Local organizations and businesses are effusive with their praise for the transaction – everyone from the Ottawa Senators to retailer Tommy & Lefebvre to the Westin Hotel in Ottawa to the Surrey Honda auto dealership to Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress in Victoria, BC to the Soho Bar and Grill in Calgary took the time to chime in with support. Moreover, MPs from across the political spectrum write with their support including Conservative MPs Bruce Stanton, Bev Shipley, Patrick Brown, and Garry Breitkreuz, Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, NDP MPs Irene Mathyssen, Brian Masse, and Joe Comartin, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, and Ontario MPP Bob Chiarelli.
The views expressed by the politicians are remarkably consistent. For example, Chiarelli says:
Bell has proposed a benefits package that is supportive of local news. Among the initiatives that are beneficial to local news is Bell’s proposal to allocate money to enhance local news on television with the view to expanding the content on new media platforms as well as its proposal to convert local station production facilities to HD.
Jim Watson says:
Bell has proposed a benefits package that is supportive of local news. Among the initiatives that are beneficial to local news is Bell’s proposal to allocate money to enhance local news on television with the view to expanding the content on new media platforms as well as its proposal to convert local station production facilities to HD.
Similarly, Conservative MP Patrick Brown says:
CTV has stated at various proceedings that the /A stations have sustained sizable losses over the years. BCE’s acquisition includes a proposal to be discussed that would dedicate a portion of benefit resources to these stations over the coming years providing much needed stability.
while Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan says:
CTV has stated at various proceedings that the /A stations have sustained sizable losses over the years. BCE’s acquisition includes a proposal to be discussed that would dedicate a portion of benefit resources to these stations over the coming years providing much needed stability.
Who focuses on the bigger implications of the transaction? No surprise that Telus leads the way with a call for interim measures to protect competition in advance of the vertical integration hearing in June. It is joined by Cogeco, which argues for competitive safeguards, and Pelmorex. Both the Canadian Conference of the Arts and a joint submission from ACTRA and AFM Canada (in addition to seeking a full benefits package) want “a robust mechanism to ensure that BCE’s distribution undertakings treat all programming undertakings equally and do not give preferential treatment to those owned by BCE.” The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union seeks more information on the transaction and raises a red flag about the impact of vertical integration.
The hearings are scheduled for next month.
OTA
Another nail in the coffin of over-the-air television.
Good eye.
Well it looks like you have turned up another fine example of Astroturfing.
Or perhaps more correctly in generic terms artificial sodding by lobbyists. (-;
It reflects poorly on both the script writing lobbyists and their proxy politicians who fail to represent the people that elected them.
The thing that worries me is that this political manipulation is going to go unnoticed in the mainstream “bought and paid for” media.
The general population will not see the Corporate slime that seethes beneath the surface of the apparently still waters that guide Government
canoe, while the CRTC pretends once again to paddle.
Useless
They should let those /A channels close down, they’re useless, who watches them? I sure don’t. Waste of money.
Did Jim Watson and Bob Chiarelli really say exactly the same thing? If so, it sounds like someone is reading from Bell’s playbook…
Re: Mikkel Paulson
You’re right! Wow, what great imagination and originality those Bell writers have.
…
Patrick Brown and John Ruttan also seem to have taken a page from Bell Generic PR dialog…
in sameness
there is strength.
and this CCC (command control center,= corp convergence center) is the NEWS center?
my. it’s not like they’re walking on water. It’s more like they can’t swim.
packrat
@Spike
I watch the A-Channel station in Ottawa. I’ve found that is the best way to get info on what is happening in those parts of Eastern Ontario not covered by the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, and to a lesser extent Cornwall.
CTV Ottawa only provides much by way of coverage of those non-urban areas if there was a murder or a body dumped. CBC… well, if it happens outside of the area bounded by Stittsville (west) to Gatineau (north) to Orleans (east) to Barrhaven (south) they may well not make mention. At least that has been my experience.
Idiocracy
Gee, a spam film festival provides the biggest comment?
Kind of like the future according to the CRTC.
Sounds like Bell is positioning to be the Ministry of Truth. I’m just wondering when the CRTC is planning to add the name “Bell” to our country name?
http://dissolvethecrtc.ca/
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