CBC Archives

CRTC and Media Convergence
As noted previously, the CRTC is one of the more visible examples of the administrative state in action because it is Canada's broadcast regulator. One of the most pressing issues the CRTC has dealt with recently is the question of media convergence and the merging of newsrooms as fewer owners come to control more newspapers and radio and television stations. CBC's Saša Petricic reports on some of the issues confronting the CRTC.

Chomsky on the Media
One of the greatest living critics of contemporary media is the American scholar Noam Chomsky. Although Chomsky's field is linguistics, he's better known for his ideas on society, politics, and the media.  In this wide-ranging 1994 interview on CBC Radio's Writers and Company, Chomsky talks about his life and career and the function of media in modern democracies.

Canwest Buys Hollinger
The late Israel Asper became one of Canada's media giants after starting a small television company called CanWest in the 1970s. Before long he merged CanWest with what was then Ontario's newly launched network—Global TV—and set to work building Canada's largest commercial media conglomerate. In this CBC Television clip, Asper talks about a more recent merger. On July 31, 2000, CanWest Global orchestrated a takeover of Hollinger Inc., in which Asper acquired over 130 newspapers and half ownership of the Canadian daily, National Post. Canwest eventually went bankrupt under the crushing weight of debt accumulated by Asper.

National Post Hits the Newsstands
Is there room for another national newspaper in Canada? That is the prevailing question today as Conrad Black launches his ambitious new paper, the National Post. In 1998, increasing numbers of Canadians are finding their news online, making any new paper a risky venture. But Black is not deterred, and is giving his brainchild the backing to give the Globe and Mail a run for its money as Canada's premiere national newspaper. "The country's been waiting" for this new paper, says Black. Now Canadians will see if it lives up to the anticipation.

TVO's The Agenda

The Post-Truth Era
The information age promised the democratization of knowledge and a more informed citizenry. That hasn't exactly happened. Fake news proliferates. Digital echo chambers confirm biases. And sometimes basic facts cannot even be agreed upon. The Agenda convenes a panel to examine the state of journalism and facts in the information age, and the rise of post-truth politics.

The Future of News in Canada
As Canadian news media outlets downsize and close, the federal government is looking for ways to strengthen the industry. It tasked the Public Policy Forum with figuring out how Canadians view the industry and what policies can save it. Ed Greenspon, the president of Public Policy Forum, unpacks the report and its recommendations.