Posted on 07/19/2004 5:26:03 AM PDT by presidio9
When it comes to Canadian identity, Fox News Channel is apparently a threat. Al-Jazeera, on the other hand, is just another point of view enriching Canadian culture. That's the message sent last week when the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) granted the Qatar-based, anti-American al-Jazeera a Canadian license. Fox has wanted into Canada since 1999 but has so far been shut out -- except in Ottawa, at the Canadian Parliament, which requested and got a Fox feed last August.
The official justification for this double news standard is that al-Jazeera doesn't compete with any local Canadian-owned company. More than 100,000 Italian-Canadians petitioned in favor of a license for Italy's RAI International, for example, but on the same day that al-Jazeera got the green light RAI was sent packing because it would compete with Canadian-owned Telelatino.
Then there are the sensitivities of Canada's culture police. A large chunk of Canada's political establishment truly believes that, left unfettered, the Canadian market would be overrun by American culture, as if it isn't already. A few years back the CRTC told Fox it could enter Canada, as long as its 24-hour programming had 35% Canadian content. That may have implied a little too much televised gopher hunting on Baffin Island, so Fox stayed home.
What doesn't seem to matter to Ottawa's information gate-keepers are the wishes of Canadian viewers. Canada's cable industry estimates that up to one million Canadian households grab U.S. signals illegally, and the Fox network has received thousands of calls and e-mails requesting the news channel. Yet Canadians are stuck with CNN, which was grandfathered under Canadian law.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Their excuse that Fox competes with the locals seems like a violation of GATT and NAFTA. When is our government actually going to do something to enforce American rights under those treaties?
The Liberals were just re-elected, yet again, for the umpteenth time. Which tells me that the Canucks in Canuckistan thing the present arrangements are just fine and dandy, Thank You!
Canuckistan is lost! F**K Canuckistan!
And this is a surprise from a country which gives sanctuary and wide support to U.S. deserters?
I still think we ought to take over, after all we are all americans, (north that is) except for Quebec. Fox did a piece last night on what Canada ever did for freedom world wide compared to the US. Except for WWII it wasn't much.
The federal broadcast regulator Friday called for public comment on a request to import two U.S. specialty channels to be carried on cable companies' digital tiers.
Fox News Channel is widely considered to be a right-wing all-news service that has been beating CNN in American TV ratings.
The NFL Network, meanwhile, is not primarily a live sports event channel but carries complementary programming, including game previews, news conferences and other information shows pertaining to the National Football League.
The requests were submitted to the CRTC by the Canadian Cable Television Association which argued that domestic carriage of the services would widen the choice available to Canadian viewers, increase the penetration of the digital tier and help combat the appeal of the satellite black market.
The CRTC is allowing comments until Aug. 9.
Thanks for the post. I have just sent my second email into www.crtc.ca to let them know what I want.
Note to Canadians on FR...they will receive public input until August 9th.
Here's hoping....
Thanks for posting this.
I actually got into an argument with my husband about this--people really do not realize that Al Jazeera is basically an outlet for extremist propaganda.
The one saving grace (as explained to me by my husband) is that the CRTC has a condition for the networks that want to broadcast Al Jazeera--they must make sure there is nothing that violates Canadian hate speech laws.
We'll see what happens.....
Thanks for the link. I'll send an email.
I keep wondering why Al Jazeera is still on the air.
I doubt if anti-Christian, anti-Israel commentary is considered hate speech in Canada. What in the world will al-jazeera broadcast that could possible be considered offensive?!
ROTF!!!!! I love it.
Good point.
ROTF!!!!! I love it.
I can't take credit. Canuckistan has been a FR staple for several years now.
"Their excuse that Fox competes with the locals seems like a violation of GATT and NAFTA. When is our government actually going to do something to enforce American rights under those treaties?"
I don't know, why don't you ask our softwood lumber producers?
And since this is a WSJ article, let me just say to them, as is so often said here about Canadian newspaper articles and commentary about the US: mind your own busines.
F U !
Love the "Canuckistan" thing!
This affirms the view that liberals are far more apt to try to block free speech than conservatives -- either by stealing and destroying newspapers, prohibiting First Amendment freedoms under the rubric of campaign finance reform, or attacking and/or denying licenses to networks that don't subscribe to liberal orthodoxy.
This Canadian/American thing is really starting to get ugly.
Gee. A bit touchy, it seems to me.
Must be the warm temperatures we have down here that m akes me feel that way.
And, I might add that a decision which bars an American firm from being broadcast in the Great White North is our buisiness.
Just as it would be your business if the USA were suddenly to ban Labatts or Molsons.
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