It’s a level of publicly-funded budgeting, salary increases and bonuses staff that private broadcasting outlets can only dream of these days!
In 2015, there were 438 CBC employees taking home six-figure salaries, at a total cost of $59.6 million to the public, according to the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.
This year, a whopping 1,831 CBC employees are earning six figures … averaging $131,000 each … at a total cost of $240 million!
How did this happen?
CTF research found the CBC now has, among those getting more than $100,000 a year, 181 Managers, 277 Senior Managers, 168 Senior Producers, 493 Producers, 86 Executive Producers, 36 Technical Producers and 124 Directors.
“The CBC also employed 130 advisors, 81 analysts, 120 hosts, 80 project leads, 30 lead architects, 25 supervisors, among other positions, that were paid more than $100,000 last year, according to the access-to-information records,” the CTF revealed.
That’s more than 300% increase since 2015.
Of course, all this, along with programming, costs you a lot.
“The CBC will cost taxpayers more than $1.4 Billion this year, according to the main estimates.”
All this at a time when private broadcasters have been slashing, firing and even closing down entire newsrooms across the country in the face of dwindling viewership and struggling advertising revenues.
In a Commentary in this week’s Asian Pacific Post, CTF spokesman Kris Sims, noted in 2023 the CBC announced it would be trimming its English and French staffing and programming budgets.
“Yet taxpayers’ costs still went up —from $1.3 Billion in 2023 to $1.4 Billion in 2024. Despite claims of tightening its belt, the blob keeps expanding,” Sims wrote.
“Last year, CBC drew fire for paying $18.4 million in bonuses, including $3.3 million to 45 executives. The corporation scrapped the bonuses and earned favourable headlines—then quietly approved $38 million in pay raises for 2024-25. The hikes went to 6,295 employees at an average of $6,000 each, with no pay cuts. In comparison, raises cost $11.5 million the year before,” the Taxpayer group’s director revealed. (Read the full article: https://asianpacificpost.com/article/10374-cbc-spending-soars-while-viewers-tune-out.html.)
Despite all the spending … and public subsidies … Canadians are tuning the CBC out.
In late 2024, Ottawa Life zeroed in on CBC’s declining audience share:
“Even with billions in extra revenue since 2015, CBC’s audience has continued to dwindle. The network currently holds a 4.4 percent audience share for prime-time TV, meaning 95.6 percent of Canadians are opting out of CBC content. Its local TV newscasts have fared even worse, with just 319,000 viewers across twenty-seven programs, representing less than 1 percent of Canadians,” reporter Dan Donovan revealed. (Read his full story: https://www.ottawalife.com/article/cbc-decline-biassed-coverage-broken-trust-and-failed-leadership-at-a-once-cherished-network/)
The Taxpayers’ organization says this year, the ratings are even worse.
” CBC News Network’s prime-time share—the percentage of TV viewers watching during evening hours—is just 1.8 per cent, meaning 98 per cent of Canadians choose something else. No CBC entertainment show ranks in the national top 10.”
Readers of this blog are well aware of my own criticisms of CBC’s bias, one-sided, advocacy-style “reporting” in a number of areas/issues, which I believe makes a mockery of the CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices.
Among the stated Principles: Fairness; Balance; Impartiality. (Read their full stated policies here: https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/vision/governance/journalistic-standards-and-practices/introduction).
(Hard not to laugh while typing that!!)
Donovan found my criticisms are shared by other Canadians:
” The CBC has faced increasing criticism in recent years for biased reporting, particularly accusations of leaning towards left-wing perspectives and failing to provide balanced coverage.
“One of the most notable examples is its handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, where a directive from CBC’s Editor in Chief on October 7, 2023, that CBC reports should not label Hamas as a terrorist organisation raised serious concerns about its impartiality,” Donovan said.
