio Two, you could look there at putting those on a commercial basis.'"
15. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?
(Strongly agree to Strongly disagree)
__The Harper Government has a hidden agenda that favours private corporate broadcasters
(Why would it be the infamous "hidden agenda" when legions of Canadian voters and taxpayers want the damned thing privatized? Obviously, this is pandering to those among us who believe in the Nanny state.)
__The Harper government is underfunding the CBC so that it can turn it into a private, commercial broadcasting.
(Isn't this really a recast of the same sentiment expressed in the statement above it? So, really, there are only two choices here - one of these or the option that follows.)
__Privatizing and commercializing the CBC is the right thing to do.
(Notice they put the words "commercial" and "commercializing" in these statements, too, as if to influence the dyed in the wool lefties.
16. Before the last election, the House of Commons Heritage Committee
(James Moore is Minister of Heritage, by the way) recommended an increase in annual funding of the CBC from $33 per citizen to $40 per citizen. Which of the following most closely reflects your views?
__ This recommendation should be adopted.
X_ This recommendation should be rejected as too high.
__ This recommendation should be rejected as to low.
17. Other major Canadian broadcasters have recently announced cuts to local broadcasting that, along with cuts announced at the CBC will significantly reduce local and regional coverage on television and radio. How concerned are you about the impact of cuts on Canadian culture?
__ Very concerned __ somewhat concerned _
X_not concerned at all.
(Television is a dieing industry. You'll know this is true when private broadcasters have to cut their budgets. The CBC, of course, and the Friends, think they should be exempt and are not prepared to face reality - or, in CBC's case, the taxpayer.)
18. Currently, the Federal government does not allow foreign companies to control Canadian telephone, cable and media companies. If foreign companies gained permission and acquired control of Canadian broadcasting and cable companies, would you expect Canadian content on radio and TV to:
__ increase __ decrease __ remain the same __ don't know
(I'm tempted to say, don't know and don't care, but in actuality, the existence of Canadian content will be determined by the size of the audience that demands it and the quality of what is provided. If the Canadian audience is too small, or if the offerings are mediocre, well, too bad, so sad, we'll just have to do without. That's an elementary principle of doing business. If you don't have a large enough market, you go belly up. If all you offer is crap, you go belly up. CBC is, of course, shielded from this reality, while our tax dollars go to paying for crap that no one watches.)
19. Which of these two views most closely reflects your own opinion?
_X_ Canadian broadcasting and communications companies should be able to sell a majority interest to allow foreign companies in order to be globally competitive.
(Sorry for the mangled sentence. I obviously missed a word or two, but I think the statement was getting at the point that broadcasting companies should not be restricted by the Canadian content rule, if they can make a business case for expansion into foreign markets or allow foreign ownership in order to avoid bankruptcy or increase profits.)
__ Canadian broadcasting and communications are too important for cultural and national security reasons to allow ownership and control by foreign companies.
(Huh? Security reasons??)
20. Which statement comes closer to your own views:
__ CBC provides good coverage of news and cultural events in my city or region.
__ CBC does not provide good coverage of news and cultural events in my city or region.
(My answer to that is: Who cares? You have competition that fills the gap, and there's normally not much to cover, anyway, other than accidents and crime. Whoopie ding!)
21. In Canada, the Prime Minister appoints the Board of Directors of the CBC. Do you feel this is the best way to manage the CBC or should a non-political process appoint the CBC Board?
__ Appointed non-politically
__ Appointed by the Prime Minister
(I would agree with the non-political route, but exactly how, is a good question. An alternative and somewhat political option is to let the provincial premiers or some such provincial authority do the honour, or let the citizenry elect candidates for the CBC board during provincial elections. All of this would be moot, if I really got my way. CBC should be privatized, then the question of whether there is a board and how its members are to be selected can be handled by the shareholders.)
22. Which political party do you most trust to protect the CBC:
__Conservative __ Liberal _
X_ NDP
(Being nanny-staters as well as the only viable left leaning opposition party right now, the NDP are far more likely than the Conservatives to want to rescue the CBC from the forces of the market. However, if the Liberals had a pulse, they too would be clamoring to save their official party propaganda wing.)
23. In recent years, CBC funding has exceeded a billion dollars per year. Do you think taxpayers receive good value or bad value from the CBC: __Good _
X_Bad ___Unsure.
(Repetitive question, but the answer is a no brainer.)
24. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? "I would like a CBC radio station in my community to cover local affairs."
