OTTAWA — CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch wants the federal government to sign a contract that spells out exactly what Ottawa expects of his network and how it will be funded. Appearing before the heritage committee on Thursday, he said such an agreement is needed because of the widening gap between the Ceeb’s budget and its mandate.

But under questioning from MPs, Rabinovitch, flanked by his television EVP Richard Stursberg, would not specify the amount of money it would take for the public broadcaster to meet its mandate.

‘I’m not going to duck that question, but I’m not going to give you an answer,’ he replied. ‘It depends on what you want from the CBC.’

For example, he went on, it would cost an extra $130 million to increase regional TV programming, another $20 million to $25 million to extend local radio programming into unserviced regions, and up to $100 million to convert the net’s facilities to high definition.

The CBC faces ‘serious financial pressures,’ he told the 11-member committee, which is in the midst of reviewing the CBC. ‘The plain fact is, if these pressures are not addressed — seriously and soon — there will be no more rabbits to pull out of the hat.’

He said belt-tightening at the public broadcaster has reached its limits, following the annual $75-million cost savings over the past seven years. Public funding of the CBC amounts to about $1 billion. Stursberg told the committee about 55% of the TV network’s budget comes from commercial revenues, including subscriber fees to its news specialty TV channel CBC Newsworld.

Rabinovitch said the ‘implicit’ contract between the pubcaster, Canadians and the government is ‘too generic,’ and must be replaced by an explicit agreement, as is the practice in Ireland, South Africa and Hong Kong. He noted the BBC operates under a Royal Charter that is formally renewed, after debate, every 10 years.

‘This is the kind of clarity and predictability we seek. Anything less is really paying lip service to the ideal of public broadcasting — while watching it wither,’ he said.

Rabinovitch later noted, with thanks, that the government has again agreed to give the public broadcaster $60 million per year over the next two years in supplemental funding. The CBC has received a $60 million top-up every year since 2001.

Asked how he will spend it, he said it will go 60% to TV programming and 40% to radio programming. Some $10 million is also being earmarked for cross-linguistic shows, he added, to be shot and produced in both English and French for multiple platforms including radio, television and new media.