So, the Canadian government OFFICIALLY designates Hamas a “terrorist” organization … but the CBC … publicly funded by the Canadian government and taxpayers … arbitrarily decides NOT to call it that.
As a result, CBC began regularly quoting casualty figures provided by Hamas health authorities … without warning viewers their source was designated a terrorist group.
Canadian viewers have the right to know! Or at least, they used to!
Today, it’s even worse: watch/listen closely and you’ll note the CBC now often quotes/trusts figures provided by “local” health authorities or “Gaza” health officials or “Palestinian” officials … no mention of their Hamas links at all.
Coverup? Censorship? Whitewashing?
Apparently, it’s to hell with Canada’s Official policies … and the CBC’s own Journalistic Standards requiring impartiality, fairness and balance.
CBC propaganda-style journalism today disgraces not only its own once-proud history … it disgraces journalism itself.
“In the end, this isn’t about one broadcaster. It’s about whether Ottawa will hold a taxpayer-funded institution accountable when it grows beyond its purpose and loses much of the audience it was meant to serve,” concluded the CTF this week.
Time to clean house … restore CBC’s once-cherished principles … and cut back on the public largesse funding the CBC that exists today.
Harv Oberfeld
🇨🇦🇨🇦 Check the labels: Buy CANADIAN! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
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Ever since they sold hockey night in Canada.? Canada post also .I get mostly junk mail.Imagine if they banned that = 3 day work week.?tue/wed/thurs
It amazes me that CBC has an “Indigenous” portfolio.
As if the 1st Nations didn’t get enough pro 1st nations fawning coverage the rest of the 24/7 schedule.
Now they have their own “News”?
Perhaps we should demand pro “Jewish” reporting?
Pro “colonialist” reporting?
Like that will ever happen with the far Left, misandrist hordes that infest every level of that bloated govt cash cow.
If ANY Federal govt promised to smash, break up, disassemble, and spread its ashes to the four winds of that revoltingly biased, endlessly blaming, revisionist tripe, waste of billions of tax dollars called our “National” Broadcaster…..in the next federal election.
And then do nothing else for the next 4 years……..
They would get my vote.
(Response: The CBC has clearly lost its way, abandoned its own Journalistic Standards (impartiality, fairness, balance) in a whole variety of areas. CTV and Global National and international news coverage have also slipped terribly… but they are privately funded and viewers can take it or leave it. BUT the CBC is funded by over a BILLION dollars in taxpayers’ hard-earned funds each year, so we have the right to demand better. Unfortunately, the Liberals, NDP and Greens show no signs of finding CBC bias and far left social engineering a problem …. and, as things are now, the Conservatives have no power to do anything on thir own. Ho)
Nothing will be done because the East votes liberal and BC loves their socialist hordes. NO way the Liberals will ever get rid of the best piece of propaganda ever and publicly funded too. And we get to pay for the junk they spew each and every day, even though their viewers are lacking in number. The largesse and the propaganda will continue to flow.
It’s a waste of your time even thinking that changes will come. Until there is a change in government and a recognition of the lack of value of the CBC, things will continue as usual. Guess what I think will happen?
(Response: I frankly can’t see either the Liberals (or their NDP) ever calling out the CBC for its biases … both domestic and international … because it favours their perspectives! A Conservative government would change things, no doubt, and if it leads to a return to impartial, fair and balanced reporting, I’d support it. Even some budget cuts to get rid of the horribly bloated bureaucratic and excessive staffing levels. BUT, I still believe the CBC can perform a very valuable role in bringing Canadians together and reporting on communities and issues private broadcasters under-cover or ignore …so i wouldn’t want to see it totally defunded and cut off from public resources. Ho)
Thank you for shining a light on the CBC. Like many our family were once devoted listener’s to CBC English Radio AM and FM, and to CBC television news. Slowly over the last few years we have could no longer identify with the programming.
Not sure when things changed but did a Google AI search and found the following information.
