Canada's broadcast regulator is moving to help local TV stations survive
Submitted by rwashburn on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 12:44pm.
Len Arminio: Professor, Journalism - Online, Print and BroadcastBy Len Arminio
The future of local news, especially TV news was the focus of discussion Saturday at the regional professional development conference of the Radio-Television News Directors Association in Toronto.
Rita Cugini, Ontario Region Commissioner of the CRTC told broadcast news leaders the commission will announce July 6th the start of hearings to bail out cash starved local TV stations. The hearings, to start in September, will discuss controversial options like requiring cable and satellite providers to pay local TV stations a fee to carry their signals.
The CRTC will also examIne expanding the Local Programming Improvement Fund...recommend by the Commons Heritage Committee...which could add millions to help struggling stations stay on the air.
Local radio on the other hand continues to be less impacted by the economy and remains the medium of convenience for local and breaking news.
The CRTC will release its findings by the end of December.
In a panel which followed,
Greg O'Brien of cartt.ca said the 780 mIllion dollars spent on US programming by Canadian TV could better be used to shore up local programming.
Outspoken TV anchor Donna Skelly of CHCH-TV in Hamilton slammed station owners for putting "so little value in doing real local news" and also crticized broadcasters in spending so much time covering the death of Michael Jackson when local audiences are getting the Jackson story from other sources.
Conservative MP Patrick Brown said Canadians value local news. He said a survey he did of constituents in his Barrie area riding showed 81 per cent said they would pay extra on their cable bill to support their local station.
Other participants and the audience members talked about the connection local media should have with their listeners/viewers and how focus on what they do best...Local news.
