Another Patheic Display by the CRTC

[gunsmoke2]

CRTC licenses multicultural T V channel
World television network: Programming only available to digital subscribers


Barbara Shecter
Financial Post
The federal broadcast regulator has licensed a new television channel which proposes to broadcast foreign programs that will "facilitate insight, understanding and integration by providing viewers with direct windows on the people of Canada and the world."

World Television Network says its programming will include, among other things, performance art from around the world and movies from India subtitled in French. Proposed shows include Books in Print, which would feature international literature from book festivals in Europe and South America, and Day and Night, described as "a chronicle of the daily lives and meeting places in urban and rural centres that will bring a new understanding to the audience of the cultural diversity of Canada."

It will be available only to TV viewers with access to digital signals -- despite the urging of one representative of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to make it available to a majority of cable and satellite subscribers.

Martha Wilson argued that World Television Network should have been made widely available because its programming would support multi-cultural directives in the Broadcasting Act which governs the CRTC, and help Canadians "better understand the various ethnocultural groups which comprise a very large and growing part of our population."

Ms. Wilson argued that such programming would close the "gap" between conventional English and French broadcasters and the current crop of ethnic channels which broadcast foreign programming in its original language for ethnic-only audiences.

The CRTC actively considered putting World Television Network on the analogue dial, and making carriage mandatory for all large cable and satellite companies.

And although it concluded that "more can be done" to pursue its multicultural and multiracial objectives of the Broadcasting Act, it denied the proposal.

The main reservation appeared to be that World Television Network would not offer enough Canadian programming and commentary on its "world" shows ranging from news to arts to movies and drama.

The Broadcasting Act stipulates that programming and employment opportunities in broadcasting must serve the needs and interests and reflect the circumstances and aspirations of all Canadians "including equal rights, the linguistic duality and the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canadian society and the special place of aboriginal people within that society."

Canada has two analogue ethnic TV channels located in Toronto and Montreal, and 14 ethnic radio stations. Vancouver is expected to get its own ethnic TV channel next year.

In addition, the CRTC has licensed five ethnic analogue specialty channels and 42 digital ones which will only be launched if the channel owners can negotiate carriage with satellite and cable companies.

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is available across Canada and will soon be joined by aboriginal radio stations in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver.

bshecter@nationalpost.com





DUH !! That's why Canadians want to view ethic programming from US providers because they have it.




GS2

[Boozer#1]

Grey-market TV
Terence Corcoran misses the point in his editorial re: Bell ExpressVu of Dec 6, 2001.
Bell is only asking for a fair playing field. The U.S. competitors do not have to suffer CRTC restrictions. Corcoran mentioned HBO, which is a good example. Direct TV can beam this to Canadians where Bell cannot. The villains in this story are the CRTC and the government, not Bell. If these CRTC restrictions on freedom of expression occurred in Iran or a Third World country, we would have civil libertarians screaming. Why not in Canada??
Richard Lawton, Scarborough, Ont.
Grey-market TV
I have often wondered if Bell ExpressVu knows how many subscribers they have here in the United States. I am one, however I do request anonymity. Frankly, I love Canadian programming. The biggest problem is finding program listings. I find myself watching more Bell ExpressVu programming than I do on my Direct TV or DISH Network systems. I just recently added another Bell ExpressVu receiver to my home theater set-up.
I am gaining a lot more respect for Canada than I ever had before I bought my first Bell ExpressVu system. I never really thought too much about Canada until then. Now I am learning a lot more about Canada, and it is also refreshing to see other nation's viewpoints about the United States. It would be great if that NAFTA agreement included access to Canadian programming in the United States and vice versa. I am sure after folks down here discovered Canadian shows like Cold Squad, Blue Murder, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy, Waking the Dead, etc., as well as the outstanding nature programs, Bell ExpressVu sales would sky rocket.
Alexander Rogers, Michigan
Grey-market TV
Sheila Copp's statement that she will ensure that canadians only watch canadian satellite programming is so mind boggling that I don't know where to start! First it brings to mind a child who loses a game then changes the rules to ensure a victory. Secondly after years of " no comment its before the courts " here is a politician assuring a group ( satellite owners ) that their interests will come first. It is so very obvious that they pressured her to make that statement. Maybe we all will have to hide our dishes in the attic to escape detection, like people did with radios during the war ! Sheila , get out of my living room !!!!!
Tony Brand, North Vancouver
Grey-market TV
Thank you for the wonderful editorial in opposition to Bell's attempt to totally control the communications in my home. I have been on Direct TV for about 5 years, as well as receiving basic cable or using a television antenna to get Canadian news and content. There is no need for me to buy a total Canadian service, to get the Canadian content I choose to watch. I think it outrageous that signals come to my home, and I am told it is illegal for me to pick them up. Are they going to outlaw the Internet as well. Bell owns Ontario's local telephone system and most of the wires. It owns the only regularly working high speed internet address, Sympatico along with The Globe and Mail and CTV. A ruling in their favour gives them a monopoly over our thoughts.
It is time to realize that the world is larger than Canada and freedom of expression requires our ability to receive information from other places as we choose. I hope your confidence in the vagueness of the law will protect us. Bell Canada donates money to every Member of Parliament golf tournament in Ontario. I hope the end result will not be an invasion on my freedom. Oh, by the way, after doing what ever you do with letters like this, can you destroy my address. I would prefer not to have the "Satellite Police" invade my humble home.
David Cohen, Richmond Hill, Ont.

