What is Public Broadcasting When Media is By The Masses

Antonia reports that the innovative, and positioned-for-the-future show Zed on CBC has been axed. CBC TV VP Richard Stursberg - not surprisingly - is applying a commercial broadcaster rubric to a public broadcaster. And clearly, at least to my mind, he fundamentally does not understand the change that has occurred in mass media - no longer media for the masses, but media by the masses. In fact, he says, "CBC is committed to ... a greater sharing of Canadian stories and experiences..." Well, as I wrote during the management lockout of CBC workers,

But under conditions of instantaneous communication, consumers of culture become producers of culture, and collaborative producers at that. This suggests that for the CBC to fulfil its mandate of promoting and preserving Canadian culture, it should become the vehicle through which we tell our stories to ourselves.

And that means more programming like Zed, not merely commercial productions of glossy, ratings-grubbing comedies, movies and miniseries. But then again, that would take leadership.
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