Devion's Views #288 (Special Edition)
PRESENTATION BY RON DEVION TO THE BRENTWOOD BAY PROBUS CLUB JAN. 21, 2025
GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS. TODAY’S SHOW AND TELL: “THE MEDIA, ITS POWER, ITS INFLUENCE, ITS EVOLUTION AND ITS CRISIS.”
SEMINAL MOMENTS/EVENTS
AN ASTROPHYSICIST WOULD SAY “IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS NOTHING, AND THEN THERE WAS THE BIG BANG.”
A CANADIAN BROADCASTER WOULD SAY “IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS RADIO, THEN THERE WAS TELEVISION AND THEN, THERE WAS...NOTHING!”
IN THE EARLY 1930’S, INFORMATION AND POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT BEGAN FLOODING ACROSS THE BORDER, ON RADIO WAVES.
CANADA WAS IN THE MIDST OF “THE GREAT DEPRESSION”. THE MEN WHO SAT IN THE DOMINIONS' PARLIAMENT WERE ALARMED BECAUSE THE RADIO WAVES CARRIED THE STORIES, CULTURE AND VALUES OF A FOREIGN LAND.
IN 1936, PARLIAMENT DECIDED TO CREATE THE CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION AND ITS FRENCH LANGUAGE-COUNTERPART, SOCIETE RADIO-CANADA. AND GAVE IT THE FOLLOWING MANDATE: BUILD AND OPERATE RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE LAND, TO TELL 11 MILLION CITIZENS STORIES OF OUR HISTORY, OUR CULTURE AND OUR VALUES.
FOLLOWING THE END OF WWII, INFORMATION AND POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS SEEPING ACROSS THE BORDER, ON TELEVISION.
PARLIAMENT AGAIN RESPONDS, ORDERING CBC/RADIO CANADA TO START BUILDING AND OPERATING TV TRANSMITTERS AND TV STATIONS ACROSS THE SIX TIME ZONES.
THE YEAR, 1952 - CANADA’S POPULATION IS 14.5 MILLION; ONLY 3.5 MILLION MORE THAN IN 1936 DUE TO THE RAVAGES OF WWII.
THE FIRST "FRENCH-LANGUAGE" TV STATION BEGINS TRANSMITTING PICTURES AND SOUND, FROM MONTREAL.
THE FIRST "ENGLISH-LANGUAGE" STATION TRANSMITS IT’S FIRST SIGNAL, IN TORONTO. PEOPLE GAZING (IN AWE) AT A TV SET IN EATONS’ STORE WINDOW, SAW AN IMAGE THAT MADE TELEVISION HISTORY. THE PICTURE WAS UPSIDE DOWN. OOPS!
THE YEAR, 1954 - AN AD APPEARS IN WINNIPEG’S TWO DAILY NEWSPAPERS THAT ATTRACTS THE ATTENTION OF HUNDREDS YOUNG PEOPLE “ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE NEW FIELD OF TELEVISION APPLY TO BOX SO AND SO”.
THE ESSENCE OF THE BUSINESS I SPENT THE NEXT 40-YEARS OF MY LIFE IMMERSED IN, CAN BE EXPRESSED IN ONE WORD - STORYTELLING.
EVER SINCE HUMANS WALKED THIS EARTH AND LEARNED TO SPEAK, WE’VE BEEN TELLING EACH OTHER STORIES.
WHETHER PASSING ON NEWS, GOSSIP, RUMOUR, INNUENDO, LIES, OR WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE TRUTH - WHATEVER THAT IS ANYMORE - WE PASS IT ON IN THE FORM OF A STORY.
FACT OR FICTION, A STORY HAS TO BE “CREDIBLE”. A CHALLENGE FOR THE MOST SKILLED STORY-TELLER.
TRY CONVINCING A “MILLENNIAL” WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE GROWING UP IN THE 1930’S AND ’40’S. THEIR FACIAL EXPRESSION TELLS YOU WHAT THEY ARE THINKING - “THE OLD GEEZER IS MAKING THIS SHIT UP - MILK, BREAD, ICE, DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME ONCE A WEEK, IN A HORSE DRAWN CART - GIVE ME A BREAK.”
