SOCK  Newsletter June, 2009


 POP QUIZ
(Answers below)

1.  Why are Canadians buying more TV antennas?

 a) New satellite channels are now available
 b) Digital TV is providing pay-for-view channels
 c) Broadcasters are building more analogue transmitters
 d) Digital TV provides more free TV
 e) New stations are further away
 

The Future is Here
A lot has happened since our last newsletter. Regrettably, our worry that Kamloops' loss of CBC TV would be an indication of the future has come to pass.

Now Prince George and Brandon, Manitoba, have lost over-the-air CBC and with cuts to CBC, more is likely.

Sock is expanding its goals to include local broadcasting.  While the reasons for saving CBC may be obvious, reasons for rescuing private local broadcasters are less so.

Private broadcasters play an important role in serving the communities in which they reside.  Not only do they employ local workers and perform useful community functions, they also provide local news.

An informed public is vital to viable societies.  Issues of the day, as well as warnings in the event of emergencies, help communities make informed choices.

Local broadcasters provide free TV.  Viewers of free TV choose fewer channels, not more.  For reasons of cost or preference, less is more for over-the-air viewers.

Local broadcasting is threatened by declining revenues and failure of over-the-air broadcasters to develop markets or utilize current technology.

Canada's broadcasters and cable companies are fighting for public support over "carriage fees."

These are the fees that cable companies pay to channels that they carry -- all but local broadcasters.  Broadcasters claim they need carriage fees to stay in business.  Cable companies counter by saying that broadcasters shouldn't be rewarded for poor performance.

Cable companies warn viewers that any fees for local broadcasters will have to be passed on to cable subscribers.   But according to the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, that's not necessarily so since cable companies are raking in big bucks.

Local broadcasters are not without blame.  They are owned by big conglomerates which have invested very little in new technology that would keep local broadcasting viable
 

As more stations convert to digital TV in big cities, Canadians are digging out the old rabbit ears in favour of free TV.  Viewers near the U.S. border are receiving even more, clear, high-quality channels for free.

Read Press release

 YOUR SOCK EXECUTIVE

President: Pam Astbury Email Pam
Vice President: Hugh Jordan Email Hugh
Secretary Treasurer/ Editor: David Charbonneau Email David

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