by The Canadian Press June 22, 2015 11:32 AM
TORONTO – The CBC’s experiment with paid advertising on CBC Radio 2 and Espace Musique raised $1.1 million in revenue in 2014, well below the $10 million the public broadcaster hoped for when the CRTC approved its plan to air ads on the music-focused networks.
The new revenue wasn’t enough to cover an $18.2-million decline in government funding as total revenue for the CBC’s radio services fell 5.6 per cent for the year to $287.6 million.
According to the CRTC’s annual report on the financial results of Canadian commercial radio stations, parliamentary funding for CBC radio fell from $295.5 million in 2013 to $277.3 million in 2014.
The CBC originally asked the regulator for permission to air ads on Radio 2 and Espace Musique as part of its licence renewal process in 2013, saying that the new revenue would help it offset future declines in its public subsidy and could reach up to $10 million.
In a May 2013 majority decision, the federal broadcast regulator approved the CBC’s request to air paid advertising on the two networks for a three-year trial period.
But CRTC commissioner Tom Pentefountas called the decision “crazy” in a dissenting opinion.
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