OTTAWA – Bell Globemedia’s $1.7 billion offer to purchase CHUM Ltd. last Wednesday is sounding some alarm bells among producers and journalists, especially given CHUM’s layoff of 281 people also announced the same day.
Groups representing producers and journalists – and even one Toronto city council hopeful who was once a Citytv talking head – have sounded notes of caution but – perhaps encouraging for BGM – they have not come out against the deal.
"This is a major transaction which could signal a major restructuring of the Canadian broadcasting environment," said Guy Mayson, president and CEO, Canadian Film and Television Producers Association. "If this transaction proceeds, we would like to see it encourage competition in the market place and increase opportunities for Canadians to see Canadian programming."
Since CHUM has been a supporter of Canadian independent production, "(w)e would want to ensure that the transaction results in a strengthened commitment to working with Canadian producers in the creation of quality Canadian programming." added Ira Levy, chair, CFTPA.
The Canadian Association of Journalists also called on the federal government to ensure that the deal doesn’t cause the erosion of diversity in Canadian media voices.
"Wednesday (July 12) was a black day for the diversity of voices, local news coverage and the public interest," CAJ president Paul Schneidereit said. "The day’s announcements only fuel the need for changes to how federal competition laws deal with media mergers, as recommended by a recent Senate committee report."
The CAJ also called on Bell Globemedia to stand by its statement that it would "ensure a continued diversity and competition in news coverage," in communities where it would own two local stations as a result of the takeover of CHUM. "Restoring programming affected by the CHUM cuts would be a positive first step towards this promise," said the CAJ.
Even before Wednesday’s takeover announcement, Canada already had one of the most concentrated media landscapes in the western world, said the CAJ.
"The shocking loss of so many journalists’ jobs cannot but hurt the comprehensiveness of local news coverage available to the public in those markets," added Schneidereit. CHUM canceled a number of news shows in markets like Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver citing low ratings and the need to apply resources elsewhere.
Finally, Adam Vaughan, a former Citytv reporter and current city council candidate said, "(t)here are serious implications for Toronto arising out of this deal. Its impact goes beyond the serious concerns about media concentration on a national level," said Vaughan, who said he fears that Toronto will be hit with significant restructuring, too.
"The CRTC must take this into account as it considers the merger… Toronto’s position as Canada’s media capital cannot and must not be taken for granted," he added, pointing to how the cultural sector is Toronto’s fourth-largest employer and that strong TV stations can make for strong production facilities.
Vaughan called on Mayor David Miller and Toronto City council to press the federal government for a full public review and debate on the deal before a decision is made. In the meantime, he says no production should be transferred out of Toronto to accommodate the merger while a decision on the acquisition is pending.
