[wave46]

The malaise of CBC television is more indicative of the malaise of television in general.

The deluge of content from the late 1990s on and the internet just simply allowed people to choose exactly what they wanted. That, combined with services like Netflix - who imposes less rigid controls on content, allowing more creative freedom (and more inventive programming) - drove viewers away from broadcast television in general.

Anyone who thinks US broadcast television is, you know, good is deluding themselves. There's occasional decent shows on the smaller networks, but it's just largely tripe. Even services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have a fairly limited selection of good stuff.

I don't have much to offer in terms of advice to the CBC for television. The US Big 4 networks are mining whatever nostalgia as a placeholder until their rapidly greying audience fades away. The constraints of broadcast television seem to be dooming it to extinction, aside from news/sports and special events.

CBC Radio is good. Ironically, I think radio has a stronger chance of survival than television, despite the booming podcasting phenomenon. The lack of competition from the US on radio airwaves and the fact that one can listen while doing other things (at work, in the car, etc.) might protect its niche.