OTA Hearing: Tensions run high as commissioners push CTV to keep stations open

GATINEAU - This morning, CTV began its second appearance before the CRTC's OTA licence renewal hearing this week with some tense exchanges with the panel's commissioners, some unvarnished attacks on broadcast distributors, and a call for the regulator to protect the interests of consumers. The tension level in the room first rose over the issue of the coming transition to digital transmission. CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein noted the possibility of FreeSat signal delivery didn't figure much in CTV's application. He noted that Bell Canada proposed such a model yesterday, to ensure off-air viewers would continue to be served after...