CBC’s last comprehensive mandate review was done in 1991, there was a review in 2025 but there were no changes to the Broadcast Act. In the early 90s radio shifted from regional programming to national programming and invested heavily in youth music, (changes with CBC FM), in 2009 further changes were made to regional radio (local noon hour programs reduced to one hour from two, and afternoon programs were repeats from other times), and in the period between 2021 to 2024 the CBC began to focus on cultural identity and resistance. I watched this change in one of my favorite CBC radio weekend programs “North by Northwest”. While the first hour is still devoted to the people and lives of BC residents, the latter parts of the program are often repeat interviews from other regional programs.
The CBC needs to broken up with a new mandate, radio, news, and tv should become independent, funded appropriately to mandate with independent boards, management and working culture. Not sure how it would work but need to try something different. I think Radio-Canada has some of the same issues, but it is more regional simply by its nature.
(Response: The huge CBC staff (with so many managers, producers, etc. etc. is nothing new. When I was reporting on Parliament Hill in the 80s, I once had a visitor accompanying me to a media “scrum” outside the House … no huge story. I pointed out there were SIX CBC crews present (If I recall correctly … National English, Radio Canada National French, CBC TV regional English, CBC regional French, CBC English radio, CBC French radio … some of them two-person crews, plus a producer or two accompanying them) … many of them crowding around to tape the same interviews. Almost enough people to run an entire PRIVATE local media Newsroom!!! LOL! My visitor was amazed at such heavy coverage. You know why there are SIX crews?,” I queried. “Why?” he responded. “Because the other two are off sick today!!” I responded. 🙂 🙂 So excessive staffing at the CBC is nothing new. However even I was shocked looking at the latest list of how many executives, managers, producers etc etc the CBC has now. Sure looks like there’s room to cut, cut, cut … but what Mothercorp really needs is a return to its core values and principles, respecting/reflecting impartiality, fairness and balance … instead of the one-sided far left activist bias it peddles almost daily these days! Ho)
The public should absolutely push back hard and tell the CBC how disgusted they are about how they misuse and abuse our tax dollars. They should shamed and kicked off their perch. And should people complain more to their MPs and even the ones in charge of setting the guidelines for broadcasting. CRTC maybe ?? No matter what, I hope it’s all getting traction.
(Response: Most of the public are too busy with their daily lives to protest; and, when I as a news junkie have complained about what I saw as specific really terrible violations of the CBC’s Code of Standards, those responsible have denied any bias, and in my view, just covered their asses. We need the Government to ACT … and to achieve that, I believe we will need FIRST for the Opposition to call out the CBC’s bias and journalistic failures…. maybe even call for an inquiry! Ho)
Yes, a tough on it opposition is needed, but an inquiry, I’m not so sure that would happen. Look whos in charge and who just gave the CBC these obscene giveaways of our dollars for loyalty. Isn’t the government the ones who allow a public inquiry,and maybe it would have to referendum by vote from the public As you say people are to busy to bother. Even about saving their democracy. The States is a great example how we may look back at it all in historical record and study how it happened and why. But, it is all kind of the same thing..Public complacency that is. Inquiries are usually a waste of more of our money and usually don’t solve anything except have recommendations that are a joke. Unless Carneys large minority government can be pressured enough to call for one by the balances of power ganging up on him, but I don’t see that either. We will probably have to wait until another election. At the end of the day it’s the peoples money, the people’s government, the people are the employer after all. But that damn to busy with our lives and complacency always gets us. Blogs like yours Harvey, and independent non bias hold everyone to account little news outlets help greatly to spread the word depending on of course how many people it grabs hold of. At least some of us get it. The CBC doesnt even give anything newworthy that will and is going affect Canadians financially and directly hard in the coming near future because the dirty bums will be covering for Carney and Carney has their back. But anyways good luck with an inquiry happening.
Bonuses should be connected to performance. To reward incompetence is abuse of the taxpayer
100% correct.
