WHILE BOTH SIDES OF the Bell-Astral deal debate were ensconced in Montreal hotels on Sunday polishing their lines and rehearsing their delivery in advance of the CRTC hearing starting Monday morning, the SayNoToBell forces fired out one more press release Sunday afternoon.
The Quebecor-Cogeco-EastLink backed public relations campaign claimed Bell has been preventing its TV ads from airing on CTV until just now.
“Twenty-six days after being asked, CTV has finally broadcast its first television commercial opposing its parent company's ambitions to control an even greater portion of the Canadian broadcasting space,” says the Say No press release which was headlined: “Guess Which Network Has Been Blocking ‘SayNoToBell.ca’ TV Ads?”
(The rules on advertising are pretty clear where broadcasters have to accept and air ads as long as the client will pay for it and the content is not illegal, libellous or vulgar. Saying no to the sale of ad time to a competitor, even if it’s just a competing viewpoint, is against the law.)
Bell quickly responded to a Cartt.ca request for comment on the release Sunday afternoon. A frustrated Bell Media president Kevin Crull said he was simply “fed up” with the tactics being used by the Say No group because their allegations just aren’t true.
Crull said when the Say No campaign launched last month, both they and Bell agreed to a trade of advertising space where Bell would buy approximately $30,000 in print advertising in Quebecor newspapers to present its point of view and the Say No campaign would purchase approximately the same amount in TV ad time on CTV. Bell’s print ads have run already.
Trouble is, the Say No side didn’t actually sign a contract for the CTV airtime booking until September 4th, says Crull, who has the e-mail chain to back that up. So really, it was a difference of five days between booking and airing (not 26, as the press release states). Then, adds Crull, creative and traffic instructions were not sent until Friday, September 7th – and the ads aired Sunday.
However, reads the Say No press release: “On August 14, TV advertising space was requested of CTV, among several Canadian television networks, on a fully-paid commercial basis. TV ads were produced, in English and French, and submitted to the Telecaster Services of the Television Bureau of Canada for the customary review and approval. The approved TV commercials were then provided to television broadcasters. Over the past few weeks, ‘Say No to Bell Canada’ public awareness TV ads have been seen by viewers of almost every Canadian television network…but not on CTV outlets.
“Despite continuous efforts, such ads were not seen by any CTV viewers – until today, the very eve of tomorrow's historic CRTC hearing. As is well known, CTV (‘Canada's most-watched television network’) is a division of Bell Media (‘Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital’),” adds the Say No release.
Crull insists any delay is “entirely due” to the Say No side and this latest salvo is just a “manufactured” attempt at maligning the company.
Should be a fun week in Montreal. Cartt.ca will be there of course but those wanting to watch or listen in can do so at www.cpac.ca or www.crtc.gc.ca.
– Greg O’Brien
