Sun News: Gov't Regulators, We Need Your Help

[Romero]

Quebecor says its television network Sun News suffered a projected $17-million loss in 2012 and will continue to record unacceptable losses unless the federal regulator requires cable and satellite companies to carry it on their basic service.



The media giant says the current distribution agreements are inadequate to support the channel, which is only offered in 40 per cent of households.



It claims the addition of Sun News — dubbed "Fox News North" by its critics — to the basic service would be "negligible" to consumers, adding only $2.16 annually to each household — $1.08 per Francophone household — if the costs are passed on to subscribers.



The CRTC approved a five-year licence for the channel in November 2010 after Quebecor dropped its request for a special licence that would have required cable and satellite carriers to offer the service.



http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/01/21/sun-news-loss-crtc-basic-cable_n_2522396.html">//http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/01/21/sun-news-loss-crtc-basic-cable_n_2522396.html

Too funny. What happened to letting the market decide? What happened to big, evil government staying out of things?



http://i.huffpost.com/gen/860750/thumbs/r-SUN-NEWS-MANDATORY-CARRIAGE-CRTC-large570.jpg?4">

[Romero]

Sun News Network, Canada's upstart conservative-leaning news channel, is making what it calls a "do or die" application to the country's broadcast regulator for mandatory inclusion in basic cable packages, and is urging pro-life and pro-family advocates to get behind them.



"Sun News is the strongest voice for the pro-life cause on television in Canada. Bar none," Byline host Brian Lilley told LifeSiteNews. "We have Alissa Golob on the air, Stephanie Gray, Andrea Mrozek, Lila Rose and other pro-lifers. We've also given extensive coverage to the march."



"The CRTC has a very small window for Canadians to register their support or opposition to an application," Teneycke told LifeSiteNews. "In our case the public comment period closes on February 20th.  We need to demonstrate a groundswell of support for Sun News, and the readers of LifeSiteNews can help."



http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/sun-news-asks-pro-lifers-to-support-do-or-die-application-to-broadcast-regu/">//http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/sun-news-asks-pro-lifers-to-support-do-or-die-application-to-broadcast-regu/

Whoa. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Seems like a reasonable request to me. Why souldn't they have the same market access as their competitors.



OTTAWA - Sun News Network has made what it calls a "do or die" application to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to be put on basic cable, just like its main competitors.



"We are asking for the same type of licence that CTV and CBC had for 13 and 21 years respectively for their news channels," said Kory Teneycke, vice-president of Sun News. "We think this is a reasonable request and that it is in the interests of all Canadians."



Teneycke said Sun News is only available in four out of 10 households right now, with some cable companies not carrying the channel at all.



"This is not right," he said. "Especially when these same cable providers are offering American cable news channels as a part of their basic package."



Sun News produces 96 hours per week of pure Canadian content.



If the CRTC grants Sun News the "mandatory distribution" it seeks, it would mean a financial boon for the channel.

[Romero]

Seems like a reasonable request to me. Why souldn't they have the same market access as their competitors.

That sounds reasonable at first, but Sun News isn't CBC or CTV. The agreement was that they would have five years to prove they could hold their own. It would be like the Georgia Straight having a cable channel and suddenly demanding government help to get on basic. The CRTC isn't supposed to let every two-bit media organization pretend they're one of the big boys. Sun News simply doesn't have the viewership.  



The beautiful irony is that Sun News is always droning on about letting the market decide and railing against government funding and interference. It seems their core ideology isn't working out too well and now they want to suckle the government teet.

[Obvious Li]

Homy Homy Homy...fair is fair..if you allow the govt. to subsidize the CBC/CTV anti conservative cabal....and force every canadian to get this propaganda piped into their living rooms.......then it stands to reason the rightish Sun News should have the right, at a minimum,  to allow every canadian access to their fair and balanced broadcasting as well...

[cc]

Strange (rolling eyes) but he couldn't see that (the obvious) before spouting that crap.



I'm sure Sun would prefer no govt funding for its competitors or anyone, but so long as the govt. continues to support these economically unviable entities to keep them going others need have a level playing field.



Truth is > Our pet does not like level playing fields. He prefers advantage to his ilk.

[Romero]

Homy Homy Homy...fair is fair..

Well, well, well... look at who's suddenly a socialist.



The CBC should be completely defunded. The CTV shouldn't be subsidized. No media organization should see a dime of welfare from taxpayers.



Anybody can subscribe to the Sun News Network, right?



