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Ringing Up Support for the Bell - CTV Deal

By Michael Geist

The deadline for interventions into the forthcoming CRTC hearing on the Bell - CTV merger passed earlier this week with hundreds of submissions from across the country.  Many cultural groups focused solely on the proposed benefits package associated with the transaction (e.g. Directors Guild of Canada, Alberta Motion Pictures Industry Association, the Documentary Organization of Canada) but there are many others rallying to support the deal.

Local organizations and businesses are effusive with their praise for the transaction - everyone from the Ottawa Senators to retailer Tommy & Lefebvre to the Westin Hotel in Ottawa to the Surrey Honda auto dealership to Dodd's Furniture and Mattress in Victoria, BC to the Soho Bar and Grill in Calgary took the time to chime in with support.  Moreover, MPs from across the political spectrum write with their support including Conservative MPs Bruce Stanton, Bev Shipley, Patrick Brown, and Garry Breitkreuz, Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, NDP MPs Irene Mathyssen, Brian Masse, and Joe Comartin, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, and Ontario MPP Bob Chiarelli.

The views expressed by the politicians are remarkably consistent.  For example, Chiarelli says:


Bell has proposed a benefits package that is supportive of local news. Among the initiatives that are beneficial to local news is Bell's proposal to allocate money to enhance local news on television with the view to expanding the content on new media platforms as well as its proposal to convert local station production facilities to HD.

Jim Watson says:

Bell has proposed a benefits package that is supportive of local news. Among the initiatives that are beneficial to local news is Bell's proposal to allocate money to enhance local news on television with the view to expanding the content on new media platforms as well as its proposal to convert local station production facilities to HD.

Similarly, Conservative MP Patrick Brown says:

CTV has stated at various proceedings that the /A\ stations have sustained sizable losses over the years.  BCE's acquisition includes a proposal to be discussed that would dedicate a portion of benefit resources to these stations over the coming years providing much needed stability.

while Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan says:

CTV has stated at various proceedings that the /A\ stations have sustained sizable losses over the years.  BCE's acquisition includes a proposal to be discussed that would dedicate a portion of benefit resources to these stations over the coming years providing much needed stability.

Who focuses on the bigger implications of the transaction? No surprise that Telus leads the way with a call for interim measures to protect competition in advance of the vertical integration hearing in June. It is joined by Cogeco, which argues for competitive safeguards, and Pelmorex. Both the Canadian Conference of the Arts and a joint submission from ACTRA and AFM Canada (in addition to seeking a full benefits package) want "a robust mechanism to ensure that BCE's distribution undertakings treat all programming undertakings equally and do not give preferential treatment to those owned by BCE."  The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union seeks more information on the transaction and raises a red flag about the impact of vertical integration.

The hearings are scheduled for next month.

Full post as published by Michael Geist on January 13, 2011 (boomark / email).