CBC seeking bridge financing from Canadian government

February 25, 2009 by Lindsay Gibb

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has been in discussions with the federal government for the past month about what is being termed as bridge financing, and the public broadcaster is currently working on a strategic plan to present to its board of directors by the middle of next month.

The public broadcaster points out, in a release, that while private broadcasters have the financial flexibility that comes with access to commercial borrowing and capital markets, a Crown Corporation such as the CBC does not and must make cuts to services, programs and people when facing financial gaps.

One wonders what kind of reception the public broadcaster is getting from Canada’s Conservative government, which has not been known to be overly pro-CBC in the past. When asked how this current course of events could affect its digital channels, Documentary in particular, and the future of factual programming for the public broadcaster, the CBC’s head of media relations Jeff Keay says it’s too soon to say. ‘We’ll know better when we present plans to the board in mid-March, but anything at this point is just speculation and hypothesis,’ says Keay.

• » Showtime lines up docs for Gay Pride month
• » Upfronts 2012: CBS orders "The Job," ABC dances with 'all-stars'
• » PBS slates "Broadway or Bust," "Half the Sky" for fall
• » Upfronts 2012: TBS, TNT to become "branded video destinations"
• » Upfronts 2012: Discovery U.S. Hispanic enters game show space