VICTORIA - Last week's British Columbia election would have been an excellent opportunity for Victoria's 'A' Channel to demonstrate the importance of local television, but the station ran big American shows instead.
Parent company CTV is part of a Help Save Local Television campaign that's appealing to the public to pressure federal regulators to allow them to start charging cable companies to carry their signal.
“The future of local television broadcasting, including your station, is at stake,” according to CTV's campaign website. “Local news is the foundation of the Canadian broadcasting system. If we cut local roots, we lose something invaluable as a nation. At CTV and ‘A’, we want to see local television continue to strengthen our communities.”
So what kind of coverage did 'A' Channel Victoria provide on election night?
As the polls closed, according to the schedule on the station's website for the day, they showed Reaper: To Sprong With Love. At 8 p.m., when other stations were beginning to report results, it was American Idol, followed by Fringe: There's More Than One of Everything. Finally, at 10 p.m., they broadcast the popular Dancing With The Stars.
'A' Channel reporters provided feeds to the Vancouver CTV affiliate. It did not, however, provide the in-depth coverage focused on Vancouver Island and Victoria races that it did in 2005.
Station manager Jim Blundell did not return phone messages left before or after election night. Nor was anyone immediately available at CTV's head office in Toronto.
The television stations are “giving us a lousier and cheaper product,” said blogger and retired broadcaster Harvey Oberfeld. “The television stations, private TV, are using their financial problems to slash wherever they can.”
The campaign is more likely motivated by broadcasters' desire to make money than it is by any commitment to local television, he said. “It's an outrageous over-hyped campaign.”
The federal regulator, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, should hold the stations to the local programming commitments they made when they won their licenses, he said.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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dgiVista.org
3 years ago
I want my licenses back!
Honestly, the CRTC is such a scam, bending over backwards to support media oligarchs that have no interest in respecting democracy, their role as a free press and the privilege of broadcasting that is bestowed by the public.
I want control of our licenses back. I want the CRTC to work for Canadians and I want more of this kind of reporting on The Tyee that presents important issues and exposes the pathetic cynicism of corporate media.
Enough!
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
slim
3 years ago
Local programming, yeah right?
On my quick TV Guide survey of CTV's local offerings, it provides 2 1/2 hours of weekday local news programming. That's only 10.42% of the weekday TV schedule. There are no local arts or community lifestyle programs.
Go to this link for a WKRP conversation between Dr. Johnny Fever and Mrs. Carlson:
http://skinnydips.blogspot.com/2009/05/local-television-its-plus-and-plus-if.html
Van Isle
3 years ago
Listened to a segment on CBC
Listened to a segment on CBC radio program this morning "The House". They had an interview with some VP with Rogers Cable about how much money the commercial TV stations are making, then pleading how broke they are. Then the politians/business elite wonder why the general population is getting more and more cynical about our society? Making a lot of money isn't good enough for these guys, for some unknown reason they have to make more.
lynn
3 years ago
Great article, Andrew MacLeod.
Great article, Andrew MacLeod. Well done.
And well said, Harvey Oberfeld:
Quote:
"The campaign is more likely motivated by broadcasters' desire to make money than it is by any commitment to local television, he said. “It's an outrageous over-hyped campaign.”
ReaperDMV
3 years ago
Reaper
Industry insiders confirm Hollywood Reporter's article that ABC Studios is actively trying to sell Reaper. Syndication is a very real possiblity right now, but EVERYONE is recommending writing your affiliates! Help out! All details here: http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46875.html
Moonbug
3 years ago
what bull. Start playing
what bull. Start playing more local TV before you come begging for money.
Wilfred Laurier
3 years ago
Changing Media
Network TV is in it's death throes. I for one rarely watch it. I get my news from the Internet, borrow movies from the library and read a lot. The young people I know practically never watch it and why would you, when you can watch anything you want on You Tube without commercials. Like anything else in life, it is adapt or die.
As for the CRTC, it is a dinosaur. There is no way it can now control what we can or cannot see or who makes it or where.