TORONTO – This week, Rogers Television (the community channel arm of Rogers Cable) announced the cancellation of its local news and information show, First Local, effective immediately.
Local versions of the show had been produced in York Region, Durham Region, Mississauga, Barrie, Brantford, Stratford, Guelph and a provincial edition in New Brunswick. The program never existed in Ottawa or Toronto and had already been axed in Collingwood, London and Kitchener.
“The decision was made as a result of the CRTC’s new community television policy issued in August,” said Colette Watson, vice-president of Rogers TV. The policy imposed increased requirements for access programming and corresponding requirements for community TV spending, she added.
“In 2011, community TV stations will now have to spend at least 35% of their programming-related expenditures directly on access programming. That obligation increases to 50% by 2014.”
So, to meet the new requirements, the company had to cancel the show in order to reallocate resources and spending to local access initiatives.
“While it’s unlikely we’ll be in a position to produce a costly daily news show in the future, we do believe the changes announced today will set the stage for a new crop of relevant local programming,” added Watson.
Watson noted the show was well-liked in the communities it served but was also resource-intensive and no longer sustainable given the spending requirements.
That said, when First Local was cancelled in Kitchener (2009) and Collingwood and London (summer 2010), “it generated minimal negative feedback,” noted Watson.
And abandoning First Local let Rogers do an additional three-hour mobile event per week in Collingwood while in London, the company took on five new proposals from members of the community and launched them in the fall: “Over 55"; "Community Connections"; "London Under 30"; "Inside London"; and "Mosaic".
In Barrie, shows launching this week replacing the cancelled news show include: “Jacques Brunet LIVE”, a one hour interactive talk show about the local events/happenings within the Midland licensed area; “Food for Thought”, a half hour pre-taped cooking show; “Results 360”, a half hour pre-taped fitness show; and “Eye on Real Estate”, a half hour profiling the real estate market in Simcoe County.
– Greg O’Brien
