Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What's Behind the Sun News-Bell Battle?

Two behemoths of Canadian media have gone to war. More such wars may be inevitable.


Since you’re reading The Mark, I’m assuming you already know how crazily fragmented the global news media business has become.

Despite that, Quebecor (which owns the Sun newspaper chain, the top French-language broadcaster (TVA), and the cable/wireless company Vidéotron) still chose to launch a new TV channel, Sun News, in April. The home of “hard news and straight talk” (a tag line built for risqué jokes if there ever was one) is unique in both its format and licensing. Built to ape Fox News’s style, where commentators and experts give their opinions on the day’s news (it costs less to riff than to report, after all), the channel is unapologetically opinionated and right-wing. Its format will win viewers and breathe some life into the staid business of Canadian news, as long as its journalists continue to push the envelope – and improve.

Sun News is unique in its licensing because, in southern Ontario, it is both an over-the-air broadcaster and a specialty channel. Because it is an over-the-air broadcaster (having replaced the former Sun TV station in Toronto), cable companies like Rogers Cable, Cogeco Cable, and Bell Canada’s Fibe TV must carry and deliver it to their customers for free, according to long-standing CRTC policy. However, for the rest of the country (including our satellite TV companies), the new Sun News is a digital specialty channel, which means carriers like Shaw Communications, EastLink, Telus’ Optik TV, and Bell Satellite can choose whether or not they carry it, and can pass a fee on to their customers if they wish to.

Full Article
Source: The Mark news 

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