August 2, 2012: There’s dancing in the streets down at the CBC Broadcasting Centre over the announcement that the public broadcaster has secured rights to the next two Olympic games. But is this really good news? If CBC television is to survive and thrive, it can only be as a commercial-free network. The Olympic deal yokes the corporation to an enormous financial liability—reports estimate it at about $75 million—which must be paid down by advertising revenue. That just makes it more difficult for our public broadcaster to be what it ultimately must become. The modern Olympics, a commercial juggernaut par excellence, has now become the CBC’s tar baby.
About Wade Rowland
Ranked among Canada’s leading literary journalists, Wade Davies Rowland has written more than a dozen books on subjects ranging from television journalism, organized crime, and international environmental law to his current concerns, which include communications technology, the philosophy of science, and technology and human values. Full author bio.