CBC Canada’s Perpetual Schnorrer

By Stephen Pate – Someone who is always begging for money and unappreciative is a schnorrer in Yiddish.

The CBC is making a nuisance of itself begging for money in the Senate, the House of Commons, on the CBC and now before the CRTC.  The story reads Canadians Would Pay For CBC, CBC Execs Tell CRTC as if Canadians are not already paying for the CBC.

“A schnorrer is a Yiddish label for a “beggar having some pretensions to respectability. In contrast to the ordinary house-to-house beggar, whose business is known and easily recognized, the schnorrer assumes a gentlemanly appearance, disguises his purpose, gives evasive reasons for asking assistance, and is not satisfied with small favors, being indeed quite indignant when such are offered.” Jewish Encyclopedia

Despite receiving more than $1 million annually in taxpayer’s money, the CBC wants more. “The heads of CBC/Radio-Canada have told the country’s broadcast regulator that Canadians are ready to pay to get the broadcaster’s content even if many consider it an acquired right.”

They told hearings of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission today they are in favour of revamping the business model of traditional television.

They say the current system has become less profitable because of the multiplication of platforms and new players in the market.

However, the CBC/Radio-Canada executives would not say how much consumers would have to pay for the service despite questions from journalists and CRTC commissioners.

Hubert Lacroix, president of the Crown-owned broadcaster, says new sources of funding are vital for it to ensure its survival or else the quality of its programming will decline.” Huffington Post

A Facebook comment put it clearly “I have a real problem with these guys thinking that we should pay twice for CBC, after all we already pay for this stuff with our tax dollars and most of the content they ‘buy’ is funded largely by Heritage Canada thru a variety of programs.”

“In return for this investment we get to watch or hear the same shows two-three four times a week. Enough already, get back to work and stop complaining about how you need more money to re-run shows you recorded twenty years ago.”

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network