If I could get ad-free TV as good as the Beeb in Canada, I would happily pay a licence fee. With the CBC, we get the worst of both the British and American funding models: a tax-supported broadcaster constantly threatened by funding cuts, and its programming constantly interrupted by remorseless advertising.

We stepped away from broadcast television nearly 20 years ago and never regretted the decision. Now we have Netflix and YouTube, and satellite radio so we can listen to the CBC in the car when travelling in the States. The radio service is still blessedly free of advertising.