CBC/Radio-Canada explores credibility, democracy and public values at Annual General Meeting
OTTAWA – Despite “serious financial challenges, a fragmented ecosystem, the appearance of the global Facebooks and Netflixes of the world who have absolutely weakened the broadcasting model that used to support our industry,” CBC/Radio-Canada remains relevant and is thriving in a digital world, according to Hubert Lacroix, president and CEO.
In a presentation to the corporation’s Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, the chief executive, who’s nearing the end of his term, noted that when he took the reins in November 2007, digital mainstays like the iPad and Netflix didn’t exist, and popular mobile applications such as Instagram and Spotify had yet to be invented.
“Our digital journey at CBC/Radio-Canada has been audacious, innovative, bold and difficult,” said Lacroix. “But it has tuned CBC/Radio-Canada, an 80-year-old corporation built around and known for its radio and television programs, into what it is today. The number one digital media company in Canada.”
He backed up the claim with some statistics. The 2020 goal of having 18 million unique visits each month to its website was achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule. The CBC News mobile app now has more than 3.9 million downloads, making it the number one Canadian news app, according to Lacroix.
In addition, the corporation leads in podcasting with 200 million downloads since 2016, a figure Lacroix described as “staggering.” Somebody Knows Something, a popular investigative podcast, has been downloaded more than 30 million times, he added.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s presence in the French language digital space is equally impressive with Ici Toutv programs being streamed 6.4 million times each month.
During his 10-minute speech in the lobby of the Faculty of Social Sciences building at the University of Ottawa, he touched on the successes at the public broadcaster over his nearly 10 year tenure. Lacroix spoke about strengthening its mandate to Canadians by putting local at the centre of its news operations. Eight new multimedia stations were created across the country and regional coverage was increased to seven days a week, 18 hours per day.
“We are now a real complete local media outlet,” he stated.
But the digital transition at CBC/Radio-Canada isn’t yet complete. The corporation has over the last two years hired 250 people to support digital initiatives and retrained 2,900 CBCers and Radio-Canadiens “because there is absolutely no finish line to this transformation.”
Journalists talk public value, credibility and democracy
A panel of six journalists then took centre stage to explore these important topics. With respect to credibility, the panelists took on the difficult question of fake news and how to counter its potential impact.
Olivier Arbour-Masse, a journalist with the RAD Project at Radio-Canada, noted that the rise of fake news whether on Facebook, Twitter or other digital media platforms “smacks of a crisis of confidence in traditional legacy media.” But he added it also demonstrates that there is a misconception of how media works.
The RAD project is attempting to show in a much more transparent way how journalists do their job. For example, it provides a behind-the-scenes look at journalists, why a particular topic is being discussed and the people chosen to talk about it.
“So we’re trying to lift the veil on what’s happening behind the scenes in media outlets to increase their confidence,” said Arbour-Masse.
On the public value front, Charlsie Agro, a journalist and host of the CBC News program Marketplace, noted that a time when investigative journalism units in many media outlets are shrinking or even closing, CBC is growing it department. She spoke about how a segment on real estate in Australia has convinced the Ontario government to explore real estate reform and in particular the potential banning of double ending – a practice where a real estate agent represents both the seller and the buyer.
But in a world where the next generation of journalists are more than likely cord-cutters, the question of whee they get their news was raised. A professor in Ottawa U’s communications department wondered why CBC News Network isn’t streamed for free online.
Lacroix acknowledged that there is a bit of a conflict between the relationships the public broadcaster has with its broadcast distributors, but added the corporation is streaming more content online.
“You have seen us now on Facebook with The National, you have seen us on Facebook with news programs in French,” he said. “It’s kick starting a new discussion with cable distributors. So it’s a tough question and a tough question to answer.”
There is likely to be some clarity to the digital broadcasting landscape on Thursday when Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly takes the stage at an Economic Club of Canada event where she is schedule to outline the federal government’s vision for cultural and creative industries in a digital world.
