(photo credit plutor/flickr)
The CRTC will embrace new media when:
a) traditional Canadian broadcasters have lost millions of dollars in ad revenues
b) Canadian audiences abandon traditional broadcast in favor of alternate media and classic literary works
C) they're sipping frozen drinks in hell
I'm thinking a. I have a special place in my heart for Canadian broadcast, therefore I'd like to believe the CRTC will avoid a chilly afterlife, but their mad quest to control isn't going to earn them any fans.
On one hand, some get it, but then you have other [powers that be] that still don't understand old rules don't apply anymore. New media is less about the wealthy elite controlling the masses' access to information than it is about information being freely available to anyone who wants it.
The consumer now has power and choice - whether it's in what they want to watch, when and how they want to watch it, or even if they would like to generate their own content for broadcast. Many moons ago, in 2007, Michael Geist warned that the outdated protectionist stance CRTC regulators imposed on broadcasters was not suited to the changing broadcast technology. Fast forward to 2009 and what has the RCRTC learned? Yeah, good luck with that, ya hardheads.
I understand old habits die hard; I suffered through years of regular programming (and one English station with lousy reception) before I discovered the joys of watching Heroes and Gossip Girl online. I admit I recently broke down and subscribed to digital cable, but it's always liberating to know that if I'm out and forget to program the pvr, I can still catch my favorite show online at my convenience and not on someone else's schedule.
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