Sun Poll Finds Sun Readers Want CBC to Become PBS North

The merits of PBS aside, this could set the record for the most biased poll ever conducted in this country.

An online poll taken on behalf of the QMI Agency/ Sun Media has found, not surprisingly given the source and methodology, that a slight majority of Canadians want funding for CBC cut and for the broadcaster to operate like PBS in the United States. The survey found 53 per cent of respondents felt CBC should be run like a non-profit, with its funding coming from a combination of viewer contributions and advertising. Granted, that totally glosses over that PBS does receive state funding, and that it's only sustainable because it has a population 10 times the size of CBC's from which to draw donations. On the other hand, though, forcing the Ceeb to go non-profit might help rectify its tendency in recent years toward cheap reality programming, importing British and American shows, and focussing its news coverage on breaking news, the Royal Family, and “conversation starters.” (Just keep Hockey Night in Canada, whatever you do.) Plus, Nova, Frontline, and all those Ken Burns documentaries are all pretty amazing. We figure just handing the reins of CBC over to Neil McDonald would be a good place to start.