As I said to start here " the CRTC should place a moratorium on any new stations, new networks, new radio, or new services from Bell".

What purpose would that serve? The CRTC wants companies to expand by starting new services, not by acquiring other companies. Banning new services has virtually no upside other than punishing Bell.

First off, I want to applaud the CRTC for having the brass ones to tell Bell no. Plain and simple, they did pretty much as I painted it, showing that the proposed level of media concentation, taken as a whole, was just way too much. Further. I think the CRTC managed to express indirectly that the CURRENT level of concentration is equally unpalatable, and that Bell is very unlikely to get much more progress with the commission.

As I said to start here " the CRTC should place a moratorium on any new stations, new networks, new radio, or new services from Bell". I think that the CRTC made it clear that Bell no longer has a private rubber stamp in the commissions offices, and they are no longer going to get an easy ride on any other ideas they may cook up.

Further, I think that the CRTC decision, and stressing the community and public benefits of any action going forward match up nice with this: "the CRTC should move to have the local affiliate stations to be owned by actual affiliates, and not by the networks themselves. Little that is in the interest of the local communities, journalists, staff, and such of the local stations happens when everything is centralized. The local affiliate stations should have the minimum required to operate stand alone without the network, so they are not beholden to it.". My feeling is that Bell, Rogers, and the other majors will have a very hard time getting any more traction in front of the CRTC, which clearly is looking for diversity and local voices, not big bad conglomerate action.

So, once again, WTG CRTC! Hopefully the rest of the 5 year mandate will be as enjoyable as this one.

Side note: Bell are whiny little b****es if they run off to Harper and beg for a reversal. It's truly sad to see how powerful they think they are.

Perhaps it's time for the CRTC to impose a "hard limit" on media ownership in Canada. Perhaps a limit of 10% of the licenses in a given marketplace, and no more than 5% of the total licenses in the country.

How do you impose a 10% limit in a marketplace of two or three stations?

Actually, that is the sort of mentality that perpetuates bad decisions. "we did it last time, it didn't work, so let's do it some more!".

Bell is looking to take unprecedented standing in the Canadian media world. With (give or take) 35 or 40 media outlets coming into the Montreal market, including their cable channels and such, it has long since passed any level of common sense. Bell is now "too big to fail", which is a sure sign that it's ripe to be refused all down the line.

Quite simply, they own too much, they own the content and many of the ways to deliver it. That is an abuse of the public trust. the CRTC can keep going (as you suggest) saying that it would be unfair to change the rules at any point, but really, it's pretty clear to see that Canadian media is in for a major, major problem if we keep going this way.

The CRTC is suppose to be about the diversity of voices, not the rubber stamping of those voices being bought out by a megaglob corp.

Perhaps it's time for the CRTC to impose a "hard limit" on media ownership in Canada. Perhaps a limit of 10% of the licenses in a given marketplace, and no more than 5% of the total licenses in the country. Perhaps it would be good also to work to mandate that the "pipe" companies cannot be owners of the media that they are "piping" (all you french people can stop sniggering now... I can hear you!). Perhaps it would be a good idea that the "networks" cannot actually own broadcast stations, beyond one flagship station. This would encourage private ownership of TV, radio and the like.

It's time for change. You only have to get outside of Canada for a while to see how horribly wrong the system is.

Get an exemption for CKGM and leave them on the 690 frequency . Move RDS Sports to the 730 frequency where a very good 24 hour sports station used to exist and switch Radio Circulation from 730 to 990 .Traffic stations are only of interest to the local population .

CKAC has the 730 frequency and would need to give up its licence for RDS. Since CKAC is owned by Cogeco and 730 is a clear channel, that won't happen. The 990 frequency has also already been licenced to a different owner, who would also have to turn in their licence.

It is ridiculous to tie up a 50000 watt station for 24 hour local traffic reports .