TO THEM, YOUR TRUE STORY IS NOTHING MORE THAN A FAIRY TALE.
THOSE OF “US” FROM THE “SILENT GENERATION” WERE INFLUENCED BY ‘TRADITIONAL MEDIA’; NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, RADIO AND TELEVISION (MY WORLD).
WHAT INFLUENCES MILLENNIALS AND THE GENERATIONS THAT FOLLOW ARE BEWILDERING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS, THAT LEAVE MANY OF US “OLDER FOLKS” GOBSMACKED AND OVERWHELMED.
AND LIKE ME, STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE DIZZYING PACE OF CHANGE, SPURRED ON BY WARP-SPEED-TECHNOLOGY, IN A WORLD SEEMINGLY GONE MAD, AND BEYOND ANYONE’S CONTROL.
EVERYBODY HAS A “GADGET” THAT FITS IN A POCKET.
A MAGICAL BOX THAT CONTAINS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA, A DICTIONARY, A REFERENCE LIBRARY, A MUSIC LIBRARY, A TRANSLATOR, A PHONE, A FLASHLIGHT, THE WORLD’S NEWSPAPERS, THE WORLD’S RADIO AND TV STATIONS, A MOVIE THEATRE, A CAMERA, A BOOK STORE, A GPS TRACKER AND GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT ELSE.
ON NOV. 30TH 2022, SOMETHING NEW ROLLED INTO THE PUBLIC SQUARE THAT GOT EVERYONE’S ATTENTION, CALLED “CHATGPT”.
AND THAT STARTED “ORDINARY-FOLKS” ASKING PROBING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE” (AI).
ABOUT A MACHINE, LIKE NO OTHER EVER INVENTED, THAT CAN THINK LIKE HUMANS AND EVEN OUT-THINK US.
A MACHINE THAT COULD SOLVE ALL OF THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS OR DESTROY EVERY SINGLE HUMAN ON THE PLANET IN THE SNAP OF THE FINGER - OR BOTH.
A MACHINE STEPHEN HAWKING SAID “COULD BE THE BIGGEST EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR CIVILIZATION, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE THE LAST”.
ITS CREATORS HAVE WARNED - IF LEFT UNCHECKED AND UNREGULATED - THEIR INVENTION WILL DISPLACE US.
RECENT NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, CONSIDERED THE GODFATHER OF AI, CANADIAN GEOFFREY HINTON, SUGGESTS THIS WILL HAPPEN WITHIN THE NEXT 20-YEARS.
HERE’S THE SCARY PART - COMPUTER SCIENTISTS ARE BAFFLED, BECAUSE AI IS NOW GENERATING ITS OWN CODE - CREATING A NEW GENERATION OF ITSELF - CALLED ARTIFICIAL-SUPER-INTELLIGENCE (ASI).
AND THE “EXPERTS” DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW AI IS CAPABLE OF WRITING ITS OWN CODE OR WHAT “ASI” IS CREATING. A BRIEF PAUSE…TO LET THAT SINK IN.
THE REASON SPORTS IS THE MOST WATCHED FORM OF CONTENT ON OUR ELECTRONIC “GADGETS” IS BECAUSE SPORT CONTAINS ALL THE ELEMENTS OF A COMPELLING STORY.
IT’S IMMEDIATE (LIVE)|
IT HAS A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END
IT’S HIGH DRAMA
IT’S UNPREDICTABLE
IT HAS HEROES AND VILLAINS IT HAS MY TRIBE VS YOUR TRIBE
IT HAS A WINNER AND A LOSER
IT HAS A NEXT-TIME FOR THE LOSER
IT HAS PASSION - THE THRILL OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT
AND IT’S AWASH IN MONEY, CORRUPTION AND UNSCRUPULOUS CHARACTERS STUFFING THEIR POCKETS.
