BBC v CBC

The old Beeb has been having a tough time lately. Jimmy Savile, now unmasked as a prolific horrific paedophile [what an odd suffix to employ; 'philia= friendship or affectionate love'], was before my time in the UK, so I never had a chance to form an opinion of him. Otherwise, surely, I would have been one of those saying, 'Ah, I always thought he was fishy.' Instead, my rather vague associations with the name were of haberdashery, maybe a Bond Street business tycoon. But sadly, no-- he was a villainous abuser. It sounds like a lot of people at the BBC knew about his predilections, or at least suspected them, but he was too valuable to be impugned. And so a venerable old institution is justly and duly tarnished. Or rather more tarnished. It was already dulling after encounters such as the nasty phone call by Russell Brand to that actor from Fawlty Towers about his granddaughter, and the Lord McAlpine scandal.

And yet still and yet somehow, the venerability remains. The BBC is the heart, the soul and the pride of the nation. It is scrambling now to clean up and make amends but its place is secure (though not, perhaps, all its personnel). 'The Archers' marches on (will Lillian choose Paul or Matt?); 'Any Questions' practically rubs its hands in glee, Jack Dee's deadpan grows even deadlier in 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'.

Thank the Lord and Logitech for internet radio. Thousands of miles away and five hours behind, I'm still tuned into Radio 4, or Radio 3, or occasionally Radio 4Extra, just as I was in England, where Radio 4 conducted my diurnal routine ('Afternoon Drama' ending? Get ready for the school run. 'Shipping Forecast'? Bedtime.) Occasionally I ring the changes by tuning into NPR or Pacifica (hello, America, how are you?). But in the car, I can only get CBC.

CBC's tagline is 'CBC: Canada lives here.' Cute, that is, and accompanied by a catchy jingle. It's a gentle pat on the back, with a mild exhortation thrown in. Join us! Listen! Be one of us, and one with us. Be Canadian! The network's local affiliate proclaims: 'We sound the way Toronto looks.' An advert for the station's newsy 'Metro Morning' show has a slightly-accented woman's voice confiding that when her husband brought her to Toronto from China eight years ago, he instructed her to listen to Metro Morning in order to learn to be Canadian. She congratulates herself that she did, and she has.

Me, I just cringe.

I am trying to imagine the BBC making a similar statement. 'Listen to us-- become a better Brit.' Everyone would either laugh, or assume that UKIP was behind it. Then they'd send Jonathan Dimbleby to remove all their foster children.

It's different in Britain.