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From: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.tv.drwho,net.flame
Subject: Re: Government funded TV.
Message-ID: <280@lsuc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 9-Jan-85 21:44:16 EST
Article-I.D.: lsuc.280
Posted: Wed Jan  9 21:44:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 21:49:44 EST
References: <1007@ihuxe.UUCP> <305@wjvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader|LSUC|Toronto)
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 30
Summary: 

> Charles Lambert:
> 
> >But.....
> >The BBC is entirely government-funded, by mandatory T.V. licence fee,
> >and they MADE Dr. Who (and Monty Python).
> 
Ron Christian:
> You're right!  Amazing people, those Britishers.  Now, do you *really*
> think that the US government would adhere to the same high standards
> as British television currently enjoys?  I don't.  I think we would
> have '3's company' on PBS without commercials.  Or maybe *with* commercials.
> Who knows?  The point is, if the government finances it, who decides
> what we watch?  ...

In Canada we have the government-owned CBC and a number of smaller
private networks, the largest of these being CTV.  They compete for ratings
in the usual way, and the CBC runs the usual number of commercials in most
shows.  However, the CBC also produces stuff that probably wouldn't get
produced otherwise, the Canadian market being the size it is.  Some people
like it for this, others hate it because it loses tax money.

(I'm not stating a preference either way, just providing information.
I point out that the BBC's situation is not parallel since they do not
run commercials, though they do also face private competition.)

In Ontario we have something called TVOntario which looks to me very
much like PBS, and even has pledge drives occasionally, but softer-toned.
It is mostly paid for by provincial taxes.

Mark Brader