Lawyer and part-time sportscaster Hubért Lacroix has been tapped by Ottawa as the new president of CBC and Radio-Canada, and will take over when Robert Rabinovitch steps down on Dec. 31, ending a tumultuous eight-year reign marked by the 2005 lockout and some malaise among the Ceeb’s operations in English TV. So we ask:

What should be Lacroix’s first job as president?

Recognize that CBC should be more concerned with market influence than market share. He should be open to outside criticism and encourage internal debate and ideas, but be prepared to seriously evaluate the organizational structure and management of the corporation.
Barry Kiefl
President, Canadian Media Research

To push the government to publicly clarify exactly what it wants the CBC to do and then to provide sufficient funding to accomplish that.
Arthur Lewis
Executive director, Our Public Airwaves

To make the CBC more relevant to average Canadians, and to all Canadians. I happen to believe that Mr. Rabinovitch has done a good job of moving the CBC in that direction, and I would hope that the new president would continue on that path.
Fred Forster
President and CEO, PHD Canada

He’s got to be an advocate for what makes a public broadcaster different from the commercial broadcasters…I think people too often confuse it with some vague notion of Canadian programming. But actually it is broadcasting in the public interest, it’s broadcasting without being tied to commercial pressures, and it’s what the CBC is – a gift to the country.
Lise Lareau
President, Canadian Media Guild