OAKVILLE – Thousands of Canadians want The Weather Network to stay on basic cable, the company announced this afternoon.
As Cartt.ca has been reporting, the CRTC is considering applications for the establishment of a "digital basic" tier, where channels like TWN and others would maintain their places in cable channel lineups when digital migration happens. The intervention submission deadline was yesterday.
(The hearing is March 27th, not 26th, as we had reported as the CRTC altered its schedule due to the Quebec provincial election that Monday.)
The Weather Network says almost 7,000 letters, e-mails, faxes and petitions have arrived in support of their digital basic application, highlighting "how The Weather Network and MétéoMédia are basic to the fabric of Canadian life," says the press release.
Letters of support were received from individuals and organizations from every province and territory, says the company, as well as from agencies and all three levels of government. Members of Parliament from all four major parties filed letters of support with the CRTC along with the David Suzuki Foundation, The Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Emergency Preparedness Association, Environment Canada, and numerous farm and tourism groups from across Canada.
“We are particularly impressed with the quality of the letters from individuals who took the time to write the CRTC,” said Pierre Morrissette, president and CEO of parent company Pelmorex Communications. “Many speak straight from the heart, expressing their concern that we remain accessible and affordable to all Canadians as part of the basic service. They don’t want to buy additional television packages to continue receiving what they consider an essential part of their daily lives.”
The letters most often stressed The Weather Network’s importance to public safety as well as issues related to access and affordability. "Many noted that in rural areas of Canada detailed road and weather information are not offered by other broadcasters. Similar letters were filed supporting MétéoMédia, the French-language sister service of The Weather Network, including several francophone groups from outside of Québec," adds the release.