All bonuses and raises should be stopped until CbC turns a profit.
So…the second day of never.
The CBC – The Peter Principal on steroids.
Let me put my cards on the table, I think Canada must have a national broadcaster, but what we have in the CBC today is a third rate, tiresome, and politically correct product, which is no longer a news outlet, but a very left propaganda machine.
The radicals that believe they have the god given right to do what they please and continue to do so because the CBC has their back.
………………..But………………….
The product is stale and viewership is dropping lower than Trudeau the Younger’s popularity.
The CBC is no longer a national broadcaster, instead they have become a tired cliche of some romantic view of Canada in 1970.
Sorry, but the CBC news must be dramatically altered to report the truth not politcal tirades; the CBC must promote the youth in this country in sports and not just hockey; the CBC needs to rebrand and refocus.
There is a lot more to say, but those commenting are saying it better than I can.
The CBC sadly legends in their own minds.
(Response: I must say I feel vindicated: readers know how critical I have been about the CBC for years on how it has changed from what used to be respected/cherished by Canadians to a far too often extreme left, activist propaganda machine. Often I have referred to it as “the unofficial voice of the NDP”. Turns out, judging by the article in Ottawa Life and the audience ratings revealed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation millions of Canadians apparently agree. It’s actually sad: the CBC used to be so respected and really respected/reflected its Journalistic Code of Standards. Government interference in media is a scary thought, but I believe it’s now required: the whole CBC Board and all of their “progressive” News executives/producers and all of their activist reporters should be canned … replaced by hard-nosed old fashioned journalists who know/understand/respect their DUTY to cover FAIRLY different sides of issues/conflicts … so Canadians will start tuning in again! Ho)
Another excellent post Harvey. I cannot agree more. I must say I have a very hard time wrapping my head around some of those salaries, never mind the bonuses.
I’ve often wondered about the neck scarves worn by senior correspondent Margaret Evans during her reports. To me they resemble a keffiyeh. Sort of like subliminal advertising. Subtle bias?
Yesterday morning I watched a full 10 minutes on a piece by the CBC news network about the Oasis concert in Toronto. (not an exaggeration) Then I had to listen to comments from not so young men about how great they were and how much they spent on merchandise. Good grief. For the record I have nothing against the band.
This morning I watched Heather Hiscox and her protege discuss how happy they were about the early introduction of the pumpkin spice latte. It sounded like a Starbucks ad.
They can spend time and trouble on this sort of drivel but not provide fair and balanced reporting. I have watched CBC for many years but now it’s being recorded so I can just review what I feel is relevant. I figure ten or fifteen minutes tops instead of an hour. It’s no wonder their viewership has dropped so drastically.
If the conservatives do ever come to power I hope they drastically slash their budget. I am in total agreement with Bendelmac that they should be like PBS and have to go public for their funding. They do not deserve the amount of public funding they now receive.
What a sad state of affairs we have with the MSM these days. Sometimes I think CTV news is not much better.
(Response: You are very perceptive! Many viewers would not notice/wonder about what you … I, and some others with critical eyes … did today: CBC reporter Margaret Evans wearing a colorful scarf that certainly could remind viewers of the keffiyeh (symbol often worn by Palestinian anti-Israel activists). She was reporting outdoors from Jerusalem, where it was 28C today (86F) … so I doubt she was cold! LOL! And I did wonder how that passed muster at the CBC, where great attention is normally paid to what their reporters/hosts wear on air (I’d bet a real fur coast is OUT …no matter how cold it is!! 🙂 Turns out, Evans has also worn a “scarf” in other recent reports from Israel … National Post columnist Leslie Roberts noticed Evan’s chosen fashion earlier this week and wrote about it: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/cbc-without-guardrails. Meanwhile, the Jewish media monitoring organization Honest Reporting Canada last year raised concerns about several Evans’ reports: https://honestreporting.ca/petitions/cbc-correspondent-margaret-evans-uncritically-repeats-hezbollah-propaganda/. Clearly, however, none of this has hurt her credibility with the CBC in reporting on the Israel/Gaza war. Ho)
In the “white collar” world of business, error & omission insurance is mostly a given.
