(Canadian) Cable Industry Applies to Carry FOX News Channel

[Newsjock]

http://www.ccta.ca/english/news-information/news-releases/2004/04-15.htm

OTTAWA, Ontario, April 15, 2004 – The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) today filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for authorization to offer FOX News Channel to cable customers across Canada.

“FOX News Channel is the number one news service in the United States and is available in more than 50 countries,” said Michael Hennessy CCTA President. “We believe that there is a clear demand from our customers for this service and we are excited about the possibility of offering FOX News Channel in Canada.”

The FOX News Channel, a wholly owned subsidiary of the News Corporation Limited, is a 24/7 national cable news network in the United States. FOX News Channel offers distinctive programming on every issue from politics and family to sports and entertainment.

more

[Goldom]

1. number one news service?

not last time i checked...

[ultramega]

15. Nauseating, isn't it.

It doesn't bode well for what is to come if the first sentence in the first paragraph in the first piece of press is a whopping lie.

I guess they mean it has the #1 rating of the notoriously low rated cable tv tabloid news programs.

[saigon68]

2. They should carry Pravda and Al Jazeera

Both of which are more "fair and balanced"

[tom_paine]

34. In fact, Soviet Pravda was equally as Fair and Balanced

The Nazi Newspapers, too.

[Minstrel Boy]

3. I prefer to remain unfair and unbalanced.

CBC News is unrivalled in North America. I'm glad we've been able to bar the door thus far to Fox News. Hope it stays barred.

[AskAlice]

9. I don't understand this support of censorship

So what if Fox is available in Canada? Is anyone forced to watch it?

Whatever happened to personal choice of what one chooses to view?

[papau]

12. Canadian content rules apply - if they meet them I doubt there will be

a problem with getting permission.

But Canada has a media standard for truth telling different than the US. Some of the lies/smears on Fox Cable News would get you into legal trouble in Canada.

It will be interesting to see who they find to replace the liars they use in the US.

[AskAlice]

16. I assume Canada does not allow Al Jazeera

If they truly have a media standard for truth telling.

[Iceburg]

18. A simple no ..

[JohnyCanuck]

22. What Canadian content does CNN have?

I get two CNN channels on my cable and there is absolutely no special Canadian content on those. They're the same feeds as a US cable subscriber sees (it's not CNNI). Why would Fox news be any different than CNN in that regard?

[papau]

28. I don't understand the rules - I just note that their existance have kept

various shows made in Canada on the air, and in the past they kept various mags made in the US out of Canada.

I do not even know if those laws still exist.

My point was that I'd expect Fox Cable News to have no problem getting into Canada.

I am told the Canadian libel/slander laws are better than those in the US - so Fox may have a problem

[Minstrel Boy]

19. Answer me this, AskAlice:

Do you have the choice of CBC News where you are?

If not, do you consider its absence a form of censorship?

Do you think American cable news provides a service of universal value to all humanity?

And if, to any of these, your answer is something like "If Canadians want it, they should have it", know this: we don't want it.

[AskAlice]

23. I get CBC on dish and I like it

American cable news provides a service of universal value to all humanity? Not all but each news outlet has its left and right. When I have spare time I am surfing them all or watching American Chopper.

[Minstrel Boy]

25. American Chopper

Now there's something I wouldn't want to censor.

[Submariner]

27. FOX News is an embarrassment to the United States

so we should not push our faux tabloid trash, masquerading as a legitimate news source, on our good neighbors in Canada. Just because our news sources lie doesn't mean we should push it out beyond our borders.

[PartyPooper]

4. I wonder what our Canadian DU'ers have to say about this.

Something tells me that they're not going to be too happy.

[freetobegay]

7. The invasion of Canada!

eom

[Ekova]

8. No.

No we are not. What an honour to be the target of Junior's propaganda wing. Some days I really wonder about Canada having to defend itself. We get so used to the Administration's eye on somebody else, it doesn't feel good when it's on us.

On Edit: AskAlice makes a good point.

[Hand]

32. That's for sure...

The idea ranks right up there with adding Budweiser to the provincial liquor store offerings in Nova Scotia... Yep, you CAN buy Budweiser here, but why the hell would you want to?

:puke: to both of them.

[SidDithers]

35. Let em in...

I would be willing to bet that they don't get the nearly th same kind of market penetration that they enjoy in the US. I'll still go to the CBC for real news.

It would be nice to be able to laugh at O'Reilly once in a while tho.