ALL THE INGREDIENTS NECESSARY FOR A THRILLER, CHOCK FULL OF PHYSICAL CONFLICT.
THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS WAS WATCHED BY A STAGGERING NUMBER, MORE THAN 3 BILLION PEOPLE.
AND BEHIND THE CURTAIN - WHEN IT’S OVER - THE “CON-ARTISTS” WHO RUN THE IOC SLIP QUIETLY OUT OF TOWN, LEAVING AN EQUALLY STAGGERING BILL FOR THE “HOST” NATION TO PAY.
“HOSTING” IS CODE FOR “YOUR TAXPAYERS PAY FOR OUR PARTY”.
IT TOOK TAXPAYERS 30-YEARS TO PAY OFF THE DEBT INCURRED FOR “HOSTING” THE 1976 MONTREAL SUMMER OLYMPICS.
WE VAINLY HOPED OUR POLITICAL LEADERS WOULD LEARN FROM THAT FINANCIAL FIASCO AND SMARTEN’ UP, THE NEXT TIME THE IOC CAME CALLING.
BUT NO SUCH LUCK - INCREDIBLY, THE IOC “CARPETBAGGERS” CONNED THEM INTO PAYING FOR TWO MORE; THE 1988 (CALGARY) AND 2010 (VANCOUVER) WINTER GAMES.
AND RECENTLY, OUR GUARDIANS OF THE PUBLIC’S PURSE WERE “SUCKERED” AGAIN, THIS TIME BY FIFA “HUCKSTERS”. THEY BLINDLY AGREED TO PAY (UNKNOWN-MILLIONS) FOR 13 MATCHES TO BE PLAYED IN TORONTO AND VANCOUVER DURING THE 2026 WORLD CUP OF FOOTBALL.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? ARE THEY NAIVE? INCOMPETENT? ON THE TAKE? POLITICIANS WHO ARE UNABLE TO SAY NO, “CANADIANS CAN’T AFFORD THIS, GO CONN SOMEBODY ELSE!”.
AND WHO WILL NEVER REVEAL WHAT THESE “GAMES” ACTUALLY COST US.
ALBERT EINSTEIN EXPLAINED “INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS.”
TRANSLATION: WE’RE BEING ROBBED BY CRAZY PEOPLE. SOMEBODY CALL THE COPS.
LET’S LOOK BACK AT THE PAST CENTURY FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE POWER AND INFLUENCE OF MEDIA.
THE 26TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THEODORE “TEDDY” ROOSEVELT, PRONOUNCED “IF YOU’VE GOT THEM BY THE BALLS, THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS WILL FOLLOW”.
IN 1965, MALCOLM X SAID “THE MEDIA IS THE MOST POWERFUL ENTITY ON EARTH. THEY HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THE INNOCENT GUILTY AND TO MAKE THE GUILTY INNOCENT, AND THAT’S POWER. BECAUSE THEY CONTROL THE MINDS OF THE MASSES.”
VERY DIFFERENT MEN, USING DIFFERENT WORDS, TO EXPLAIN A REALITY.
“THOSE WHO CONTROL THE MESSAGE, CONTROL THE OPINIONS OF THE MASSES. THOSE WHO CONTROL THE OPINIONS OF THE MASSES, CONTROL THE WORLD.”
THE 1930’S WAS THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, NEWSPAPERS…AND DICTATORS.
BACK THEN, AN AMERICAN MEDIA MOGUL, WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, CONTROLLED MUCH OF AMERICA’S MEDIA.
HEARST WAS ASKED WHO HE THOUGHT WOULD BE ELECTED IN AN UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. HIS RESPONSE “THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR WHO I TELL THEM TO”.
PAUL JOSEPH GOEBBELS WAS HITLER’S ‘REICH MINISTER OF PROPAGANDA’ FROM 1933 UNTIL 1945. GOEBBELS MASTERED THE PLAYBOOK ON CONTROLLING THE MESSAGE, THE MEDIA, AND THE OPINIONS OF THE GERMAN MASSES.
