Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

:CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation in English. For other uses, see CBC (disambiguation).

Programming

Television

Terrestrial services

The CBC operates two national broadcast television networks — CBC Television in English, and la Télévision de Radio-Canada in French. Both sell advertising, and are otherwise similar to the privately-owned networks, but offer more Canadian-produced programming than other major networks. Most CBC television stations, including those in the major cities, are owned and operated by the CBC itself and carry the same schedule aside from local programming.

Related Topics:
CBC Television - Télévision de Radio-Canada

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Some stations that broadcast from smaller cities are private affiliates of the CBC, that is, stations which are owned by commercial broadcasters and air a predominantly CBC schedule. However, many affiliates of the English network often opt out of network programs to air more popular foreign programs acquired from other broadcasters. (Private affiliates of the French network, all of which are located in Quebec, rarely have the means to provide alternate programming.) Such private affiliates are becoming increasingly rare.

Related Topics:
Affiliate - Quebec

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CBC television stations in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon tailor their programming mostly to the local native population, and broadcast in many native languages, such as Inuktitut, Gwich'in, and Dene.

Related Topics:
Nunavut - Northwest Territories - Yukon - Inuktitut - Gwich'in - Dene

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One of the most popular shows on the television networks of both CBC and Radio-Canada is the weekly Saturday night broadcast of a NHL hockey game. In English, the program is known as Hockey Night in Canada, and in French, it is called La soirée du hockey. Both shows have been televised since 1952. The French edition was discontinued in 2004.

Related Topics:
NHL - Hockey - Hockey Night in Canada - 1952

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Ratings for CBC Television have declined in recent years, perhaps due to an increased focus on Canadian content, programming that rarely does well in English Canada against sleeker American productions. In Quebec, where the majority speaks French, la Télévision de Radio-Canada is popular and gets some of the highest ratings in the province. The language barrier, in addition to other cultural differences, keeps viewers from tuning to American channels in as large a number as the rest of English-speaking Canada.

Related Topics:
Canadian content - English Canada - Quebec - French

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Cable services

The CBC operates three specialty television channels—CBC Newsworld, an English-language news channel, RDI, a French-language news channel, and CBC Country Canada, a Category 1 digital service. It owns a managing interest in the francophone arts service ARTV, and through a joint venture with the National Film Board, CBC runs another digital specialty station, the Documentary Channel.

Related Topics:
CBC Newsworld - RDI - CBC Country Canada - Category 1 - ARTV - National Film Board

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Radio

CBC Radio has four separate services: two in English, known as CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two, and two in French, known as La Première Chaîne and Espace Musique. CBC Radio One and La Première Chaîne focus on news and information programming, but air some music programs, variety shows, comedy, and sports programming as well. Historically, CBC Radio One has broadcast primarily on the AM band, but many stations have moved over to the FM band. CBC Radio Two and Espace Musique, which are found exclusively on FM, air arts and cultural programming, with a primary focus on music, mostly classical. CBC's radio services do not sell advertising except when required by law, for instance, to political parties during federal elections.

Related Topics:
CBC Radio One - CBC Radio Two - La Première Chaîne - Espace Musique - News - AM band - FM band - Music - Classical

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CBC Radio also operates two shortwave services. One, a domestic service, broadcasts to Northern Quebec on a static frequency of 9625 kHz, and the other, Radio Canada International, provides broadcasts to the United States and around the world in eight languages. Additionally, the Radio One stations in St. John's and Vancouver operate shortwave relay transmitters, broadcasting at 6160 kHz. Some have suggested that CBC/Radio-Canada create a new high power shortwave digital radio service for more effective coverage of isolated areas.

Related Topics:
Shortwave - KHz - Radio Canada International - United States - St. John's - Vancouver - Digital

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Internet

The CBC has two main websites. One is in English, at www.cbc.ca, and the other is in French, at www.radio-canada.ca (or www.src.ca). In 1993, CBC launched an experimental web service, followed by a small site supporting CBC Radio, and a site supporting the CBC Halifax TV program Street Cents. CBC consolidated its English radio and TV sites into a single site in 1995. In 1996, it began offering 24-hour live streaming of its radio services using RealAudio. In 1997, CBC launched a site for kids, and covered its first federal election online. In 1998, it launched an online news service.

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In 2000, the CBC launched a wireless service, and CBC Radio 3, a broadband online magazine only available on the Internet, which provided streaming audio devoted to youth culture and independent music. Radio 3 is operated by CBC Radio. Production of the magazine has been suspended as the CBC re-designs the arts & culture portals on its website. Despite its name, CBC Radio 3 is not a radio network, although some of its content airs as a Saturday evening program on Radio Two. Bandeapart is the French equivalent, and also airs content as a weekend program on Espace Musique. In 2004, CBC began offering RSS feeds, and in 2005, it launched a new online arts and entertainment magazine. Also in 2005, CBC began offering podcasting of the CBC Radio science program Quirks and Quarks, and of Tod Maffin's technology column /Nerd, as well as limited podcasting of CBLA's Metro Morning. It's been a move that's been praised by some tech pundits as unusually ambitious for a public broadcaster.

Related Topics:
CBC Radio 3 - Internet - Bandeapart - French - Podcasting - Quirks and Quarks - Tod Maffin - CBLA - Metro Morning

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CBC/Radio-Canada also offers an extensive, free Archives service, available on the Internet, showcasing pivotal moments in Canadian history from the 1930s on. Over 8,000 clips and interviews from news and information programs provide an in-depth look at Canada's past.

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Today, CBC.ca is the largest news and information site dedicated to the Canadian viewpoint. It includes over 350,000 pages of news, analysis, commentary and indepth background information on issues affecting Canadians, plus on-demand streaming media, mobile and e-mail news delivery, detailed CBC on-air program information, digital archives, and more.

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In 2003, it won an Online News Association award in the ?service journalism? category for its coverage of the SARS epidemic. In 2004, CBC.ca was the only organization to win two awards from the Online News Association: one in the "specialty journalism" category for Canada Votes, its coverage of the 2004 Canadian federal election, and one in the ?service journalism? category for ADR Database, a tri-medial project from the CBC News investigative unit. CBC.ca was also a finalist in the ?online commentary? category for Blair Shewchuk?s ?Words: Woes and Wonder,? a series of columns about the English language.

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