In today’s CBC version of news coverage, “errors & omissions” have become their standard.
When I was a lad, CBC provided services to rural Canadians, in many instances they were the only option available for many isolated folks. Now with a pizza box satellite dish you can get over 500 channels and almost every radio outlet worldwide. CBC now has slid into the abyss of information over saturation, their choice of turning hard left is somehow going to increase market share? Generate some measly profits? Satisfy the desires of the CBC boardroom?
Omitting pertinent information does not serve any real purpose, as many other outlets will actually give the omitted information a chance. Why has the very obvious practice of omitting pertinent facts become commonplace at CBC?
News outlets which do not objectively cover events are not news, they are “propagandists”, nothing else. Who’s propaganda they spew and for what reasons should be made public. All the executives and editorial staff at CBC could go share their takes on outhouse walls, then gravity can lower their output to where much of it truly belongs!
Lying by omission is still lying!
(Response: The greatest example of bias and propagandization of domestic “news” coverage at the CBC that comes to mind is its fawning, advocacy … almost P.R. coverage …of First Nations. Whatever FN say/demand, the CBC just accepts, pushes … never challenges or even questions. What about the billions of dollars federal and provincial governments hand out to FN each year: ever see any investigations anymore of financial use/abuse/waste of those funds? In fact, I have no doubt there are MANY FN band members across the country who are really unhappy or question where a lot of the money goes: where is the CBC in giving them a voice, or investigating their concerns? And by the way, what about the millions upon millions handed out for FN to look for all those “murdered” (Jasmeet Singh’s description) residential school children: any “hidden” bodies unearthed yet? Any forensic evidence of any murders? Where did all the money go? CBC …the public broadcaster … had a duty to stay on top of that …but didn’t! Ho)
Okay then let’s start questioning the extra 7% extra gaming revenue that the BC Government signed onto in 2020 as a 25 year sharing agreement with FN. That billions of dollars that could be spread out to EVERYONE more. Is that not more give aways. And where’s the news coverage or questioning of that. I mean it’s just more of the same. Did you know that BCLC says we acknowledge we are all guests in BC and that they own all BC. Who’s we. These jerks think they can speak for everyone. This what the BCNDP and progressive looney left Eby thugs are also into now to cover their excuses for the obscene handouts. FN are even now being acknowledged as seperate governments. I ask as much as I’m for working together as a one community of BC. I and my family are not guests in our own land we contributed to and helped build that is for all as one community. And why did our Idiots of the NDP government have to go so far with reconciliation somas tominvolve the United Nations in Canada for gods sake. Screw that rubbish the filthy government is spewing out these days. As you said many First Nations probably dont agree with a lot of the crap the government does. This Eby goof and his predecessor especially are the worst kind of politicians who cause more harm than good and division amongst people. We don’t see or hear of any questioning and feet held to the fire by cowardly media and spineless talk radio. CBC sits quietly and gutless while the mass majority get steamroller by our idiotic employees we call the BC government and the fat cats of the various government branches they work with and pay. Where is the coverage. Like, where’s the beef ???? Sorry bit off topic. But since you brought up the handout thing again. But I guess it all ties into coward media and radio. CBC being the worse since the the scummy freeloaders and bums get paid by us.
(Response: I keep seeing more and more signs/evidence that FN bands/councils are finally embracing resource developments as a means of providing jobs and financial returns for their communities …which is great. But others still have a long way to go … and most of Canada’s private media have long ago become intimidated from asking any tough questions of those FN leaders, how much of their “concerns” or opposition to new developments are just financial shakedowns, why their books are often closed, even to band members, where exactly all their public funding goes… but the CBC is the worst: their coverage of FN has assumed a promotional/advocacy slant … often reminds me of paid advertising features, designed to get FN more and more money, more and more powers, no tough questions ever asked. Ho)
When a dog chases it’s own tail in ever decreasing circles, it will eventually disappear up it’s own behind!!!
