An editorial in the Montreal Gazette:

• CRTC gets it right on one thing at least
  “Broadcasters will now have to judge how much advertising viewers will tolerate before surfing other channels or turning the television off. And that’s how it should be. Market forces, the interaction between broadcasters and viewers, will play out and will eventually determine the equilibrium between program content and the number of ads that pay for that content.”

From the Canadian Press:

• Oda not interfering with CRTC over satellite fees
  “Federal Heritage Minister Bev Oda says she has no intention of interfering with a recent decision by Canada’s broadcast regulator to bar television networks from charging viewers additional fees.”

From Brendan Kelly of Variety:

• Ad rules easing in Canada: CRTC set 2011 digital deadline
  “The CRTC also noted that the proportion of revenues spent by the English-Canadian networks on local programming continues to decrease and the regulator said it will be bringing this issue up with the individual networks at their next license-renewal hearings. But it didn’t propose any immediate changes to the rules governing how much the networks have to spend on local shows.”

From Denis McGrath at Dead Things on Sticks:

• And now, more words from our sponsor
  “We should stand up before the commission and make very cogent arguments about why ending cable substitution is the jim-dandiest thing we could ever do that will just make Canadian viewers so very happy, and make everything great! Oh sure the private networks will complain and talk about how they need to be protected from the larger U.S. market. But pshsaw! Come on…that’s just standing in the way of the market, right? Maybe if the heat gets too hot, we accept the “crappy compromise” — mandated, fair, and enforceable spending guarantees for indigenous programming to create the next Corner Gas and actually reflect some element of Canadian culture on Canadian TV.”

From Jim Henshaw of the Legion of Decency:

• You blinked!
  “What will the Canadians who own the airwaves these guys use receive in return for such a financial windfall? Nothing but more commercials. What will the Canadians who make Canadian television programming receive? Nothing that helps us make better programming, or perhaps any programming — and we’ll also get fewer promotional spots, meaning far fewer Canadians will even know our programs exist.”

From Will Dixon of uninflected images juxtaposed:

• John Doyle, Konrad Finckenstein, and The One Armed Man
  “Look at it this way…there’s this really passionate journalist in [the Globe and Mail’s John] Doyle making a compelling case for increasing funding to try to make some hit TV shows in this country. And there’s some really passionate creatives/blogger-types making solid rationale arguments for if not more funding, at least eliminate simulcasting. But that bunch of us are also feeling kinda like Richard Kimble…accused of an inability to create and sustain a hit indigenous show. We need someone in our court…like the CRTC. Like Konrad Finckenstein.”

Grant Robertson and Keith McArthur of the Globe and Mail report on recent decisions by the CRTC:

• CRTC bows out of ad controls
  “The CRTC said broadcasters will be permitted to sell 14 minutes of commercials during prime time – up from 12 – for the start of the 2007-2008 television season. The cap will be eliminated two years later.”

• CRTC rejects networks’ request for more fees: Decision comes down to lack of compelling data showing the major players are having financial difficulty
  “Several networks, including CTV, Global, TVA, CBC and others, made a plea six months ago during regulatory hearings in Gatineau, Que., for the right to collect fees from cable and satellite companies in exchange for their signal. The networks argued increasing competition from the Internet and specialty cable channels has weakened the conventional TV model.”

Patricia Bailey of Playback explains a new report to change the Canadian Television Fund:

• Senators call for fixes to CTF
  “The report addresses concerns put forward by both Videotron and Shaw during their pull out from CTF, including its corporate-governance structure, the private sector’s lack of say in its operations and the fund’s investment performance.”

Alex Epstein of Complications Ensue reacts to the news that new CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein has talked of less regulation of the Canadian TV industry:

• CRTC planning to throw Canadian TV industry out the window
  The problem, of course, is that “deregulation” probably doesn’t mean “stop protecting the Canadian broadcasters from US signal.” It means, “continue allowing Canadian broadcasters to block out US signals, but don’t expect them to produce any Canadian content.”

John Doyle of the Globe and Mail worries that CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein is calling for less regulation of the Canadian airwaves:

• Don’t loosen the rules, our airwaves are seriously polluted
  “What’s needed is more regulation, not less. What’s needed is more firmness with broadcasters, not the slippery business of allowing empty promises to be made in return for permitting more overlap and concentration.”