Seven media experts selected to help modernize CBC/Radio-Canada before next election

Seven multimedia experts have been selected to advise Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge as she renews the role of Canada's public broadcaster.

The group will provide policy advice mainly on CBC/Radio-Canada's governance and funding, Canadian Heritage said.

The department says that consultations on the CBC's mandate have already been conducted with the general public.

The new advisory panel will now help St-Onge chart a path forward, with members contributing knowledge from a variety of fields.

St-Onge said committee members have diverse perspectives and experiences that will help her modernize CBC and its French-language arm, Radio-Canada.

«Canadians need a strong, innovative and independent public broadcaster that is ready to meet the challenges of this period of transformation and upheaval in news and content creation,» St-Onge said in a media statement Monday.

The panel will help her promote Canadian culture, stories, languages, artists and creators, «while adapting to our rapidly changing broadcast and digital landscape,» she added.

The panel includes:

• Marie-Philippe Bouchard, CEO, TV5 Quebec Canada.
• Jesse Wente, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, founding executive director of the Indigenous Screen Office.
• Jennifer McGuire, managing director, Pink Triangle Press.
• David Skok, CEO and editor-in-chief, The Logic (independent media startup).
• Mike Ananny, associate professor of communication and journalism, University of Southern California Annenberg.
• Loc Dao, executive director of DigiBC.
• Catalina Briceno, professor, Universite du Quebec a Montreal.

CBC president Catherine Tait has been calling for a long-term financial structure for the public broadcaster, such as a multi-year funding agreement through a charter,