Advertising on CBC Radio 2

Where are Radio 2's friends now?

A few days ago, buried within the news that the federal government is slashing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s budget, the CBC announced it intends to ask the CRTC to permit paid advertising on its Radio 2 network. (See here.)

This sounds like a lose-lose situation, if ever there was one. It also sounds like proof of the existence of karma.

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If the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission says no to the request, the CBC will probably make further cuts in Radio 2 programming. And as the current crop of CBC executives seems to regard classical music as a frill, it could well be deemed expendable. (See here.) If anyone questions their decisions, they’ll say they had no choice.

However, if the CBC’s wish is granted, Radio 2 execs will become even more concerned about the sorry state of the network’s ratings than they already are. (See here.) As a result, they may axe the few remaining classical music shows on the schedule and replace them with more popular fare. If anyone asks why, they’ll say they had no choice.

There was a time when Radio 2’s well-focused classical programming earned it a loyal audience that was prepared to (and did) speak up about the network’s future. Now that Radio 2 is trying to be all things to all people, who will speak up on its behalf?

© Colin Eatock 2012