Surely this now means that we can expect less whining about unfair, empire-building bureaucrats out to stick it to the free market system, right? The CBC, and everyone else, is reporting that Sun TV News has been granted a category two license from the CRTC—this has been expected ever since Sun TV News dropped its dropped its welfare application.
In its statement, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission reiterated “the importance of maintaining and enhancing the plurality of editorial voices in local and national markets and ensuring that Canadians are exposed to an appropriate plurality of those voices.”
“The licensing of additional competitive mainstream national news services is one means of achieving this objective,” the CRTC statement added.
Just think: this network has been immensely entertaining before it’s even started broadcasting. We can hardly wait to see what they actually put on air. Our hot-tub panel idea is available for licensing, if Pierre-Karl Peladeau is curious.
• Sun TV gets green light from CRTC [CBC News]
• Sun News Receives CRTC’s approval for a broadcastin licence [Sun News]
Finally we get another Canadian view to contemplate other than the liberal bias we get from the CBC and many of the newspapers in Canada.
December 4, 2010 at 1:08 pm | by Ron ChristieI like to think i am an independent, but to form an independent mind you need to have available and understand both sides of issues.
If people are so worried about Fox News North to me it implies that they do not have much faith in their own ideas.
I watch Fox News US from time to time certainly don’t see hate. rc
Bring it on! Why are the so called “progressives” in this country so worried about bringing balance to news coverage in Canada? We have lacked real intellectual discourse in Canada on the direction our country show take in the 21st century. The politically correct discourse in this country will change for the better because choice is finally going to be realized. Personally, I hope that the CBC will gradually be de-funded and forced to stand on its own merits in a free enterprise model. I’m tired on liberal pontificating and welcome diversity of opinion.
January 6, 2011 at 6:06 pm | by JamesHave you ever actually watched fox news in the US? I feel like you desperately need to see the movie Network….
January 8, 2011 at 2:44 am | by jackI feel sorry for you guys. America is besieged by a media conglomerate that peddles total bullshit 24/7, and went to court to protect its (First Amendment) right to willfully lie and distort the truth in its news broadcasting.
Fox News is something that no other news organization in America is: It’s nothing less than the propaganda arm of the American Republican Party. It has several future potential republican presidental candidates on its pay roll.
It is not news, it is pure unadulterated political spin all the time.
What could you POSSIBLY want this parody in your country for? It will do exactly what it did in America: Dumb you down to a point where only the most simplistic and bigoted paranoid right-wing rhetoric, gets through your passive and complacent fat skulls.
Fox News is a parasitic travesty that has made a mockery of objective journalism. And you are actually welcoming this barrage of idiocy? As an american I feel truly sorry for you. Because I know what you are getting and I know what kind of havoc it will do to your culture and your society. It will polarize your country, turn all political discourse into a matter of stark black and white over-simplified nonsense and make you stupid. Trust me.
January 10, 2011 at 10:44 pm | by AbigailI find myself agreeing with Abigail above.
In light of recent events in Arizona and elsewhere (the aborted attack on the Tides foundation comes to mind), and the continued invective from the likes of Beck and Limbagh, it is difficult to see what value the polarization that such ‘entertainment’ (it certainly is not news) would provide Canadians.
In addition, as a news network, Fox appears to fail miserably. A University of Maryland study found that Fox viewers in the US were consistently misinformed (regardless of political affiliation) about current events:
“Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe that most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely), most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points), the economy is getting worse (26 points), most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points), the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points), their own income taxes have gone up (14 points), the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points), when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points) and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points). The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it–though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.”
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brunitedstatescanadara/671.php?nid=&id=&pnt=671&lb
In short, Fox does not appear to be a news organization, and does not appear to be working in the best interests of individual Americans. It is hard to see that it would do any better in Canada.
For these reasons, I believe the CRTC approval should be reconsidered.
January 13, 2011 at 7:41 am | by RJIf the CBC the Globe and a host of other media outlets had not show such a liberal bias over the past decade or so there would be no need of Sun Media TV. To deny that is to put your head in the sand. The Prime minister has been accused of holding the Media at arms length and controlling the information that is passed to them. The reason for this is the hard time the Liberal dominated media has given him ever since he was in opposition.
One New Brunswick news paper had to issue a front page apology for the way they treated him.
It is only fair that both sides of the issues are discussed in the media. All this hype about how bad Fox News USA is only shows that the liberals are really worried about the other side of the story getting out.
January 14, 2011 at 2:34 pm | by David JenkinsOn the march to get SunTV News the usual arguements have been repeated again and again. News Media is bias and liberal. But I bet that SunTV News will be recieved by right wingers as unbiased, fair and balanced.
Sorry but there was no question of wither news was liberal or not until conservatives manufactured the conflict. Also progressive are not adverse to a different opinion or debate. We actually welcome it. But debate is not shouting, lies, insults, and ignorance paraded as knowledge, unfortunately the “bread and butter” of a conservatives debate style.
What we’re opposed to is the lies, fear, and hate propoganda that SunTV news will no doubtly become just like Fox News.
I hope I’m wrong and SunTV News will be great alternative new source that upholds the standards of journalism without any bias or partisan affinity. But, sadly, I doubt it.
January 20, 2011 at 11:36 am | by Jacob LauEXCELLENT NEWS
FINALLY ANOTHER VOICE IN CANADA
January 24, 2011 at 7:10 pm | by PaulieI for one welcome our new populist overlords.
February 3, 2011 at 7:53 pm | by ThomasYou guys are underestimating the intelligence of the average Canadian. I watch fox news just to see what those idiots have got to say. It doesn’t mean I’m going to join the Tea Party.
February 15, 2011 at 3:53 pm | by VivianMy goodness.
The majority of Canadians hold political views that are centre or left of centre, but because we are so fractured at this point, we find ourselves governed by a very right wing conservative party that reflects the views of less than a third of our population. The Harper government has done more than any previous government to consolidate power in the PM’s office, a move that goes against our parliamentary system to our detriment as a country. Read Lawrence Martin’s book “Harperland” for a cogent analysis of this would be dictator and his party. And Fox “News” North is Harper’s idea, part of his plan to make Canada more like the USA. On top of this retched channel coming to Canada, there is a move on at the CRTC to weaken our journalistic standards – so that Fox “News” North can lie with impunity as they do in the USA – appalling. If we cannot stop Fox “News” North, I hope that we can at least stop the CRTC from weakening our journalistic standards, thus enabling us to keep Fox “News” North nominally honest! Sign the AVAAZ petition today: http://www.avaaz.org/en/canada_fair_and_balanced/?rc=fb
February 15, 2011 at 6:21 pm | by Carlyn CraigIts troubling to see so many people opposed to free speech. People who are sternly against a program that has not come to fruition. It seems they are afraid of opposing viewpoints. Free speech is an important part of a democracy. People who take issue to this are welcome to leave.
February 16, 2011 at 4:44 am | by mikeAnd it is not up to you morons to decide what is in people’s best interests. They will decide for themselves on an individual basis.
February 16, 2011 at 4:50 am | by mikeI’m not opposed to free speech, I’m opposed to misrepresenting the truth as reality. News should be verifiable and real, not opinion-based rhetoric.
February 16, 2011 at 1:59 pm | by darkynAre Canadians against free speech? So what if you don’t agree with Fox News, don’t watch it then. It’s as simple as that. Places like China that are controlled by the government and don’t have access to all or even the real news out there is pretty sad. And in North Korea the Internet is so controlled that some of the North Koreans don’t even know there IS an internet. Why be compared to places like that? Let freedom of speech reign.
February 17, 2011 at 8:09 am | by Susan