Cable canoodling

Posted by padams under Media Commentary

Paul Adams

The CTV/Canwest Global campaign to get us to pay for their local stations through cable fees seems to be breaking new ground. Not only are the TV networks using their news programs to shill for their request to the CRTC individually, they have now teamed up to make the front pages of a Canwest newspaper part of their PR campaign.

Today’s Ottawa Citizen has a front page story celebrating the local CTV station’s “Save local television” event. 

A “huge crowd” turned out, and local anchor Max Keeping “appeared touched” by the crowd. 

There was no mention of the fact that CTV recently shut down the evening news at its “A Channel” affiliate here in Ottawa.

The fact that it is lobbying for an new cable fee is mentioned only near the end of the story and the likelihood that this would translate into an increase in cable rates for consumers is not mentioned at all.

Nor is there any indication that anyone at the Citizen phoned up the cable companies to hear their vociferous objections to the plan.

Luckily, Shaw Cable purchased a full-page add in the Citizen today making their case — the only place in the paper where it is acknowledged.

What a journalistic embarrassment.

Paul Adams teaches journalism at Carleton