Creatives, others, pan Corus application to delay CPE spending

By Denis Carmel

GATINEAU – When Corus Entertainment asked the CRTC to amend its conditions of licence so the big broadcaster could delay some Canadian programming expenditures (CPEs) due to unforeseen increases in its revenues, few expected the company to receive much sympathy within the broadcasting industry.After reviewing most of the interventions it has become clear that they have no sympathy from industry players.For example, The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) challenges Corus’ arguments, saying the company “argues that this ‘dramatic’ spike in its CPE requirements will leave it in a more vulnerable financial position for two reasons. Firstly, it would lead to...