What about Compressed sound and those EXCESSIVE LOUD commercials.

Do they want us to pay extra if we mute the next 10 minutes of commercials.

- The move to HD is necessary because the government requires digital television by 2011. Though it doesn't specifically require high-definition digital television, it makes sense to make that transition at the same time. If anything, the question should be asked why all the other stations (like CFCF) haven't made plans to upgrade yet.

- Conventional television should be judged on its own, separate from other assets of the megacorporation. Otherwise, one part is subsidizing another, and it will make sense to shut conventional television down.

- U.S. programming is expensive, but brings in a lot more money than they cost. The more U.S. programming, the more profit which is then funneled into Canadian programming (which makes a lot less money than it costs).

As for Shaw, its arguments have to be taken with a truckload of salt. Shaw owns a cable and satellite service, and only stands to lose if fee for carriage goes through.

Neither side of this debate is worthy of our support. They're both just trying to game the regulatory system to maximize profits.

Why bail out CTV when they spent hundreds of millions of dollars on US programming, acquiring other media companies, purchasing stakes in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, outbidding the CBC for the rights to the HNIC theme song, buying CHUM, upgrading CFTO to full HD... the list goes on and on.

>>

In hearings to discuss the financial future of conventional broadcasting in Canada, Ivan Fecan, President and CEO of CTVglobemedia and CEO of CTV Inc. told the CRTC last month that it would shut down its Over-the-air television (OTA) stations if the feds did not provide a "structural fix for conventional television soon."

One man who staunchly disagrees with CTV’s assessment is Jim Shaw, the outspoken CEO and Vice Chair of Shaw Communications who says that CTV's recent demand for a Fee-for-Carriage demand is nothing more than a "tax rewarding broadcasters' poor performance."

In a letter posted to Shaw websites, entitled "An important message to 10 million Canadian Households", Mr. Shaw says that Canadians should not pay for fixing broadcasters' problems which came about they spent billions of dollars acquiring foreign programs and media assets.

Shaw believes that CTV and Global need to be held accountable for their poor business decisions and should not be bailed out by instituting a $720 million tax on consumers.

>> And now Rogers is battling CTV over FFC, and it seems like it's going to get very intense!!!

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/630911

Bell bought out the rest of Virgin Mobile for a mere $142 million!!!

To me this could have easily been reinvested into CTV Local TV and improving their Bell satellite and telecommunications systems, but no, let's just keep piling it on. The more they spend the harder they're going to fall, and it's not going to look pretty... And who the heck keeps approving all these acquisitions, isn't this creating a monopoly, or are we passed that?

I just wish people would open their eyes and see the reality of this. Bell has one hand open begging for your money, and has the other hand full of cash buying up everything in sight!

If CTV needs cash to pay it's creditors then perhaps they should divest themselvs of some of their cable properties and return to core network broadcasting.

They say the cable companies and satellite systems take their signals and sell it to us and they get NOTHING in return.

They get viewers and probably alot more viewers than it they were only available by rabbit-ears. Let's see how they would do without cable and satellite access. I personally think the CRTC made a bad decision on allowing all of us to see all local signals from all areas. I really don't need access to 18 CBC stations, 12 CTV channels etc. Just give me my locals and maybe the westcoast feeds but the rest I really don't need access to. Just don't raise my satellite bill anymore.

Bell doesn't have the technology to sim-sub by area code, or postal code or morse code or whatever. Instead of the CRTC saying "Well, until you DO have the technology you can't sim-sub" they say "Well, gee, that's kinda tough eh! Ok, you can sim-sub the whole country then - that way you won't have to invest any time and effort into creating the means to sim-sub properly" i.e. being able to sim-sub the EXACT same program with yours. Here (Maritimes) there are no HDTV OTA station and probably won't be any time before the 2nd coming. But we still get our HDTV sim-subbed.

This is what I mean when I say the CRTC almost never makes a ruling that benefits Canadians in general if it will. in any way, hurt a communications company - large or small.

Over the past year or so CTV has been spending money left, right, and centre. A few things come to mind.

They out bid CBC for the 2010 Olympics. (Why didn't they just continue to do what they do best, simsub US programs?)

They out bid CBC for "The Hockey Night in Canada" theme.

They started showing CTV Toronto in high def.

They bought A channel.

They bought CHUM.

Now, as for local programming, here in Atlantic Canada we lost that when CTV bought ATV. We have Regional programming, not local. Our Regional news covers Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI. Hardly local.

I'm sure that there are many more examples out there as to why we shouldn't feel sorry for CTV. What are your reasons?

As DJC mentioned, Mr. Fecan has a massive garden on his estate... so keeping that filled and paying all the gardeners takes a lot of $$$$$$.

if it wasnt for cable the stations would only have "antenna viewership" but cable provided them a chance to be seen.

if you are seen you can sell advertising....

considering there are fewer and fewer homes with antennas in canada hasnt local t-v owed a debt to cable the past couple of decades

with out cable who would have watched.. and where would they be now?

as for local news , i can live with out another trip to the local gas station by a psuedo-reporter to ask winter travellers how bad the snow is or summer drivers how bad the traffic is...