|
June 9, 2011
CBC's new radio bureau will help put Kamloops on the map. For the first time our
voices will be added to those across Canada on a national network. It's
recognition that our city is a source of interest countywide.
For years, CBC radio listeners have had to tolerate the morning show out Kelowna.
I'm sure it's a nice place but it's no substitute for Kamloops.
Getting CBC services in Kamloops has been a constant struggle. When I first
arrived here in 1980, our CBC radio transmitter would quit for days. I
discovered that CBC didn't even know that our station had failed because they
had no remote alarm system monitoring it. Only after someone from Kamloops
complained would they send a technician from Kelowna to repair it.
We had no CBC Radio 2 transmitter before 2001. Lillooet could enjoy the
classical, jazz and contemporary music but not Kamloops. It's like we were in a
black hole. Kamloopsians had to push to get what Canadians took for granted.
Even with the new bureau, we are still catching up with Canadian cities of
similar size. CBC is improving service to more than six million Canadians over
the next four years according CBC's 2015 Strategic Plan "Everyone, Every Way."
Catchy title but not quite "every way". Kamloops is the last to receive CBC
radio services but we have the dubious distinction of being the first to lose
CBC TV. Kamloops was the first city in Canada to lose their free over-the-air
television in 2006. Despite the CBC's commitment to expand services whenever
possible, they actually slashed them here.
|
We initiated Save Our CBC Kamloops (SOCK) in hopes of restoring free TV to
thousands of Kamloopsians who preferred not to pay for cable or satellite.
It was just some oversight, we naively thought. CBC wouldn't cut off their
most loyal fans: those involved in performing and visual arts, connected to
their community, and passionate about Canada and our national broadcaster.
Supporters of SOCK imagined that CBC would soon come to their senses and
restore free TV. After all, hundreds of tiny B.C. towns and intersections in
the road get free CBC TV. Go to Barriere, Celista, Chase, Cache Creek, Canal
Flats, and you will get free over-the-air TV. Politicians would be outraged
at the inequity, we thought. Instead, the silence was deafening.
In hindsight, CBC understood what we didn't as they proceeded to cut off
free TV to other small cities including Prince George. CBC's suspicions were
correct. They suspected that there would be no great outcry from
Kamloopsians since most receive CBC TV through cable and satellite TV. They
could safely ignore the thousands who lost a service even though they pay
for it through their taxes. The reaction of dumped viewers was one of
stunned betrayal: how could our beloved Canadian public broadcaster cut off
some of its most loyal supporters in Kamloops?
The airwaves continue to fade to black across Canada, most recently London,
Ontario. SOCK has received an email from a Londoner in hopes that we can
combine forces.
How familiar it all sounds. London's city Counselor Matt Brown worried:
"This is creating a digital divide between those who can afford satellite
and cable and those who can't," Brown said. "It looks to me, for all intents
and purposes, that CBC is turning their back on London."
It's hard to believe they had the same parents. The good son, CBC Radio,
dutifully reaching out to listeners. The wayward daughter, CBC TV, ignoring
directions and providing access to only those who can pay for cable or
satellite.
David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at
dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca
|
