The End of the CBC? by David Taras and Christopher Waddell was a very informative read that educated me about the history of the CBC as well as its current plight.

I'll preface my comments with the statement that I am not Canadian so my opinions are based largely on this book and the questions I asked my housemate (who is Canadian). I have no doubt that someone with memories of the CBC as well as being from the country will have more nuanced views than I do.

I was a little surprised at just how much I enjoyed learning about both the CBC and broadcast programming in general in Canada. I won't go into detail on the plight but the current state of affairs for the CBC is not good as far as future prospects. I saw one reviewer who thought the book was overly critical of the CBC. My perception isn't that the writers were overly critical of the CBC so much as they present statistics and research that illustrate the precarious position the broadcaster finds itself in. But that, to me, is different from simply being overly critical.

Like many broadcasters globally there are a lot of challenges facing the CBC. Couple those with the additional mandates under which the CBC has to operate, it is no wonder that it is near a make or break decision about its future.

I like the suggestion they come up with, which is to take the limited funding they have and focus it more narrowly on an area where they have both a foothold and a reasonable chance to thrive. That area is news and journalism. Not clickbait, not sensationalism, but thoughtful and comprehensive journalism. Where a lot of the news that people get have no or very little Canadian perspective, doing this would offer the citizens a reliable source for Canadian perspective on global stories while also serving as a rational location for political, cultural, and societal debate and investigative journalism. With the tendency for private news sources to lean too far in a direction, the CBC could offer voices from across the spectrum.

I recommend this to any Canadians who have an interest in the future of the CBC. I also think some of the issues facing the CBC are the same ones affecting broadcasting and news everywhere, so readers who want to get additional perspective on both what is happening and the types of things that can be done in response should get something from the book as well.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )