TORONTO – Phil Lind delights in telling everyone that Rogers Television, the big cableco’s community TV arm, is 100% local and 100% Canadian “unlike the big broadcasters who say they’re ‘intensely local’,” he said.
The executive vice-president, regulatory and vice-chairman of Rogers Communications launched Rogers Television 40 years ago and hosted a small gathering of journalists Tuesday to talk about the milestone – and given the hub-bub over local TV – to also use the little gathering to note that the cable community channels have been intensely local for a long time.
“We cover the issues the big broadcasters don’t have time for,” he said. “In small communities, especially, cable is the local voice on TV.
“Local TV is owned by us, not by the broadcasters,” added Lind.
Added company founder Ted Rogers in a taped interview made before his death which was part of a celebratory video shown Tuesday: “We’re the only game in town now,” when it comes to local TV. (Ted is pictured below behind an early, 1972, Rogers Television camera.)
Rogers Television produces an astounding 17,000 hours a year of local programming, across its 34 systems, on a budget of about $33 million. Much of that is done with volunteers of course, which cause many to dismiss the content out of hand as unprofessional. However, technical and skills advancements have made the more progressive community channels look far more Newsworld than Wayne’s World.
“It was amateurish at times, especially when we started,” said Lind, when he and others were figuring it out as they went. No more, though. Rogers Television is a polished product (and one that will go HD in March, 2010). And audiences are tuning in to their local cable station.
Rogers Television traditionally registered about a zero in the ratings – in the old way of measuring that relied on the recall of viewers on the BBM/Nielsen panels. The new portable people meters, which measure viewership without the need for diaries, show Rogers Television with a weekly reach of about 1.2 million, added general manager Colette Watson.
With those numbers – and the fact it is so intensely local, Lind believes Rogers Television should be able to sell advertising. Right now, community channels can solicit sponsorships for certain programming bits, but can’t run normal ads, since that is prohibited by the CRTC, whose regs protect local OTA TV and local radio.
“Absolutely we should be able to sell local ads,” he said. “We should be able to sell 30s and 60s.”
Close to 18,000 community groups are represented on screen by Rogers Television last year, which employs about 500 people, noted Watson.
And some of the volunteers have gone on to bigger media postings. People such as CNN anchor John Roberts, actors Dan Ackroyd and Tom Green, TSN’s Gino Reda, and Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino are just a few names.
“Entities like Rogers Television help nurture Canadian creativity,” added Lind. “We are absolutely, consistently, overlooked.”
