Licence to kill

Last month, when CHUM axed local newscasts across the country -- killing nearly 300 jobs -- it went in default of its conditions of licence. At least that's what the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) charges. (Boldface is mine.)

Chum Limited is in violation of its TV station licences and the CRTC should call an inquiry into the issue and require that the broadcaster fulfill its licence obligations and commitments, says Canada's largest media union.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada has filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio/Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in which it is asking the CRTC to declare CHUM Limited in violation of its TV station licenses as a result of recent program cancellations at various stations across the country.

"The dramatic reductions in local programming run counter to explicit commitments made by CHUM to the CRTC. The cuts also have the effect of reducing local content to such a level that at some locations, CHUM is no longer in compliance with its conditions of license," a CEP complaint filed with the CRTC states.

Stations most dramatically affected by the cuts, mainly in local news coverage, include A-Channel Ottawa; A-Channel Victoria; CityTV Calgary; CityTV Edmonton; CityTV Vancouver; and, CityTV Winnipeg. Local news coverage, the complaint adds, has also suffered at the A-Channel in Barrie, Ontario.

Recall that the news cuts came on the same day of the announcement that CHUM was being sold to Bell Globemedia for $1.4 billion. At the time, CHUM CEO Jay Switzer insisted -- and I still believe him -- that the job cuts had nothing to do with the sale, and that they had been in the works for 9 months.

Still, they were draconian and, in some cases, eviscerated local operations.

I haven't had a chance to study the licences of all the relevant stations but I have looked at this, the 2004 CRTC decision which awarded CHUM the Craig group of stations, which included some of the operations hard hit by the cuts. Boldface, again, is mine.

13. CHUM stated that it would increase the quality and extent of coverage of local news and other events for the newly acquired stations in Alberta and Manitoba. CHUM added that it would bring its "street-front/store-front" style of television to as wide an audience as possible by establishing storefront bureaus in Red Deer and Lethbridge, Alberta. CHUM submitted that these bureaus would help ensure that viewers in rural areas are reflected in the local programming broadcast on the Edmonton and Calgary stations.

14. CHUM anticipated that at least a half-hour per week of programming would come from each of the storefront bureaus. This programming would highlight and showcase the opinions and events in the more rural areas of Alberta, where a significant proportion of the audiences for the Edmonton and Calgary stations resides.

Seems like a slam dunk for the CEP, right?

But will the CRTC let CHUM and, by extension, Bell Globemedia get away with it it?

Of course.

H/t to Carla.

 

Comments

[CapitalCat]

When has the CRTC *ever* clamped down on folks who ignore their promise of performance? My quick research shows five radio stations have had their licences lifted over the years and some TV licences were renewed for shorter periods than requested.

The CRTC is the parent whose idea of discipline is buying the kids vanilla ice cream instead of chocolate when they've been bad.

[Mark]

In Winnipeg, there is no longer any news at 6:00 p.m. on our chum station. Instead, an American game show, who wants to be a millionaire, I think.

I watched the local morning program the day after the cuts. The remaining morning show staff appeared to be absolutely stunned.

I then heard an interview on ckuw campus and community radio with one of the fired employees; He was angry, bitter, and said that there are poor to non existent job opportunities in Winnipeg in the TV broadcast business, and that after seven years of working in it, he was giving up, starting a new career.

[Carla]

I believe Jay Switzer too. I worked at Citytv Vancouver for two years and found it struggling to win over a loyal, conservative Global audience to its news (where all the cuts happened) and breakfast show. It's not surprising a "restructuring" was in the works, the writing has been on the wall for a long while. In lots of ways, it never stood a chance in that market. Plus, street front/store front is hard to pull off without a downtown, or at least trendy location with lots of foot traffic. In Vancouver the purchase from Global meant keeping the West 2nd location, future location of Olympic Village, but right now fairly barren of anything but garment factories and post production houses. West 2nd is also a major connector so traffic is loud and fast, not condusive to street level production. They are expanding their morning show an extra hour but without a 6 and 11 news, I don't see how it can compete as a station, on credibility alone, let alone build enough of an audience in the morning to knock Global out of the race. Sure it still has all the Chum shows and Top Model, The Bachelor, and a couple of indie Vancouver shows but hard to tell what the popularity of those are in a market that just doesn't "get" Citytv and during an era of flux at Chum. Media concentration has always been a problem in Vancouver and I can't see it getting any better. Citytv never had a chance there. Not sure about Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg but in small markets it can be impossible to compete with established brands. The thing is, people are creatures of habit even in the multi-channel, multi-media universe ane they are reluctant to change where they go to watch news, which should be the cornerstone of local TV. The union in BC is strong though, so I'd get ready for a bit of a tussle on the local front, if not national.

[Greg O'Brien]

CHUM did say when they made the cuts that there will be some new shows in most of those markets coming in the fall.

[splunge]

with respect to CHUM's apparent breach of licence conditions, I am a regulatory affairs specialist for several radio and TV properties across Canada. I know all too well how the system works.

The fact is, unless the decision specifically states COL (condition of licence), absolutely ANYTHING can happen once a licence is granted.

After the Commission grants that piece of paper, the entire application, including all promises based on format, news, programming, whatever,...goes out the window.

So, with that said, the Union's argument is moot. Sure, CHUM isn't living up to the SPIRIT of the licence decision, but they're no doubt following the letter of it.

Many organizations, including me, encouraged the CRTC at the recent radio policy review to bring back the concept of "Promise of Performance" used in years past, for just this reason.

Whether this happens or not is anyone's guess at this point.