Angry in the Great White North

We must have a public broadcaster!  Or so insist Canada's artistic elite.  Why?  Something about private broadcasters not being trusted to recognize quality programming to spend money on.

Or quality hotels and dinners:

CBC's top executives spent more than $60,000 over six months holding meetings in luxury hotels and resorts and expensing such items as sparkling wine and limousine rides.

Documents released under Access to Information show the CBC spent at least $61,500 on nine meetings between January and June 2006.

Documents also show a penchant for posh surroundings: A day-long meeting at Toronto's St. Andrew's Club and Conference Centre cost $3,599 for 38 people; a day-long meeting for 18 at the city's luxury Hotel Le Germain was $1,554; dinner for 28 at the private members-only The Spoke Club in Toronto came to $2,002; and a meeting for six Radio-Canada employees at Montreal's swanky boutique hotel Place D'Armes, a four-minute drive from Radio-Canada's headquarters, cost $950.22.

The meetings were held according to CBC/Radio-Canada guidelines, CBC spokesman Marco Dube wrote in an e-mail. When face-to-face meetings are required, "off-site meetings are usually better to avoid disruptions."

Avoid disruptions?  Don't meeting rooms at the CBC have doors?

This was back in 2006, and the champagne and spas and retreats have allegedly been cancelled in the face of the difficult economic times.

If the CBC goes advertising free, then 100% of the cost of future blowouts will paid for by us.

Meanwhile, by contrast, the Aspers have been working diligently, and so far with success, to keep private broadcaster Canwest operating:

Canwest Global Communications Corp. said Wednesday it has been granted a two-week extension from its lenders on a debt payment until May 5.

The company said a committee of its noteholders, who own about 70 per cent of the outstanding notes, have agreed not to demand repayment until that date.

Canwest also said Canwest Media Inc. and its senior lenders also agreed to extend the waiver of some borrowing conditions until May 5.

During the two-week period, Canwest Media's lenders have agreed to provide the company with more access to credit.

Access to more credit?  That is a huge vote of confidence by the lenders in the ability of the Aspers to guide Canwest through these tough times.

And I'm guessing that the meetings took place in a nice meeting room, but nothing ostentatious.  And with the door closed so as to avoid disruptions.

Closing the door is a lot cheaper than renting space at the Hotel Le Germain.