RUPERT MURDOCH’S NEWS-CORP EMPIRE IS AN EXAMPLE OF TOO MUCH MEDIA CONTROL IN THE HANDS OF A FEW. FOX NEWS’ INFLUENCE ON THE AMERICAN VOTER WAS DEMONSTRATED ON NOVEMBER 5TH.
YESTERDAY, A VILE, UNHINGED, TYRANT TOOK CONTROL OF A 243-YEAR-OLD REPUBLIC AND BEGAN ITS TRANSFORMATION.
“VENGEANCE IS MINE” HISSED THE LORD-VADER OF PALM BEACH.
“I AM YOUR WARRIOR, I AM YOUR JUSTICE, AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN WRONGED AND BETRAYED, I AM YOUR RETRIBUTION!”
FOLKS, THAT IS REAL SCARY SHIT, UTTERED BY A DANGEROUS FASCIST, WHO BELIEVES HE’S ABOVE ANY LAW AND THAT NOBODY HAS THE BALLS TO STOP HIM FROM DOING WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS.
NOW, A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO CANADA’S MEDIA INDUSTRY.
TRADITIONAL MEDIA (PRINT, RADIO AND TELEVISION) HAS BEEN SEVERELY IMPACTED BY AN AVALANCHE OF CHANGE AND CHOICE, DRIVEN BY TECHNOLOGY, THAT SHATTERED THEIR BUSINESS MODEL.
EYE-BALLS AND EARS MIGRATED EN-MASSE TO PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES, ALONG WITH BILLIONS OF AD REVENUE DOLLARS. GOOGLE AND META NOW CONTROL 80 PERCENT OF CANADA’S $14 BILLION ONLINE ADVERTISING BUDGET.
THIS RESULTED IN 42 LOCAL RADIO STATIONS, 11 LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS, 40 DAILY NEWSPAPERS AND 400 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS BEING CLOSED (SO FAR) WITH THE LOSS OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MEDIA-WORKERS.
THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES ARE LEFT WITHOUT EFFECTIVE LOCAL COVERAGE.
NEVER BEFORE, HAS LOCAL NEWS BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT IS TODAY.
BUSINESSES THAT SHUTTERED THEIR REGIONAL NEWS OUTLETS HAVE CONCENTRATED DWINDLING RESOURCES IN CENTRAL CANADA; TORONTO, OTTAWA, MONTREAL.
LATER THIS YEAR, PIERRE POILIEVRE WILL BECOME PRIME MINISTER.
HIS PROMISE TO “DEFUND THE CBC”, MEANS THE “PUBLICLY-OWNED” ENGLISH LANGUAGE RADIO, TV AND ONLINE SERVICES, IN ALL 10 PROVINCES AND THE NORTH, WILL DISAPPEAR, ALONG WITH THOUSANDS MORE MEDIA WORKERS.
MONSIEUR POILIEVRE ALSO UNDERSTANDS A POLITICAL REALITY. ANY POLITICAL PARTY THAT THREATENS A CULTURAL INSTITUTION IN QUEBEC, WILL SUFFER A VOTER BACK LASH THAT WILL COST THE CONSERVATIVES ANY CHANCE OF A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT. CONSEQUENTLY, HE VOWS TO PROTECT THE “PUBLICLY-OWNED” FRENCH LANGUAGE RADIO, TV AND ONLINE SERVICES.
UNILATERALLY DECIDING TO DISCONTINUE "ENGLISH-LANGUAGE SERVICES", WITHOUT CONSULTING THE PUBLIC CORPORATIONS’ OWNERS, IS WRONG.
“THOSE WHO PAY, MUST HAVE A SAY!”
NB: IN FISCAL 2024-25 THE CORPORATION RECEIVED $1.38 BILLION FROM TAXPAYERS.
THE FRENCH LANGUAGE SERVICE (SRC) RECEIVES 44%, $607.2 MILLION.
