Photo source: Globe and Mail
Remember this? Well, you’re about to see a lot of more of Sun New’s hateful and inflammatory programming if Quebecor Inc. gets its way. The owner of the TV network that regularly advocates for the do-or-die free market has launched a campaign to get mandatory carriage for Sun News, meaning that Sun News would be included in all basic cable packages in Canada.
Canadians have overwhelmingly rejected Sun News’ brand of yellow-journalism (here’s a particularly offensive Sun article describing Attawapiskat as a “cesspool”), but under mandatory carriage, cable subscribers would NOT be able to opt out of their subscription to Sun News. How’s that for free market competition? Other the other hand, the struggling TV network would have its yearly $17 million loss covered by a new $18 million revenue (or about $4 per cable subscriber). You can find more information about Sun News’ application for mandatory carriage on rabble.ca and on thetyee.ca.
If you OPPOSE the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granting Sun News a mandatory carriage license for their questionable programming, you can submit your opposition to the CRTC, but you’ll have to be quick – the deadline is Feb. 20, 2013. The process is a bit fickle, so I’ve posted a step-by-step guide below. You can do this online in about 5 minutes.
Please note I did not create this guide; it was passed around the WAM! Vancouver listserv. It’s also worth noting that any submission to the CRTC is considered a public submission; your name and email will be made public.
Here’s the guide:
Assuming you would be submitting as an individual consumer, and not on behalf of an organization or other person, follow this procedure:
- Go to the CRTC’s online “Participate in a Consultation” submission page
- Click “I Agree” > Next
- Click “Option 1” > Next
- On the “Choose Applicant/Licensee” page, scroll way down to (and click on) “2012-0687-1: Sun News General Partnership” > Next
- On the “Submit a Comment” page, first choose “Opposition”, then type/paste your comments** in the “Enter Comment” field (and attach any files you think are relevant, e.g. PDF of an article that highlights Sun News’ racism, etc., which is optional) > Next
**Example letter (recommended you edit/write your own):
The Sun NewsNetwork broadcasts sexist, racist and other hateful/inflammatory programming that does not reflect my values. It’s fine if their private supporters want to purchase their channel under their current license, but the fact that they are seeking “mandatory carriage” in order to fund their type of “yellow-journalism” just proves that most Canadians do NOT care for their programming. We do not think Canadian tax dollars should fund or make it easier for their biased coverage to enter our homes, whether in the form of basic cable coverage, or in any other format. We request you DENY them “mandatory carriage”. Thank you for your consideration.
- Click on “Do not want to appear” (at the April 23 hearings), and confirm “I agree” > Next
- Click “NO” re: designated representative > Fill out the “Intervener/Respondent Information” (your name/address/email) > you must ALSO click on the bottom checkbox that says “I will be sending a copy of my comments to the applicant”, in order to continue the submission process (this is mandatory, and probably the CRTC equivalent of legal “discovery”) > Next
- Confirm whether everything you entered is correct, and whether or not you want a copy of your submission by email > SUBMIT
You are done with the CRTC’s form, but note you are ALSO expected to send a note of opposition directly to Sun News for the CRTC to consider it a legitimate submission. Submit your opposition to Sun News being granted “mandatory carriage” by writing to them directly* at:
TVA Group Inc. and Sun Media Corporation
c/o Québecor
1600 Maisonneuve Boulevard East
Montréal, Quebec
H2L 4P2 Canada
~ OR VIA ~
Fax: 514-380-4664
Email: reglementaires@quebecor.com
Be sure to include “RE: Opposition to Mandatory Carriage RE: 2012-0687-1: Sun News General Partnership” in the subject line and in the document itself. SAVE A COPY for your records, as the CRTC may require proof of your submission for it to be valid.
If you would prefer to not use the online submission process, you can instead submit your comments to the CRTC* by snail-mail or fax:
By mail: CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
By fax: 819-994-0218
*Be sure to include “RE: Opposition to Mandatory Carriage RE: 2012-0687-1: Sun News General Partnership”
Here are two other online petitions against mandatory carriage of Sun News. Though I doubt the CRTC is obligated to consider them, it can’t hurt to sign them anyway: