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CBC Opens ZeD.cbc.ca Code

Posted by michael on from the free-to-air dept.

ivar writes "The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has open sourced (Apache License 2.0) the code used to build ZeD.cbc.ca. The corresponding TV show (typically consisting of content uploaded by the community) aired the announcement last night (Jan 6_, along with the Canadian broadcast premiere of Revolution OS. It's always heartening to see cool things come from a state run corporation..."

7 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. CBC -- BBC by mj · · Score: 5, Informative

    CBC has some really great stuff, it's sad more people don't pay attention...

    Since moving to Britian, I've seen how far something like the CBC could go: The BBC.

    The BBC kicks serious ass. Wide range of great programming. Really insightful stuff...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk

    And it's not fear mongering like the American news channels. (and yes, we got plenty of them in Canada...)

    1. Re:CBC -- BBC by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Chicken Cannon!

  2. CBC - state run? yeah right by topham · · Score: 5, Insightful


    CBC is not run by the Canadian government. It's FUNDED by the Canadian government.

    If the CBC were run by the government they wouldn't send so much time bashing the government. (Sometimes rightfully, sometimes not.)

    Personally I think we should cut all their funding since they run advertisements just like any other station.

    1. Re:CBC - state run? yeah right by SubtleNuance · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Personally I think we should cut all their funding since they run advertisements just like any other station.

      Canada has one of the most free press in the world. One of the reasons is that we provide an open INFRASTRUCTURE (cbc) to content. If you cut the funding for CBC, you will have a narrowing of discourse that will hinder our community's ability to communicate.

      Free enterprise isnt concerned with truth or equality or insightfullness or universal access.

      I would recommend Canada uses the BBC as a model and we Canadians implement a MORE usefull and worthwhile broadcast system.

      Commercial interests are anethma to worthwhile broadcasting.

      IF your goal is an army of mildly entertained, mildy informed consumers move Canadian Broadcasting regime towards the American model.

      If your goal is an informed and engaged public, with a method to sustain a conversation for the participants in public arts and politics Canada should build a BBC-like system.

      What do you feel our goal should be?

      And before someone says "freedom", i'll provide the preemptive retort. The CBC is evidence that state-funded enterprise can have Freedom. AND that in other places, "a free-press is for those who own one" and therefore devoid of worthwhile Freedom.

    2. Re:CBC - state run? yeah right by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Informative
      CBC is not run by the Canadian government. It's FUNDED by the Canadian government.


      Well, the CBC is a Crown Corporation. Which means they're owned by the government, report to the government, but expected to operate as a commercial enterprise. It is a bit of an arms length relationship. They fill a role that private industry can't/won't fill while still trying to serve the public interest. There's quite a few crown corporations in existence.

      Personally I think we should cut all their funding since they run advertisements just like any other station.


      Well, they're supposed to. Since they have to try and run as a profit generating (hopefully) corporation, they conduct regular commercial activities. You may not like the whole system of Crown corporations, but singling out the CBC for fulfilling their role is a little misplaced.

      Cheers

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  3. CBC and Free / Open Source Software by gmailflows · · Score: 5, Informative

    The CBC (a Canadian Crown Corporation) is a large media organization with diverse interests and actors. Internally it is divided into three distinct branches: Television, Radio, and New Media. While there is no official "pro open source" policy at the CBC, there are large numbers of us who promote open source at every opportunity.

    Zed is based in Vancouver and is somewhat independent from the core of CBC's new media efforts, and as a result have had the freedom to do what they've done re: build and release an open source app. Unfortunately a great deal of the cbc.ca content system is based upon microsoft .asp and the funds and will do not seem to be present to follow the model of zed in embracing free and open source software. With that said, cbc.ca does use apache/linux servers from akami...

    The next step as others have noted would be for the CBC to join the BBC wrt codec development.

  4. To the "WTF is ZeD" people: by iantri · · Score: 5, Informative
    ZeD is a "media convergence experiment", i.e. a website and TV show on the CBC at 11:25pm. It runs for 40 minutes, commercial-free, and shows short films, documentaries, independent music acts, mostly Canadian.

    The content is (mostly) available on the rather nifty website; most of the show's content originates from it. Think DeviantART, except for all types of media, and with a TV show that showcases the best of it.