4 - Wednesday, May 20, 1987 - North Shore News Bob Hunter strictly personal ® SWEEPING through town recently, Pierre: Berton com- plained bitterly that Brian Mulroney is selling Canada’s culture down the tubes to voracious American traders. One is tempted to call Berton the sheepdog of Canadian culture. In a speech here, Berton said “the four unique - institutions that don’t exist south of the border are the Canada Council, the National Film Board, the CRTC and the CBC. And the tragic thing is that these four are all in trouble.”’ I winced. Geez, you mean these are the bastions of our identity? That’s it? As anyone who has ever dealt with CBC knows, it is difficult to sustain a profound love for a corporation, any corporation, but maybe the C3C more than most. There is something about the bureaucratization of com- munications that leaves one pale with a sense of stultifica- tion. Right? Yet compared to the nakedly commercial net- works, CBC is a godsend. It is just that relatively good as it might be, it is also often | CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE An exciting professional Real Estate training program already proven successful is now available in the tower mainland. Whether you are just thinking of entering real estate or you are aiready licensed & look upon real estate as a career, Call and ask about our career development centre. PAT MUNROE, FRI, CMR, RI (8C) North Van., 988-6131 GARY BAILEY, mgr. West Van., 922-1244 CANADA TRUST REALTOR painfully unctuous and smar- my. This doesn’t mean there aren't good, hard working, in- telligent, talented people by the score at the CBC. The problem is that when you create an enormous centralized system, you automatically invent a niche for organization men and women — alas, at the top! That is, the people whose real desire is to be a poobah in hier- archy are the ones who in- evitably weasle their way to the top over the years, with the result that the CBC is run by all the wrong people. The creative types who just want to get on with the art of great television or radio remain below, with the levers of power far, far out- of their reach-— and located, of course, in Toronto. As one disgruntled CBC drop-out put it so eloquently, ‘If you don’t pee in the men’s room at head office, forget it.” LXURY —————_———— REMWOVATIONS BATHROOMS and KITCHENS ==] “Estimates L987: 3055 Round Up the S; at at Lynn VaLley CONTRE Western S Sidewalk Sale! free Television columnist John McCallum describes the top echelon at CBC as ‘wimps afraid for their jobs, whose management theory is self- preservation elitists and dilettantes, the professional corporate climbers, game players." As for the CRTC, good grief! Broadcasters keep themelves entertained late into the night telling regulatory horror stories. Everybody knows that the CRTC has let the cultural rob- ber barons at CTV get away with murder, If the CRTC is famous for anything, it is its overwhelming- ly obvious chronic failure to stem the tide of drivel so awash on our TV screens that there is scarcely any reason for turning the tube on except to catch the news or some rare worthy special, How many people realize that the return on equity of Cana- dian private television stations was 71 per cent in 1984 — compared to Bell Canada’s return on common equity of 14 per cent? A machine for mak- ing money indeed! MAKE FOR OUR WESTERN SIDEWALK SALE, PARDNER! And, mosey home with saddlebags of savings! Friday, May 22.to Tuesday, May 26 Lynn VaLeey Centre 1199 Lynn Valley Road & Mountain Highway In return, CTV and its af- filiated stations have spent — are you ready? — 3.4 per cent of their revenues on investment in Canadian feature-length fiims and television series. Basically, the CRTC treats Canadian television as a gov- ernment-blessed cartel. Com- petition is strictly controlled by limiting licences in different areas. The gods on high speak only among themselves. Profitability is wonderful, of course, and I wouldn't knock it except that the CRTC is sup- posed to be a cultural control agency, not a tap for opening up the cash flow of the private broadcasters. The long and the short of it is that between public and private broadcasting, Canadians are poorly served twice over. The CBC and CRTC might be bulwarks against the dropp- ings of the American cultural elephant, as author Berton believes, but I really wonder about the work they do. Is it worth it? As for the Canada Council, well, J am hopelessly com- promised on this one, having taken cash from the council once and having sent a grant back once —- not for some mighty ideological reason, by the way. It simply wasn’t enough to live on. The money tree from the council isn't coming out of tax- payer's pockets. It comes out of a fund set up years ago. Basically, what can be wrong with that?) Artists are poor tormented souls who need all the help they can get. Leave 'em alone. Referring to Berton’s fourth endangered Canuck cultural edifice, the once-unassailable National Film Board, it has to be sadly noted that an era of non-greatness would seem in- deed to have arrived. What Berton says about these “unique institutions’’ being in trouble is doubtlessly true. But they are part and parcel of Canada’s over-regulated en- vironment, and it may be that many of their troubles stem from their own inherent fail- ings, as much as being the fault of the mouth-breathing Tories. IMPAIRED DRIVING Ardagh Hunter Turner Barristers & Solicitors #300-1401 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver 986-4366 Free Initial Consultation Agatha Christie’s TEN LITTLE iNDIANS Directed by SIMON WEBB May 19 to June 13, Tues. thru Sat. 333 Chesterfield Ave. Van 986-1351 ee kd Pen cs Summer Guest Program for the whole famliy June 1 through August 31/87 Spend your hohdays rignt here at tne North Shore Winter Clu’ offering everything an expensive resort could Featu"e — exceot the orice! Swimming -- 25 metre outdoor pool, diving tank, training, coaching, competition in Marlins Swim Club, wading pool, lessons — 344 yr olds, field trios, flag football, ete making, hikes, water polo, water Sports camp basketball, Norseback riding, canoeing, crafts, walks, etc. Tennis —4 indoor & 4 outdocr courts Tiki Deck —Daily luncheon specia's, barbeques, dinners -- all enjoyed poolside {ce —Figure, hockey and ningette schools JOIN EARLY LIMITED NUMBER Note: First ten to sign up, receive complimentary one week FREE Sports camp REGISTER NOW! North Shore Winter Club 4325 East Keith Road 985-4135 North Vancouver {at Mountain Hay. & Keitn Ad)