Thanks for historical info. DJ on TV broadcasting.

Here in Canada, especially for those of us living within 200 kms. north of the Canada-U.S. border, we get a ton of U.S. tv content.

In Canada there is a quasi public tv, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. They do have a public mandate to provide a certain percentage of their content as produced by Canadians. Many of the employees, meaning permanent employees are are paid from the public purse.

The programming content has diversified, and in my opinion, increased the range of quality to the public. But unfortunately alot of their programs' existence on air now, are still ruled by the advertising dollars.

Just to give a flavour of some great Canadian programming:

Nature of Things --has run for over 2-3 decades. Hosted by a ex-geneticist/scientist now TV journalist on scientifc is David Suzuki. He has near celebrity status in Canada. What program in the U.S. would hire and air someone of Japanese-Canadian descent for the past 3 decades ..at the national level???? Especially someone who espouses consistently on enviromental protection? Wouldn't happen in the U.S. right now, would it?* Surely, Ralph Nader wouldn't have been allowed to have his own weekly national program in the U.S. in the same eras as Suzuki.

Royal Canadian Air Farce: Most Canadians love this weekly comedy show. I think it's run over 3 decades with regular comedians. National and provincial politicians do a short gig on air. 1/2 of the commentary is skit, political/current events.

This is Wonderland: A national series, fictional on a bunch of legal aid lawyers and their shenanginas with crazy clients. It was a good, sharp, endearing show... I worked in legal aid and with the lawyers myself..it shows the humanity, craziness of the justice system. This show was cancelled last year.

Little House on the Prairies --There is NO way the U.S. network would air this fictional series...about the handsome East Indian Canadian lawyer from Toronto who converts to becoming a Muslim iman (religious leader) in a small Canadian prairie town. They build a mosque by sharing space with a united church. It's a comedy but it's light.

This is why I do feel a bit suffocated when I go into the U.S......the whole heavy burden of Civil War, slavery, U. S. involvement in Vietnam, Iraq,...has created some great TV/film stuff, but can stifle current debate and honest satire for several decades. It's like an embargo on free thinking. It must the McCarthy years...that fear of being called commie for anything that even suggests something other than mainstream.