Published in The Globe & Mail, October 19, 2005
Toronto -- While it is true that Robert Rabinovitch was somewhat inarticulate during his interview with Anna Maria Tremonti on his vision for CBC, that is not the only characteristic separating him from BBC director general Mark Thompson (Are There Lessons For The CBC In The BBC? -- Oct. 18).
It is worth noting that Mr. Thompson was selected for his position by the BBC's governors through a competitive process, while Mr. Rabinovitch, whose term was recently extended by Paul Martin, is a patronage appointment of Jean Chrétien.
If we value competence at the top of our national public broadcaster, we should implement the unanimous recommendation of the Commons heritage committee that the CBC's board, not the prime minister, should hire and fire its president.
Ian Morrison
Spokesperson
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting