Saturday, May 23, 2009

Save Local TV

The media machine is moving at top speed today. CTV has turned an annual open house into a soap box for “fee for carriage”. I’m watching Newsnet and they have orchestrated live hits from across the country at CTV stations. Round up all the local politicians and charities to tell everyone how important local television really is. I can’t help but think that this has more to do with corporate profit that local TV.
A few years back these media giants were buying anything they could get their hands on. It was all about being big and powerful. Now that the economy has fallen apart they need our help to save local TV. Well actually they just need more of our money. While I’m not opposed to spending more on Canadian TV, I don’t want to give them more so they can just spend it on US programming. Let them guarantee it will be used to produce content right here at home. That will mean more jobs in the industry and more local news.
Today as CTV uses its outlets to get its message out, Shaw is also running full page ads in all the daily newspapers. The cables companies don’t want to pay any more money for content. It’s really all about profit and loss and Canadians are just pawns in the game. I will gladly pay $20 more a month for TV but let’s make more TV right here at home.

1 comment:

  1. I look at most of the over-the-air television stations and notice that there is very little local content other than the suppertime and late evening news.

    I used to work in television and noticed the decline of local television. I don't think making cable and satellite companies pay for local coverage will benefit local television at all. In the end, the people who will pay are the consumers.

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