CBC tables a ‘five-year plan’ — makes pivot to young people to save face
Media consumption is moving to digital platforms, with younger audiences less engaged with traditional media.
CBC/Radio-Canada aims to expand its audience by reaching Canadians who undervalue or don't consume its services, including youth and newcomers.
CBC/Radio-Canada's new five-year strategic plan, released Tuesday, aims to expand its audience beyond existing users to include children, youth, newcomers, and dissatisfied individuals. The broadcaster acknowledges it cannot "rely solely on existing users and fans as confirmation of its value to the public."
Media consumption is moving to digital platforms, with younger and new Canadian audiences less engaged with traditional media, as reported by the Canadian Press.
Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN) research indicates declining online engagement with the CBC, being replaced by conservative voices.
During the 2025 election, Juno Polls introduced a "neighbour poll" to their weekly surveys, revealing growing support for Conservatives among younger demographics.
The CBC's audience share has fallen 72% since 2018, from 7.6% to 2.1%. Sask Today details the ongoing struggle for relevance.
The state broadcaster aims for a "fast pivot" to counter declining viewership. They plan to diversify content creators, influencers, and third-party platforms (YouTube, TikTok) to broaden viewpoints, boost digital contributions, and reach younger and new audiences.
CTV, Global News, CBC, Post Millennial, and Rebel News account for nearly 65% of online engagement among the top five Canadian news outlets, with CTV leading at 25% and Rebel News at almost 7%.
Rising polarization facilitated declining trust in media and public institutions, the plan states, exacerbated by so-called AI-weaponized disinformation.
The CDMRN notes "misinformation-producing websites receive significant attention" but doesn't define misinformation or give examples. Nearly half (45.9%) of Canadians worry about it.
While generative AI boosts efficiency, it also increases misinformation risks.
Canadian Heritage spent $68,640 to research CBC journalists' feelings about "hurtful remarks" from conservative politicians and rival media. These remarks most frequently accused the CBC of political bias (56%), incompetence (54%), and unethical behavior (46%).
A May 2024 report on the Canadian information ecosystem found less than one-third of Canadians trust big tech or politicians. While journalists and media are more trusted, nearly half of Canadians still have little to no trust in them.
Pierre Poilievre reiterates his promise to halt taxpayer funding to the CBC:
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 15, 2025
"We're going to defund the CBC and let Canadians enjoy it as a non-profit, self-funded organization," he says. pic.twitter.com/endykHlT9X
The Liberals pledged that the CBC would counter misinformation, a task also involving new digital tools shared with other media, while the Conservatives aimed to de-fund the broadcaster.
Pierre Poilievre reiterated his commitment to defund the CBC, stating his position "hasn't changed" on April 15.
Prime Minister Mark Carney countered during the election campaign, promising an initial $150 million increase in annual funding and to make its federal funding statutory, making it harder for future governments to eliminate.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is withholding a memo on additional funding until after the next federal budget. This follows an existing $1.4 billion annual subsidy.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-10-16 23:48:44 -0400Bruce: so I’m not the only one who listened to AIH.
I started about a year or two when it went on the air. Back then, it was a 2-hour live-to-air show so that no two time zones had the same program. The hosts were William Ronald and Harry Brown and it was fun to listen to as they played music between interviews.
A similar program started a year or so later with the same format: “Radio Free Friday” with Peter Gzowski as the host.
The two programs merged when AIH became a weeknight show in the early 1970s, changing on-air hosts until they settled on Barbara Frum and Alan Maitland. It was an enjoyable and informative program, covering issues such as the mid-1970s civil war in Angola to who had the world’s record for keeping a pair of ferrets in their pants. (I’m not making up that last bit!) And who can forget Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster singing “Happy Birthday” in observance of 10 years of AIH? (Frum couldn’t speak 2 sentences after that without breaking up laughing.)
It wasn’t quite the same when she went to host “The Journal” on CBC TV. I stopped shortly after that communist windbag Michael Enright took over. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-10-16 22:13:07 -0400CBC has long outlived its mandate to present Canada to Canadians. But the Internet has made regime media outlets redundant. I used to watch CBC’s children’s shows back in the 60s and I listened to As It Happens back in the 70s. Neon Nights in the early 80s was cool too. But I lost interest in that network after Neon Nights was cancelled. Now it’s an annoying propaganda voice on AM, FM, and TV.
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Crude Sausage commented 2025-10-16 10:13:23 -0400I look forward to the day when a kid finds CBC “cool.” In my own youth, CBC was always a means to an end. It was the place you would tune in to watch cool people like Don Cherry or to watch the game. Otherwise, you would never watch it. Since they (especially Ron McLean) stabbed the man in the back, and since the station routinely discredits itself with the way it delivers the news (either by omission or by deliberately pushing a leftist position), it is the station I actively avoid. I can’t help but notice that no matter which way you turn a directional antenna, CBC always delivers a 100% signal. It’s almost as though they want to force themselves down your throat.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-10-16 09:56:22 -0400When CBC’s FM service went on the air just over 50 years ago, it focused on classical music and opera, with some jazz programs later in the day. Once in a while, there may have also been radio dramas. That provided a means for many people in remote communities to listen to and enjoy that sort of music, particularly when there weren’t many opportunities to hear and see live performances.
I started listening to it soon afterward and I was introduced to the works of several composers that have since become some of my favourites. That service, and the programs it broadcast, offered something different.
As far back as I can remember, the radio side of CBC went through a major overhaul every 5 years. Old shows were either dropped or re-scheduled and new ones began. (Does anyone remember the pop music show “Ninety Minutes With A Bullet?” That began in 1975 and ran for about 5 years.)
But, the programming whiz kids at the CBC decided that classical music and opera were far too snooty and nobody younger than 30 ever listened to it. (Funny, when I became a classical music buff, I was in my early 20s…..) The result is that much of the programming on CBC’s FM service is indistinguishable from what one can hear on commercial stations. No wonder the CBC is fighting for an audience as few people can tell the difference.
