OpenMedia.ca Responds to Sun TV’s Admission of Defeat

Media democratization network warns citizens to keep an eye on Quebecor

October 5, 2010, Vancouver BC – OpenMedia.ca, Canada’s largest media democratization network, has weighed in on Quebecor’s announcement that it will revoke its request for a mandatory access condition on the broadcast license for Sun TV News. The national non-profit now considers its campaign a clear success.

“We are pleased, of course, with Quebecor’s decision to drop its request for special treatment, “ said Steve Anderson, National Coordinator of OpenMedia.ca, “but we won’t be claiming victory until Quebecor formally rescinds it application through the CRTC.”

OpenMedia.ca, along with several other organizations, made an official submission to the CRTC regarding Sun TV’s application, which called Quebecor’s request for special treatment an attempt to “undermine the Commission’s regulatory authority, [which might] encourage other companies to act in a similar fashion.”

Anderson added: “Quebecor has denied the public the right to comment on the final version of its proposal. Its treatment of the regulatory process has been completely disrespectful. The CRTC should not be licensing on shifting sands.”

Representatives from Sun TV News have previously argued that the denial of a mandatory access exception would be “fatal” for the station, which had been struggling financially as a local broadcaster in Toronto. Quebecor spokesman Serge Sasseville recanted this claim in stating, “We are part of the free market, so we decided to renounce that special request.”

OpenMedia.ca has noted this shift, and it condemns any effort that Sun TV may have made to market its way to financial security by using Canada’s national media regulator.

Background
Sun TV News, commonly called Fox News North, put pressure the CRTC to grant it three years of mandatory access, something that the broadcast regulator had previously denied through its rejection of the network’s previous application. OpenMedia.ca recognized this as a ploy to gain special treatment, and launched a campaign calling on Canadians to submit their comments to the CRTC.

OpenMedia.ca’s initial release about the issue can be found here: http://openmedia.ca/news/openmediaca-tells-fox-news-north-youre-not-special

Further Concerns
Since Quebecor is abandoning Sun TV's original format as a local broadcasting station in Toronto, OpenMedia.ca is encouraging the CRTC to request that that station’s license be returned so that an independent local broadcaster may use it. The organization’s submission states that ensuring that a local media outlet is created in the wake of Sun TV News’ birth would be an ideal way of ensuring a real diversity of voices in Canadian television.

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Contact
Lindsey Pinto
Communications Manager, OpenMedia.ca
778-238-7710
[email protected]