Perhaps, but the CRTC doesn't regulate format. CKAC is licenced as a talk radio station, and that's what it's doing. If it helps, though, the CRTC denied Cogeco a licence to operate an English traffic station, arguing that a clear channel was inappropriate for a local station.

No, I didn't say that. There is a time frame where they can be on 990 (until their license expires on it) and in the interim they can apply for a new frequency, like say 600AM).

A CRTC decision on Astral won't come for months. After that, the application process for a new station takes many months beyond that before it's approved, to say nothing of being operational. So doing what you suggest would force TSN off the air in three months.

Bell appears to have been somewhat misleading in their license request, as they don't seem to have the intent keep TSN990 on the air. If it was such a money loser before, and enough of a money loser to merit being changed to French now, wasn't their entire presentation more a question of how to get a clear channel, and not how to give Montreal sports coverage in English?

I don't follow your logic. They're not changing its language because of its financial situation, they're changing it because of ownership limits.

The current limits are all but ignored, and especially in Quebec, a very few companies have a stranglehold on almost all media outlets. It isn't normal.

Which current limits are "all but ignored"?

As of 2010, there were 669 radio stations in Canada (as reported by the CRTC), and with this sale, Bell would control up to 122 of them (their 33 + 89 Astral stations) - or 18% of the full Canadian market. Don't you think of that as a pretty scary thing, and perhaps proof that the media concentration guidelines aren't working?

Actually, Bell would own 107 stations (or 106 if the CKGM application is denied and they're forced to divest it). And it would have a 45% market share in English Canada, according to Cogeco. That's actually scarier than judging it by the number of stations. But the CRTC's rules limit the number of radio stations per market, not the overall market share.

The CRTC could take these hearings and really go with it, clearly stating that the media concentration levels have reached the point where their policies need to change, and they will start with this deal and continue to work it.

Many groups have suggested exactly this. The problem is that the CRTC already set rules on these matters, and changing them now just because of Bell would be unfair, possibly opening the CRTC up to being overruled by the government or the courts. It may review these rules later, but it can't make up rules just to apply them to Bell.

That gives Bell a solution to their primary objective - a powerful all sports radio French outlet . It also gives them a chance to grow CKGM . It is ridiculous to tie up a 50000 watt station for 24 hour local traffic reports .

However don't hold your breath where Bell , the CRTC or the Quebec government are concerned .

No, I didn't say that. There is a time frame where they can be on 990 (until their license expires on it) and in the interim they can apply for a new frequency, like say 600AM).

Bell appears to have been somewhat misleading in their license request, as they don't seem to have the intent keep TSN990 on the air. If it was such a money loser before, and enough of a money loser to merit being changed to French now, wasn't their entire presentation more a question of how to get a clear channel, and not how to give Montreal sports coverage in English?

If you accept that their application may have been less than forthcoming, don't you think they should be sent back to square 1?

"That request came in the summer of 2011, with the hearing that fall. The announcement of the Astral deal came in March 2012. Is it really so hard to believe that such a transaction could have been negotiated in under six months?"

Considering the complexity of the situation, the number of stations, properties, joint ownerships, and all that involved, I would suspect that his sort of a deal would have taken closer to 12 - 18 months to work out. Just go have a look at the list of companies involved, each one requiring attention, due diligence and the like. This stuff doesn't happen in 10 minutes. Just in radio alone, you are looking at 84 properties, plus around 30 specialty TV channels... that isn't short work.

While the deal could have been made in the short time, It's likely not something that came up in 10 minutes either.

"Why would Bell have limits imposed on it that aren't imposed on its competitors? Such a move would almost certainly end up in court, with the CRTC and government losing."

Actually, these are what the limits really should be, and normal would be without the concentration of media in Canada. The current limits are all but ignored, and especially in Quebec, a very few companies have a stranglehold on almost all media outlets. It isn't normal.

While the standards in place (I can't call them rules, nobody seems to follow them, and they move often) allow Bell to hold more, the reality of the media concentration in Canada is that the rules aren't working.

As of 2010, there were 669 radio stations in Canada (as reported by the CRTC), and with this sale, Bell would control up to 122 of them (their 33 + 89 Astral stations) - or 18% of the full Canadian market. Don't you think of that as a pretty scary thing, and perhaps proof that the media concentration guidelines aren't working?

Oh, and those same sorts of guidelines should be applied to all players in the media world. It's enough already with the insane levels of concentration. We have seen how this leads to problems, lost staffing, closures, and the like.

The CRTC could take these hearings and really go with it, clearly stating that the media concentration levels have reached the point where their policies need to change, and they will start with this deal and continue to work it.

Steve, you really need to get some sleep. Your spending too much time at Palais des Congres.

(See what I did there?)

My suggestion to the CRTC: Refuse Bell's purchase of Astral, it's in nobodies best interest. Further, rescind their move to 690, forcing them to take the transmitter off the air until such time as their license request in French is processed in due time.

You're response is to force CKGM off the air? Would you also force them to fire all the staff too?

Don't think for a second that the concept of buying Astral wasn't in the works back when they asked for the move to 690.

That request came in the summer of 2011, with the hearing that fall. The announcement of the Astral deal came in March 2012. Is it really so hard to believe that such a transaction could have been negotiated in under six months?

Further: the CRTC should place a moratorium on any new stations, new networks, new radio, or new services from Bell, and instead work with Bell to come into a compliance point of holding no more than 1 FM, 1AM, and 1 TV station in each market.

Why would Bell have limits imposed on it that aren't imposed on its competitors? Such a move would almost certainly end up in court, with the CRTC and government losing.

My suggestion to the CRTC: Refuse Bell's purchase of Astral, it's in nobodies best interest. Further, rescind their move to 690, forcing them to take the transmitter off the air until such time as their license request in French is processed in due time. Allow TTP and others to once again present for that open frequency, as the reasons Bell has 690 in the first place was pretty much utter bullshit. Remember: The Astral deal didn't come around in 10 minutes. Don't think for a second that the concept of buying Astral wasn't in the works back when they asked for the move to 690.

Further: the CRTC should place a moratorium on any new stations, new networks, new radio, or new services from Bell, and instead work with Bell to come into a compliance point of holding no more than 1 FM, 1AM, and 1 TV station in each market. Further, Bell should not be allowed to enter into any other cable networks or specialty channels, and should be put in place to divest of most of those assets within a reasonable time frame (say 5 years).

In the long run, the CRTC should move to have the local affiliate stations to be owned by actual affiliates, and not by the networks themselves. Little that is in the interest of the local communities, journalists, staff, and such of the local stations happens when everything is centralized. The local affiliate stations should have the minimum required to operate stand alone without the network, so they are not beholden to it.

It's a wish list that will never happen - but things won't change until the CRTC grows some balls and starts actually applying the rules.

However, it's a pretty misleading deal here, because CJAD and 98.5 don't have the same issues. 98.5 was basically a "filler music" station after 7 PM, an automated dreadnaught of a station that pretty much everyone tuned out from, and was not relevant in any manner. There was no original programming, it was just filler for the daytime stuff.

CJAD? You have everything from Barry Morgan to the Comedy show and such in a normal evening - original programming entertainment. In order to turn CJAD into a night time sports channel, you would first have to toss out all of that programming. The net result isn't an increase in anything for the public: you get less sports (because you lost your full time sports channel) and you lose Barry Morgan, the Sex Show, the Comedy show, and perhaps even Quack to Quack overnight.

Further, unless CJAD is planning a major shift, it is unlikely that Andrew tap-tap-tap Carter would be kicked off and the morning show replaced with a mostly sports show. I don't picture Tommy doing in depth interviews regarding last night's hockey game and getting into Habs fan angst.

Bell in this case is very specifically trying to take someone else's formula that passed the CRTC in the past, and apply it again, without consider the implications. It makes their entire application seem somewhat less than honest.