I'm going to throw this open for discussion.
I've always been fascinated by the importance of the distinctiveness of place. There is an argument that runs through commercial entertainment.... I come from the music business, and there's certainly a commercial argument that you strip from your voice all local dialect, all local place names, and make it “Bayside”. These people are sort of bland, and that can sell to everybody. Of course, it's bland in a very American way. There's a sense that you'll sell more by not coming from any one place.
I've always felt very clearly that people are actually dying for distinctiveness. They want place, they want the reality of a place. Toronto can be Bayside. Toronto can be Toronto and be anywhere. Newfoundland really can't hide what Newfoundland is: you're in Newfoundland.
So in a world where you're having to compete for commercial television production, if CBC isn't picking up the ball, what chance do you have with the private broadcasters, the CTVs and the Globals of the world, to have your stories told, not just regionally but in the place they deserve, which is a national television network?