This thesis examines the role of broadcasting in Canada with regard to developing and maintaining a national identity in the face of United States influence via the media. The subject is examined within the theoretical framework provided by the science of cybernetics and the Laws of Thermodynamics. A historical overview of Canadian broadcasting policy and institutions is provided. The work of the various royal commissions and other investigatory bodies is analyzed. The most important contemporary institutions, the CRTC, the CBC and the federal Department of Communications, are situated within the context. The effects of the most recent technologies, cable television, satellites, Pay-TV and VCRs are examined. Canadian broadcasting is also viewed in the context of the 1989 Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and the New World Information and Communication Order. Our conclusion suggests that the future of Canada's identity depends primarily on the quality of domestic broadcasting. Finally, we suggest that Canadians and Europeans, who are facing some comparable problems in a united Europe, can learn from each others's experiences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.61110 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Rapp-Jaletzke, Sybille M. |
| Contributors | Thomson, Dale C. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Political Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001274902, proquestno: AAIMM74718, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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