[gunsmoke2]

There is no point missing here at all. ExpressVu comes to court with Dirty hands. Do you have any idea how big their Grey Market is in the US.?

They are vendors for over two years now openly advertizing Grey Market in the US with ExpressVu and even though it has been brought to their attention they do nothing about it.

They are not licensed by the FCC in the US.

What more of a fair playing field do they need.

They are the largest telecommunication company in Canada and you feel sorry for them. They CHEATED for about 8 months showing illicit Adult entertainment that was not license by the CTRC. Just another example of their patheic behavior.

So while you complain about an unfair playing field for ExpressVu they are professionals at breaking all rules and killing competition by disguishing their action in the Supreme Court as some important agenda when it is nothing more then a play to kill competition and force Canadians to watch their programming.

The villian here is Bell ExpressVu and the Canadian Government who share a king size bed together.


GS2

[Just The Facts]

No you are wrong bozzer

Bell is the problem here. they knowingly took a law that was for one thing and they have used their power and prestige to go after small independent Canadian businesses with a vengence .

Nothing can justify their attempts to have a complete prohibition against Canadians watching Foreign Broadcasts.

If the problem is the CRTC then they should have put millions of dollars and millions of man hours into forcing change at the CRTC. Not going after small family businesses

BELL wants no competition PERIOD.

The board of Directors should be arrested and charged with Treason along with the Cabinet for knowingly violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to line their pockets.

[Boozer#1]

Hi guys I just cut and pasted that from yesterdays national post paper

[gunsmoke2]

I had checked the nationalpost yesterday before I posted and didn't find your copy and paste. I did find the article that I posted about. There was an article about Look TV filling for bankrupty protection and even though now owned by Bell they are the reason for Look TV's problems - killing the competition



GS2

[gunsmoke2]

Look creditors overwhelmingly approve restructuring proposal
Requires court approval


Michael Lewis
Financial Post
Digital TV and Internet services group Look Communications Inc. says its creditors overwhelmingly approved a restructuring plan yesterday, consenting to accept shares in the company in lieu of debt repayment.

Look said the agreement -- which still requires court approval -- will allow it to emerge from court protection at the start of 2002 debt-free and with positive cash flow.

Paul Lamontagne, Look president, said 93% of creditors, representing 87% of unsecured claims and all secured claims, agreed to the restructuring plan.

He said creditors will end up with about 95% of Look equity, 70% for secured creditors, 25% for unsecured and 5% for current shareholders, though creditors will not receive seats on the board or be involved in day-to-day operations.

Unsecured creditors, including suppliers, will have the option of receiving a cash payment instead of equity to a maximum of $700.

Look shares, trading in the 4¢-to-5¢ range on the Canadian Venture Exchange before trading was halted on Friday, will be consolidated 100-to-one to offset dilution from the equity-debt swap.

Look's major creditors, BCE Inc.'s overseas long-distance telecom unit, Teleglobe Inc., and Telesystem Ltd., the holding company of Quebec entrepreneur Charles Sirois, were owed $98.3-million at the end of September after assuming the bank debt when Look failed to make a scheduled payment.

BCE guaranteed two-thirds of the obligation, with Telesystem backing the balance. Suppliers also claimed about $50-million in unpaid bills.

BCE inherited an indirect 27% stake in Look when it acquired Teleglobe last year, with Telesystem holding 11% of Look equity and a 55% voting interest.

Look, based near Toronto, said it can relaunch marketing and other programs using cash flow from operations, leveraging its existing wireless network and Internet protocol infrastructure.

Mr. Lamontagne said Look continued to service its approximately 234,000 subscribers after it voluntary sought protection earlier this year under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.

Look's problems stemmed in part from a BCE decision to deny new funding, seeing the company as a competitor to its satellite TV service, Bell ExpressVu. Look also faced costly technical difficulties with its digital TV service, problems it says have been resolved.

The company was forced to abandon a national network rollout, limiting its facilities to Ontario and Quebec.

Mr. Lamontagne said Look will focus on niche markets, aiming to sell new high-speed Internet connections, Web hosting and other products to business customers.

He said the company has brought costs in line with revenue through layoffs, salary cuts and consolidation of office facilities. The company has 300 employees, down from about 500 at the start of the year.

Look posted sales of $59-million during the first nine months of 2001, up from $50.1-million for the same period last year.

Including capital asset writedowns and other charges, the company lost $103.1-million in its latest quarter, compared with a net loss of $45.2-million for the same period last year.

mlewis@nationalpost.com



GS2

[gunsmoke2]

Ok I finally found it. Those are reply's to the article by Terence Corcoran. Only the first one blames the problem on the CRTC and the rest are replies that favor our position against Bell ExpressVu.



GS2