CBA General Conference - 2004
NEWS AND SPEECHES
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"The Potential of Partnerships"
Harold Redekopp, Executive Vice-President, CBC Television to the general conference of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good afternoon, everyone. It's a great pleasure to be here, and to talk about a subject that I believe is of increasing importance to all of us.
Partnerships mean many different things to us as Commonwealth broadcasters, and I expect that the members of our panel will look at the subject from many different angles.
My own focus today will be on entrepreneurial partnerships, both with other public broadcasters, and with the private sector.
But let me say that I am also very interested in the potential of partnerships to create social benefits and contribute to civil society. So I'd like to say a few words on that subject, as well.
In my opening remarks, I plan to tell you why the CBC is involved in partnerships . . . describe some of the types of partnerships we're currently involved in . . . and offer some reflections on how all of us might work together to more fully realize "the potential of partnerships," for the good of our own organizations, the people we serve, and the cause of public broadcasting itself.
One of the CBC's eight corporate priorities is (and I quote): "Position the CBC to enhance its ability to fulfil its mandate through selective strategic alliances and partnerships."
Increasingly, the CBC, like most other broadcasters, is turning to partnerships to meet its objectives: both domestic partnerships and international partnerships . . . both with other public broadcasters, and with organizations in the private sector.
We do this for many reasons, having to do with both our self-interest, and the public interest.
- We enter into partnerships, first and foremost, to enhance our ability to fulfil our mandate.
- We do it to expand the CBC's reach, both in our own country and around the world.
- We do it to acquire additional shelf space, in a media environment where having just one or two channels is simply not enough.
- We do it to extend the CBC's brand.
- We do it to make new friends and allies in a competitive, sometimes hostile environment.
- We do it to compete with highly converged commercial media conglomerates.
- And we do it for very practical financial reasons:
- To help offset the cost of programming.
- To save money through economies of scale.
- To generate new revenue streams.
- And to mitigate the risk of new ventures.
We have long-term programming partnerships and program supply agreements with several Canadian and international companies. Most often, they build on some of CBC's core strengths, like news, documentaries, and large-scale sports production. Here's a look at three of those joint ventures.
Co-production is another important aspect of partnership for us. CBC is always looking for ways to expand our co-production activities through new arrangements with other public and private broadcasters. Again, we're focusing on our traditional areas of excellence, like performing arts, drama and documentaries. Here's a look at a few of our initiatives in the field of documentary production.
Partnerships with other public broadcasters sometimes avoid the pitfalls that can crop up when you try to build a partnership between public and private enterprise.
For instance, this week we're hoping to finalize a new performing arts output deal with the BBC, which will help Canadian talent get wider exposure in the UK and around the world.
One relationship I'm particularly pleased about is the growing partnership between the Canadian and Australian Broadcasting Corporations.
Our science program, THE NATURE OF THINGS, is working with their Australian counterparts on a four-part series about the science of emotions.
This past season, CBC and ABC started co-producing a new weekly public affairs program called HEMISPHERES. Here's a sample.
We're currently in conversation about expanding HEMISPHERES from a weekly to a daily show. And we have some other exciting ideas in the works with our Australian colleagues that we hope to be able to tell you about very soon.
In addition to ongoing ventures, international partnerships can be useful for one-off projects. Recently, for example, we and 10 other networks around the world teamed up in an initiative called WHAT THE WORLD THINKS OF AMERICA. Here's how that project looked on CBC.
We have a number of other international special projects in the works right now. For example, CBC, BBC and PBS are planning a worldwide celebration of arts and culture on public television.
We're also using partnerships to help us expand beyond conventional broadcasting into new media and new platforms. One such project is a three-way partnership, designed to bring a new level of interactive excitement to Canada's national game: ice hockey!
Hockey Night In Canada Plus is a joint venture by the CBC, the National Hockey League, and Bell Express Vu, Canada's leading satellite distribution service. It's offered on a subscription basis, with the partners sharing the revenues.
Well, there's a quick look at some of the more entrepreneurial, programming-based partnerships the CBC is involved in right now.
We've learned a number of lessons from these experiences, and I'd like to share a few of those lessons with you now, if I may.
- First, when public and private sector partners come together, they often have different motives and values. The important thing is to determine where their common interests lie. The public broadcaster can sometimes be a demanding and even difficult partner. And we public broadcasters can often learn a lot from our private sector colleagues.
- Something else to keep in mind, is that in today's world of overnight mergers and acquisitions, today's partner can be tomorrow's competitor. In fact, today's partner can sometimes be today's competitor, at the same time.
- I would also stress the importance of insisting on clear and distinctive branding for our programming, whenever and wherever it appears on other platforms.
Let me close now with some brief remarks on partnerships among public broadcasters. As I've said, these can often be more effective and fruitful than public/private partnerships, particularly on the international level. (Although we often need private partners to bring additional financial resources to the table.)
In today's difficult and competitive environment, with public funding sources increasingly hard to come by, I encourage us all to find more ways of working together and sharing our resources. Let me mention just three examples of how we could do that.
I've spoken in other forums about the possibility of an international consortium of public broadcasters coming together to create a new international, English-language news channel. I believe such a channel could be a real force for good, and contribute to informed citizenship on a global basis. And I continue to work on seeking ways to make that idea a reality.
Second, training. CBC and Radio-Canada are in the process of launching a Canadian Institute for Training in Public Broadcasting, that would offer training programs internationally, drawing on our expertise and experience.
Primary areas of focus would include those that have been identified as being in highest demand, such as management training, support for the principles of good corporate governance, training in journalistic standards and ethics, and eliminating the "digital divide" through courses in digital production and new media.
We're talking to potential funding partners, such as the Canadian International Development Agency. We would also like to make common cause with the training efforts of other organizations, like the CBA and its counterpart in La Francophonie, CIRTEF.
Finally, I'd like to make one very modest but practical proposal. There used to be an informal system among CBA members to make production facilities and resources available to one another. Now, I realize that we all face the need to put our operations on a self-funding and revenue-generating basis - and the CBC is no exception. But I would like to think that we could come up with a preferential rate card for access to technical facilities and crews by other CBA members - perhaps on a cost-recovery basis. I suggest that we strike a small working group to develop proposals for such a system.
So, Mr. Chairman, those are my opening remarks, and I look forward to following up on these subjects during the discussion period. Thank you very much.