(Again with the repetition, but, like I said above, television is a dieing industry and I can get info on what is going on locally with or without it, and there's only so much appetite for accidents and crime. If it's a really big story it will hit the national broadcasts anyway.)
Options for answering ranged from "Strongly agree" to "Not sure". I obviously strongly disagree.
25. How much do you agree and disagree with the following statements:
(Same "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree".)
__CBC opens countrywide conversations and helps us hear one another.
(Bullshit.)
__CBC makes sure that our national discourse in civil
(If that's the case, why does the CBC approve so many vitriolic hate-filled comments on their website articles? There's nothing civil about most of it.)
__ I trust the reporting of CBC news more than those of other broadcasters
(Hardly!)
__ CBC News should cover local, regional, national and international affairs.
(Sure. On their own dime.)
__ CBC reports on important political and social issues other broadcasters don't cover.
(Oh really? What have you done lately about the IPCC or the ten year cooling trend, etc., etc. And that's just one of the issues it persists in ignoring.)
26. Which of the following statements best describes you?
__ When I watch CBC TV or listen to CBC, it's to be entertained.
__ When I watch CBC TV or listen to CBC, it's to be enlightened.
(Well, I do like to learn something when I watch TV, or partake of any other medium, such as books, but I find CBC's offering neither enlightening nor entertaining. This question also assumes the participant actually watches or listens to the CBC. There should have been a third option or it should have read: "When I watch TV or listen to radio....")
27. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
"The thing I like best about CBC is its cultural and classical programming."
(It may, in fact, be the best thing about CBC, but it's hardly enough to justify taxing me for it. I can find a lot of good stuff on the net, too.)
28. Which of the following statements do you agree with more?
_X_ It's time for the government to get out of the broadcasting business. A fifteen percent cut is a good first step.
__ The government wants to defund the CBC. This threatens CBC's programming. Today, the CBC only receives $1.1 billion per year, less than it received 10 years ago after inflation. This year, the government will spend $30 (? Obviously I didn't write this down correctly.) on police, prisons, and the military. Investing in the CBC is an investment in Canada's identity. Let's maintain that investment.
(What's the implication here? Police, prisons and the military aren't important enough to get public monies, but the CBC is?)
29. When it comes to federal politics, do you normally think of yourself as a _X_ Conservative __Liberal __ New Democrat __ Bloc __ Green __ none of these
(This is a strange thing to ask on a survey about the CBC. What do they want to do with this information? Eliminate all Conservatives or whatever? Does this suggest that the CBC itself, or the Friends, or one of the political parties are paying for this survey? I just don't see why this is relevant. Or is it Quebecor that's behind this survey? We'll have to watch Sun TV and see if this survey becomes an item on the news.)
30. How strongly do you identify yourself as a Conservative? Liberal? New Democrat? Bloc? Green? or none? (Possible answers ranged from "Very strongly to ?)____________
31. Some people are very interested in politics. They might check out the news a few times a day, they often discuss politics with their friends and family, other people are not so interested in politics. How about you? On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means not interested at all and 10 means very interested, how interested in politics are you? _10__
32. In politics, some people talk of left and right. Where would you place yourself? (right)
33. If a federal election where held today, which party would be your first choice?
(Conservative)
34. Which would be your second?
(Not voting or spoil ballot. But who wants to know this and why?
35. If you are on Facebook, how many "Friends" would you say you have?
(This is yet again a very strange question. Are they recruiting for a mass campaign? My answer: None of your business, but I would like to help convince the powers that be to privatize the Corpse.)
36. Do you use twitter? (I have a twitter account, but I never use it.)
The final two questions allow the survey participant to give feedback:
37: Are there any comments you’d like to make about the TOPIC of this survey?
My answer:
"The one and only question that needs to be asked about the CBC is whether a public broadcaster is relevant or needed in 2011. I, personally, don't think it is. A private broadcaster can do just as much or more and is not restricted to arbitrary mandates such as protecting Canadian identity. We're better than that. Why do we need to fund an organization whose very existence assumes we are vulnerable and inferior and therefore need to be protected."
38. Are there any comments you’d like to make about the EXPERIENCE you had taking this survey?
My Answer:
"I was frustrated at the number of times that the questions assumed the person answering agreed with the very existence of a public broadcaster. This is 2011, not 1935. It is time to put the very idea of a public broadcaster into the dustbin of history's stale and no longer relevant ideas. Will someone commission a survey that gets into that question? Perhaps Canada can be a leader in that area, by challenging the status quo and breaking new ground. That, after all, is how we assert our identity and over come our inferiority complex which the CBC thrives upon."