Ottawa Sun
Published: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Consumers deserve better

Do you think local TV is worth saving? Or are the big networks just looking for a bailout?

This is the crux of the debate between our TV networks on one side, and cable and satellite providers, on the other. Sadly, a solution lies somewhere in-between with neither side willing to budge.

Last month, CTV Ottawa and A-Channel Ottawa participated in a national campaign to save local television. As an advocacy effort it was a resounding success, complete with 100,000 Canadians attending open houses, signing an on-line petition or writing letters to the federal heritage minister and local MPs.

It was also a clear demonstration of community support for "local TV" programming and in political terms, it energized the base of those who earn their living in and around local TV.

However, the problems plaguing conventional broadcasting go much deeper than an additional fee on the monthly cable bill ... which is too high as it is. Structurally, the broadcasting model is broken due to specialty channel fragmentation, almost unbridled foreign programming penetration and limited revenue sources.

Our traditional networks -- leaving out the CBC -- receive money from one source: Advertisers. And advertisers spread their buys amongst radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor media, direct retail placement and the Internet. The present economic crisis has exacerbated this situation because the auto and the financial services sectors are historically two of the biggest national, and local, TV advertisers. Ouch!

On the other side of the debate we find the cable and satellite providers who have some of their own explaining to do. Since 2003, basic cable rates have increased four times the rate of inflation while basic satellite rates have jumped almost eight times the rate of inflation.

As a cable consumer I would be willing to pay for local TV. As consumers we should also be asking why we can't order cable services just as we order pay-per-view movies and specialty programming. Yes, these providers must provide a predominant package of Canadian content but the plethora of 300-plus channels, time-shifting (which I don't need with PVR), and local news from Detroit is not necessary.

In an ideal world, we could pick the 30 to 50 channels we want and pay a flat monthly fee for each, including CTV Ottawa and ATV, or not. Such a pay-per-play scenario would force local TV and other channels to be much more attentive to viewer demands and desires in terms of content and pacing.

So those who like the familiar and measured 6 p.m. CTV newscast would be happy. Ditto for the demographic that prefers faster pacing such as the 6 p.m. news that A-Channel used to air. And here's the rub, in the free-market United States, local TV is treated more like a franchise and actually protected by an Act of Congress.

While local TV has its issues, it does matter. When downtown roads are jammed with protesters, will the NBC affiliate from Detroit care?

Many of the on-air personalities and managers in local TV came up through the ranks of community TV. They "get it" when it comes to local issues and values. And they certainly didn't work all these years to cancel newscasts and close down stations.

TV and the cable/satellite folks need to come together and provide a better answer than the present policy stalemate and results we are now witnessing.

As consumers, we deserve better from both sides.