CRTC okays TQS acquisition, but will relook at programming in three years

OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC on Thursday approved with strict conditions the acquisition of TQS Network by Remstar Diffusion inc. The commission renewed the broadcast licences of TQS’ television stations in Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke and Saguenay until 2015, but will re-examine the programming commitments after three years. “Holding a licence to operate a conventional television station comes with certain responsibilities and obligations, one of which is to provide viewers with a significant amount of local news,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein in a statement. “Remstar’s proposal fell well short of this requirement. In this case, we have taken into...