Future of CTV's /A channels uncertain after CRTC denies request for "urgent regulatory relief"

By Lesley Hunter

OTTAWA and TORONTO – The CRTC has turned down CTV’s request to extend “interim regulatory flexibility” to it’s financially challenged /A stations.In a decision on Thursday, the Commission told CTV that it could not cherry pick aspects of the group-based approach to the licensing of private television services policy “on a piecemeal basis, for example by approving a reduction in Canadian programming without imposing expenditure requirements”, or similarly, “eliminate requirements for priority programming without imposing requirements for programming of national interest”. The Commission continued that it would be “unfair” to implement certain aspects for some licensees, but not its competitors. It also expressed...