Sid

[w4rma]

5. Canada has fairness doctrine type rules, I think.

Therefore, Murdoch may be forced to make some concessions before being allowed his Faux News in Canada.

[AlCzervik]

6. Well hey canada

really will have a reason to hate us.

[smooveBitness]

10. Oh NO!!!!

How can Canada even consider allowing Fox access to their airwaves. Those airwaves belong to the Canadian people! Don't they know people will be brainwashed? :cry:

[Gramps]

13. Cable is not on the "Air waves". It's on a wire.

Canadians do know how to use remotes, right???

[Iceburg]

14. Remote to us is ... well the tundra, please explain

[Iceburg]

11. This is a declaration of war!

Any cable or satellite distributer that aids or harbours FOX in my beaver lodge "is aginst us" and will be cancelled promptly.

We took Dr. Laura off the airwaves without blood splatter ... thanks for the heads up!

[TcAaNnSaTdAiAaFnL]

17. Not in my country!

man... free speech is free speech but do we really need fox?

[Iceburg]

20. OMG: Fox in CDA will spawn another generation of

Comedians only to be exported to the USA. Who will run our the nation, feed our children, sooth the separatists??? Pull the plug NOW.

Bargaining chip for the CRTC: If FOX, then Al-Jazeerah.

Again, thanks for the heads up America.

[Rex]

21. HA! Let them carry FauxNews, Canadians will then see how

up shit creek America truly is!

[Spazito]

24. LOL We already know how bad fox is, that's why, so far,...

they haven't been here, hope that continues but remotes are very handy for sure, eh!

[daleo]

26. This wouldn't be so bad, if you really had choice on cable

But cable TV, or at least the version of it in my area, does not give a true choice of channels. Rather, they are bundled into different sets, and then you have to choose from these sets, which are typically priced differently (basic, premium, whatever) and offer different numbers of channels. So, if Fox gets on the cable, I doubt that I will really have any choice in the matter. It will come with a bundle that has something I actually want (e.g. Comedy Channel, Space Network, Cartoon Network), so I will be stuck subsidizing Fox whether I like to or not. You can bet Fox will insinuate itself on one of the packages that most people want, for other channels. Then it will trumpet about how popular it is in Canada.

[DeepModem Mom]

29. Fox News is available in the UK, and has a low viewership --

This is from an article about BBC's 24-hour news:

It is fair to say that BBC News 24 has a generally superb service, with a quality that rivals Sky News, whilst the ITV News Channel has some way to go to match either channel. Satellite services, such as CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg and CNBC are much more global in production and focus and so are less appealing to UK viewers generally, whilst CNBC and Bloomberg are also specialist business news channels and so get smaller audiences.

Further confusing the picture are the two sports news services, Sky Sports News and Eurosport News.

But to look at the official BARB ratings, it is clear which services actually register most with UK viewers. Sky News leads in the news channel race, with BBC News 24 just behind and ITV News in a poor 3rd place.

CNN, EuroNews and Fox News do not register enough viewers to be listed. Out of the two business news services, CNBC actually scores enough viewers to be listed, Bloomberg doesn’t. Sky Sports News leads the Sports News channels category with Eurosport News a long way back. Sky Sports News even scores a higher share of viewers than ITV News does, although ITV News beats it in terms of reach.

"A Better News 24"

http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/newsdesk/better/

[democracy eh]

30. no big deal

the right wing neo-con wanna be's here will get of on it. However, if anyone else watches it it will be for amusement, kind of like watching Dennis Miller on MSNBC. Fox News is soooo USAcentric that it just won't speak to an international audience.

Actually if we do get it I will finally get to see these people like Coulter, Hannity and Hume that you yank DUers like to rant about.

As a side not for whatever reason, out here in the east we only get CNN and CNN HN on regular cable (full package) I would have to upgrade to digital or a Dish to get MSNBC, therefore FoxNews. not going to happen, but I am in the minority.

on the topic of Al Jazerra I do remember something about it a few months ago applying to be broadcast here. don't know what came of it, but these things move at the speed of government.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

31. can they take the cast of faux n friends off our hands?

what about brit that swine?

[KamaAina]

33. "Distinctive" programming? Is there some Canadian usage

of "distinctive" I'm not aware of?

FOX News Channel offers distinctive programming on every issue from politics and family to sports and entertainment.

dis.tinc.tive adj. usu. Can. obscenely biased toward the political right wing; treating the Bush* "administration" in a fawning, obsequious manner; utterly unconcerned with such niceties as journalistic integrity or the simple truth.

Something like that?

Edit: Used bold to get that dictionary look.