TORONTO – Rogers Broadcasting has bid $3 million for its 100% stake in Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) which it is planning to re-launch as Citytv Saskatchewan.
The CRTC has yet to approve the acquisition, but is scheduled to review it during a hearing on May 7 held at the Allstream Centre in Toronto.
Rogers is buying the former Saskatchewan provincial public broadcaster from Bluepoint Investments in a deal that was officially announced in January. Bluepoint paid the Saskatchewan government $350,000 for the station late in 2010 after promising to spend $1.75 million per year on independent Saskatchewan production, and $1 million per year on digital production in the province over the seven years following the transaction’s approval.
Rogers, however, is asking the CRTC to relieve it from that commitment, though said that it would comply with obligations on Canadian programming expenditures and programs of national interest that are consistent with those currently imposed on Citytv licences, and proposed directing these obligations to independent producers located in Saskatchewan.
Rogers has asked for a broadcasting licence that will expire August 31, 2014, which would coincide with the expiry date of its other Citytv licences.
