GATINEAU – Canada’s largest media union had some harsh words for broadcasters and the CRTC itself at today’s hearing into BDU and specialty services policies.
Broadcasters must be held to their commitments to stronger local news if the CRTC decides to make subscribers pay more for local TV stations, said Peter Murdoch, vice-president, media, for the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP).
“Lack of oversight, transparency and accountability in the current system has let broadcasters across Canada downgrade or eliminate their local news operations whenever they want,” Murdoch said. “So if the CRTC intends to ask cable subscribers to pay for obligations that broadcasters should be meeting now, there must be an accountable and transparent auditing system. Canadians need to know they get what they pay for.”
In CEP’s view, broadcasters’ cuts to local news in some markets – eliminating hundreds of television news jobs in the last year alone – have created a second-class audience with more limited access to news and information programming.
Murdoch pointed to yesterday’s announcement by Quebec TV network TQS that it is withdrawing from news altogether and laying off more than 270 employees as a slap in the face to the CRTC, to the intent of the Broadcast Act and to consumers.
“It will be yet another test for the CRTC,” Murdoch said. “We will soon find out if the CRTC is watchdog or lapdog.”
Returning to the issue of subscriber fees, Murdoch said many CEP members who work for the broadcasters fear subscriber fees will end up in shareholders’ pockets, without any benefit to subscribers and audiences.
“Unless the CRTC takes its public policy mandate seriously, Canadians will end up paying for improvements they never receive. Canadians’ interests must be protected,” Murdoch said.
