I was planning on writing a post this week about the possible demise of Canadian television. Several stations have already cut back on programming. Morning shows have been disappeared and some Canadian community channels have already shut their doors.

I think we need to have local broadcasters and television stations. The problem is that some people don’t really consider this to be a priority. There are so many other stations that we might not even notice or care if we lose all our Canadian ones.

We should care. We are slowly losing our unique voice. We have some amazing local television programs that I would hate to see disappear. I also like to watch a local news show in the morning. I think we need these channels and the CBC in particular.

When I opened my email this morning, I found a link to an online petition and some more information about this subject. I knew I had to share it with you. I know that many of you might not care about Canadian programming but we all should care about local programming. So if you can, please read on and lend your support.

Thanks,

Chase

I just signed an urgent petition to save the CBC from massive budget cuts. The email is below, here’s the link to sign the petition:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_cbc/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK

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Here’s the original Email from Avaaz:

Dear friends,

Canada’s media networks have all been slammed by the recession. But the government is reportedly considering bailouts for its friends at private companies CTV and CanWest, while forcing the CBC to drastically cut 800 staff and programming.

Our CBC is a national treasure, and a pillar of public-interest journalism in a country whose media is owned by a few large firms. We won’t hear an outcry from their media outlets, and the CBC is too principled to use its megaphone to make the case for itself. We are the only voice the CBC has.

We urgently need a massive public outcry to Save the CBC, click below to sign the petition and forward this email to everyone who might care about this:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_cbc/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK

The petition will be delivered directly to the government, through Parliament, ads, and stunts such as an airplane pulling a giant Save the CBC banner over Ottawa. In each case the number of signatures on the petition will be crucial to the effectiveness of the campaign, so let’s get as many people as possible to sign.

The CBC is facing a budget shortfall that amounts to just $6 per Canadian, but its request to the government for a bridging loan to cover this was denied. The deep cuts the CBC is making will damage the organization across the board, and they will not be the last. If we don’t stand up for the CBC now, it stands to die a death by a thousand cuts. Harper’s minority government is politically vulnerable – public outrage could turn the government around on this, but it has to happen now. Let’s move quickly.

With hope,

Ricken, Lisa-Marie, Laryn and the whole Avaaz Canada team.

PS – here are some links for more info on this:

An excellent web resource for information and action on the CBC, including the government’s consideration of bailouts of CanWest and other companies: http://www.friends.ca/

The Star reports on how opposition parties accuse Harper of using the recession as an excuse to gut the CBC:
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/608591

Union says Harper government strangling CBC:
http://www.cjad.com/news/565/899819

Ian Morrison: Stephen Harper’s hidden agenda for the CBC:
http://www.straight.com/article-206164/ian-morrison-stephen-harper%3F%3Fs-hidden-agenda-cbc

A crisis of identity – A reader letter to the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090327.COLETTS27-1/TPStory/Comment