Dismantling the public airwaves: Shifting Canadian public broadcasting to an online service

Abstract

In 2014, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation released a five-year plan entitled A Space For Us All. The plan outlined a bold new vision for the Canadian public broadcaster, placing digital mobile content at the forefront of the corporation’s priorities. This article examines the shifting priorities of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation against established principles of public broadcasting. It also interrogates the relationship between mobile digital media and legal obligations of the public broadcaster under current Canadian broadcasting regulation. Drawing upon Canadian broadcasting history, contemporary data and recent examples from sport and politics in Canada, the article questions this new direction for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and argues that despite the significant new opportunities in mobile digital media, traditional broadcasting methods remain the dominant tool to reach mass audiences and will provide a significant forum for public information and debate for the foreseeable future.