It happened in the private sector and is happening now in the public corporation.
The times they are a changing!!!
(Response: The difference is the CBC gets more than a billion in public funding each year. That should (but clearly does not) carry with it a responsibility to reflect the ideas/interests/views of diverse Canadians … not just their producers’ and reporters’ one-sided biases, advocacy or outright propaganda. Ho)
I am sad about what has become of the CBC and disgusted with its managerial bloat.
In our house, CBC radio used to be on almost all day, it is now mostly off. It has become unlistenable. All First Nations, all genders, all minorities, all climate, all the time.
I know that must sound racist, but the CBC is trying so hard to be cool/woke but it has become divisive and alienating.
And who gave the newscasters and hosts the directive (radio and TV) to deliver the news in a breathless, stuttering manner? These people were not stutterers 10 years ago, but they have become so.
Where were they when it came to reporting properly on money laundering in Vancouver? Where are they on giving the BC government a proper run for our money on the state of healthcare? On the state of classrooms? 😖
And thank you for courageously writing about the anti-Israel BS.
(Response: I’m not a great fan of government interfering in news coverage … but the CBC, in my opinion, has strayed so far so consistently from its stated Standards of Journalism, it’s almost like far left ideological terrorists have seized control in a coup … are broadcasting their own propaganda … and most of the citizenry are left hoping the CBC will one day be liberated and restored to its once respected impartial, fair and balanced journalistic integrity. Ho)
So CBC is alive and well … well funded… apparently CBC radio is good … I do not watch or listen to CBC…I was a private broadcaster that had to go out on the streets and get our money … not CBC … best thing to be done, is what the Conservatives wanted to do if elected .. cut the funding … I think CBC should be like PBS and has to go to the public to raise their money … not sit back and take the big handout from the tax payer….
(Response: When I lived/covered Parliament Hill I used to listen to CBC radio every morning and evening on the way to/from work .. and on Sunday morning at home as well. Not now: just seemed to me a few years ago it had become one-sided far left brainwashing on both domestic and international agendas (esp refugees, immigrants, First Nations, abortion, trans issues, environment, Brexit). Funny thing, personally I agreed with their propagandized positions on many issues …but as a journalist I WANT to hear the other side and hate feeling I’m just being “programmed” by Big Brother …or in this case Mothercorp! So I stopped listening. Ho)
So the CBC is clearly a rogue media giant that is payed through us taxpayers, and are in a way basically supporting terrorist organizations when Canada itself has designated them as such, and us and our allies are trying to fight against terrorism, (some anyways) as best we can, and CBC is betraying us using our very own darn money. Isn’t that just wonderful. Go square that one. Thing is also our very own Prime Minister Carney and his two faced hypocrites (Trudeaus old extremist backstabbers still at it against Canadians) that are allowing this gravy train run. Maybe Carney is letting this happen so they may be kept or used his governments bought and payed for propaganda tool. But whatever it is CBC and Carneys bunch should be shamed. Canadians should be on fire about this. Spread the word about this disgusting betrayal. Pigs at trough is my best description, and with my taxes, and no matter what we try to do the math, the answer is always going to be Carney and his office as the only source of the trouble.
(Response: Mothercorp has their loyal left-leaning “progressive” audience (which more and more often these days means bullying/intolerant!) supporters who, like the far right as well, really don’t want to see balanced coverage of controversial issues … and are quite happy to listen/see propaganda pushing their agenda. And the Liberals/NDP appreciate the help …so aren’t about to cut the fuinding or object to the coverage. No doubt a Tory government will slash the budget and hopefully clean house … but I hope not go too far the other way either!! Ho)