But, in the end, either because of the expense involved or because they did not want to be measured by CBC's demanding standards, the private broadcasters decided not to participate. Finally, the CBC decided to go it alone and to become the first major national broadcaster in the world with an independent office of the ombdusman. So, now, for the first time, people with an unsatisfied complaint about CBC journalism can have it reviewed by someone who is completely independent of those who put the program on the air and of program management. To ensure that viewers and listeners would know about the ombudsman's office, brochures were mailed out and promotional spots were broadcast on radio and television. Well, I think not badly.
Complaints are funny things.
Sometimes they say more about the person complaining than about the issue that they are complaining about. I remember a few years ago the British Travel Agents' Association conducted a survey of complaints their member organizations had received from Britons who had traveled abroad on holiday. The most frequent complaint from British tourists abroad was that the people in the country they visited spoke a foreign language. But most of the complaints we have dealt with so far have been serious and based on thoughtful, genuine concern. On average, about 10 percent of the complaints processed each year have been found to be fully justified and about another 20 percent to be partly justified.