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SERVICE (CBC) RECEIVEs 56%, $772.8 MILLION.
THE QUESTION FOR TH0SE OF US WHO PAY LESS THAN $34 PER YEAR TO SUBSIDIZE OUR PUBLICLY OWNED MEDIA. WILL CANADIANS BE BETTER SERVED WITHOUT CBC RADIO AND CBC NORTHERN SERVICE?
CBC TELEVISION NEEDS A MAJOR REFOCUS, BUT KILL IT? WHY? TO WHAT END?
AND AS “UNREGULATED” FOREIGN-MEDIA-GIANTS CONTINUE TO HOLLOW OUT WHAT REMAINS OF THE NATIONS MEDIA.
IN THE 1930’S AND 1950’S PARLIAMENT TOOK STEPS TO PROTECT CANADA’S AIRWAVES. WHY NOT NOW?
THE DECISION TO CEDE CANADA’S AIRWAVES TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY LEAVES “ENGLISH-SPEAKING CANADIANS” SEARCHING FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM SOURCES CONTROLLED BY THE MURDOCH’S (ON FOX NEWS), ELON MUSK (ON X), MARK ZUCKERBERG (ON META), JEFF BEZOS (ON AMAZON), SAM ALTMAN (ON OPEN AI).
PRECISELY AT A TIME WHEN IT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER TO SPREAD MISINFORMATION AT SCALE.
“THOSE WHO CONTROL THE MESSAGE, CONTROL THE OPINIONS OF THE MASSES.”
HANDING CONTROL OF OUR MEDIA TO AMERICANS IS INSANE!
CANADA FACES AN UNPRECEDENTED MEDIA CRISIS.
IN JUST THE PAST FIVE YEARS, 10,000 CANADIAN JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN LAID OFF.
HOLDING POWERFUL INSTITUTIONS TO ACCOUNT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF JOURNALISTS. WITHOUT THEM - WHO KEEPS WATCH ON THOSE IN POWER - LOCALLY, PROVINCIALLY, NATIONALLY?
HOLDING THOSE IN POWER TO ACCOUNT IS THE ESSENCE OF DEMOCRACY.
WITHOUT JOURNALISTS IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY.
SURRENDERING CONTROL OF OUR MEDIA TO A FOREIGN POWER, SOUNDS THE DEATH KNELL OF A DEMOCRACY WE CALL HOME.
ARISTOTLE WARNED “TOLERANCE AND APATHY ARE THE LAST VIRTUES OF A DYING SOCIETY”.
CANADA IS VULNERABLE. THE HOUSE IS PROROGUED. THE SHIP OF STATE FLOUNDERING. THE STEERSMAN A.W.O.L. PREMIERS ROWING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, WHILE A VILE, UNHINGED TYRANT PLANS TO MAKE US HIS SUBJECTS.
UNTIL A NEW “CAPTAIN CANADA” IS ELECTED, WE, OF “THE SILENT GENERATION”, MUST SEND THE 78-YEAR-OLD BULLY A MESSAGE HE WILL UNDERSTAND “THE GREAT WHITE NORTH IS NOT FOR SALE!”
OLD-GEEZERS (LIKE ME AND JEAN CHRETIEN) WILL ASSEMBLE AT THE BORDER, WITH MUSKETS ALOFT, AND “MOON” THE EVIL MADMAN!
ONE LOOK AT THOUSANDS OF TOUGH, GRIZZLED, WRINKLED CANADIAN BACKSIDES, AND THE FIVE-TIME DRAFT DODGER, SERIAL LIAR, CONVICTED FELON, SEXUAL HARASSER AND ALL ROUND IMMORAL ASSHOLE, WILL STAY ON HIS SIDE OF THE LONGEST UNDEFENDED BORDER ON THE PLANET.
MARK TWAIN NAILED IT WHEN HE SAID “SOMETIMES I WONDER IF THE WORLD IS BEING RUN BY SMART PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING US ON OR BY IMBECILES WHO REALLY MEAN IT.”
Q & A