Over at my Facebook page, a friend asks me: “David, what are your thoughts re the so-called “Fox News North” broadcast application to the CRTC?”
As I'm the National Bureau Chief for the applicant and will likely have a prominent role in the television programming for the station once it gets up and running, I was pleased to provide the following reply:
First: It's called SunTV News. It's 100 per cent Canadian owned and operated. There's no deal with FOX; no licensing; no money from FOX. We're as Canadian as the CBC. SunTV News. Not Fox News North.
Second: Take a look at the CRTC's “Notice of Hearing” for our licence. It's a short read and it's right here at:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-649.htm
Let me cut to the chase and sum up what's in that doc: We are not asking taxpayers to subsidize us. We're not asking the CRTC to force Canadians to pay for our programming or to be forced to watch us. What we are doing is asking the CRTC to order Rogers, Shaw, Videotron, Telus, Bell and all other cable and satellite companies to put us on the digital dial so that, to quote from the CRTC notice, “the public [can] have access to Sun TV News without any obligation to choose it.”
So to sum up: You don't want it? No problem. We're not asking the CRTC to force you to pay for it. You want it? Terrific. We are asking the CRTC to make sure your local television provider puts it on the dial so that you can order it.
Our owners, Quebecor Inc., plan on losing about $25 million over the first four years of Sun TV's operation. That's $25 million that a Canadian company is willing to bet on Canadian journalists and Canadian audiences. When was the last time that happened? (Why it was Conrad Black's National Post where I just happened to be a proud day oner!)
How will SunTV make money? Partly through the sale of advertising. But we're also betting that a lot of Canadians will pay 50 cents a month for us. That's right. $6 a year. A year.
Of that 50 cents, half will go to us and half to the TV distributor. So we're going through these hoops so we can ask you — not force you — to give us $3 a year. For that, we intend to offer you some television news programming that you can't get on CTV or CBC (or American-owned CNN, for that matter, the channel that is easily the most-watched all-news channel in this country.)
You can read all about what we're up to by downloading this collection of documents (including revenue and expense estimates) which Quebecor has filed with the CRTC:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/broad/applications/2010/2010-1188-2.zip
is it not true that Quebecor/SunTV News initially wanted to be on regular cable? I thought I read that somewhere. and if that was true, wouldn't that have involved some type of subsidy?
I'm glad you're making it clear that the proposed station is called Sun TV News and is a wholly CANADIAN owned enterprise. Unfortunately, some conservative fellow bloggers/commenters who are enamoured with Fox News started calling it Fox News North, and opponents of the proposed station have delighted in calling it that ever since.
I look forward to seeing how its news coverage & analysis compares to CBC, CTV, Rad-Can, and CPAC programming. Sorry Global & TVA, I seldom watch you guys.
First: It's called SunTV News.
No it isn't. It's called Fox News North–not because it's connected to Fox News–and will never be known as anything but Fox News North. You might as well get used to that.
Our owners, Quebecor Inc., plan on losing about $25 million over the first four years of Sun TV's operation.
That's peanuts when you consider they'll be providing endless propaganda for conservatism.
Come on, David. We all know what the purpose of this station is. I can understand that you can't blurt it out since you work for them and are there to provide a figleaf of respectability for them, but don't blow smoke up our arse.
You fail to mention that your network has applied for a Category 2 licence along with mandatory access so the channel has to be a part of a specialty channel package. You are spinning the truth to your own liking, which foreshadows how your network will also spin the news from reality to Fox News North.
Typical conservative hypocrisy. You people go on about personal choice, rail against subsidies yet here you are, denying Canadians the freedom to turn you down, while looking for a handout from cable subscribers. Pathetic.
No, no and no. But since you won't take my word for it, how about seeing what this independent journalist has to say about what we're asking for. No subsidies. No requests to be part of a package (though distributors can offer us to their customers in whatever way they think best). No handouts.
(though distributors can offer us to their customers in whatever way they think best)
And there you have the sleight of hand trick. Oh no, we're not forcing you to subsidize us even if you don't want to, it's your cable company doing that bit of dirty work for us.
BTW, I'm one of the few lefties who is actually looking forward to the arrival of FNN and I've got a suggestion for a show. It's called “Who Did I Call A Jew Hater Today”, hosted by Ezra Levant. It will of course, need to be an hour long.
Thank you for pointing out the 'trick' Robert. Saved me the trouble.
I too am looking forward to Fox News North. Global TV already proved that right-wing opinion news doesn't have a market in this country, as did the failed newspaper that Mr. Akin worked for under Conrad Black (you guys find those WMDs in Iraq yet?). I'd love to see this lot fail just the same.
But, I'm not going to help them float with my cable dollars, and that's precisely what they are asking for with their Category 2 licence. Why not go alone like al-Jazeera, Mr. Akin, why do you need to be part of a package? It's because you know Fox News North wouldn't hack it as a stand alone option.
What you didn't mention is the Cat 2 license which provides a guaranteed level of income. Tell us the ALL the facts and then we can decide if we want that channel in the “no choice” group of channels.
I had tremendous respect when you reported for CTV. Now, sorry if this is blunt, you are sounding like another corp schill, ala Tory K (but, at least, I know what to expect from him).
Shake your head and talk to us in the morning.