Letting the free market decide is best. Government should keep its nose out of business. At least that's what I heard on Sun News! hahahahahaha



http://i.huffpost.com/gen/860750/thumbs/r-SUN-NEWS-MANDATORY-CARRIAGE-CRTC-large570.jpg?4">

[cc]

In your post above, you are an outright liar. OL was clear about level playing field, yet you come back with that lowlife hollow BS



Fact is the others [size=150]DO[/size] get subsidized making your words above ring embarrassingly hollow.



I guess "hollow" is just a way of life for you. Whatever you imagine works, eh?

[Romero]

In your post above, you are an outright liar. OL was clear about level playing field, yet you come back with that lowlife hollow BS



Fact is the others http://ezralevant.com/2011/09/time-for- ... e-the.html">http://ezralevant.com/2011/09/time-for-the-cbc-to-leave-the.html[/url]

See? Sun and Ezra already have exactly what they want. A completely privately run corporation with absolutely no government interference.



Anybody can subscribe. If Sun News Network is successful according to free market values, the subscriptions and money would be rolling in.

[Romero]

Sun News Network, that fearless foe of state subsidies for the CBC, wants you, Dear Television Viewer, to directly subsidize it to the tune of $18 million a year.



Have no doubt, that's just the beginning, but it would nicely cover losses the company says now amount to a modest $17 million a year -- hardly a corporate killer, one would think, but apparently enough to get Sun News queuing up at the public trough.



It turns out, as others have discovered before them (Ted Byfield, c'mon down!) that there's not much of a market in Canada for the kind of market fundamentalist pap Sun News peddles -- at least when consumers have the choice not to pay for it.



Given the opportunity to choose to watch Sun TV, viewers run away in droves. Now the so-called news channel, which disseminates anything but news, has gone with its grubby cap in hand to one of Levant's targets, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, to beg for the right to inject its poison directly into almost every Canadian home because it desperately needs the wholesale revenue that would then automatically flow back into its coffers.



Sun News and its separatist bosses at Quebecor Inc. want the CRTC to grant it "mandatory carriage," which means you can't keep it off your TV dial because it would be included in basic cable coverage everywhere in Canada. That way, I guess, it'll be easier for them to campaign against opposition parties led by committed federalists from Quebec, of which there will soon be two.



For its part, the company claims it has market research that shows viewers would watch its programs if only they knew where to find them. But this is highly suspect, since cable companies push packages that include the network and viewers aren't biting.



The subsidy Sun News Network is seeking now would add up to about $4 a year from all cable subscribers to directly subsidize hate and propaganda, but you can count on it that, in the manner of all their ilk, the corporation will soon be back at the well for more.



Regardless, according to the Globe and Mail, Sun News faces "stiff odds" in this effort, seeing as there are lots of other more credible and creditable broadcasters vying for the 10 channels that must be carried by all cable companies.



http://www.firstperspective.ca/news/3098-sun-looks-for-public-subsidy">//http://www.firstperspective.ca/news/3098-sun-looks-for-public-subsidy

[Anonymous]

^That is a grossly anti-Sun biased editorial. I'm neither for nor against Sunmedia, but they are certainly justified in seeking a level playing field.

[cc]

"level playing field" is NEVER what our copy / paste / post pet has in mind.



He always wants the deck loaded in favor of things like CBC / CTV that push his type agendas and will spend all day looking for material to deflect from the REAL issue and criticize "the other" side

[Romero]

^That is a grossly anti-Sun biased editorial. I'm neither for nor against Sunmedia, but they are certainly justified in seeking a level playing field.

Sun News thinks it's justified, but it's not. CBC and CTV are major national broadcast television networks whereas Sun News is just a specialty television channel. It would be like National Geographic or Disney requesting mandatory carriage, other than the fact that those channels are actually popular and successful.



Therein lies the real problem. Most specialty channels do well and make money. Why can't Sun News? Because barely anybody watches it. It's actually already on lots of cable tv tiers without subscription. I've got it. Giving it mandatory carriage isn't going to change anything. Nothing is going to stop it from being an unpopular money-loser. Sun News is grasping at the last straw, hoping things will magically turn around in its favour.

[Romero]

Sun News isn't competition. CBC and CTV are highly watched major television networks. Sun News can't even compete with the BookTelevision channel.



A level playing field is for the big boys. Sun News doesn't have any game. The channel is already being shown on lots of cable across Canada. Plenty of people can watch it but barely anybody does.



It really has nothing to do with government favours and the competition. The Sun News channel is a losing business enterprise. It's been dead and losing money since the day it came onto the air.

[cc]

I see. It's no threat, got it,  



yet you worry on & on & on & on about it .... look @ all the material you searched for in apparent desperation



caught by the old words / deeds thingy .... hmmmm