OTTAWA – Word that the CRTC has – for the first time – made local programming a condition of license for most over-the-air television stations is “good news”, says the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP).
However, the media union continued, it would be “very troubling” if the CRTC allowed some stations to broadcast fewer local programming hours than they have to date, even if for only a period of one year, cautioned Peter Murdoch, CEP’s vice president of media.
"We believe that the terms set out by the CRTC should mean that stations currently on the brink should survive or become attractive to buyers," Murdoch said in a statement. "While the additional funds in the LPIF are helpful, in the long run the answer to the debate over fee-for-carriage must be answered by long term funding for local programming regulated by the CRTC."
