TORONTO – About two hours after having been informed by Cartt.ca that an offer to buy three troubled TV stations was coming from Shaw Communications, CTV said it will accept the $3 offer.
An exclusive story broken by Cartt.ca this afternoon revealed that Shaw Communications was placing a full page newspaper ad in tomorrow and Saturday’s Globe and Mail, as well as The Hill Times on Monday morning.
The ad, signed by CEO Jim Shaw, warns Canadians their broadcasters are seeking a bailout worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “They call this Fee for Carriage. Without mincing words, this is a tax. It is a direct tax on you and 10 million Canadian families who are cable or satellite TV subscribers,” reads the ad.
It also offered to buy CTV’s two A Channel-branded Ontario conventional TV stations in Windsor and Wingham as well as CBC affiliate CKX in Brandon, Man. CTV CEO Ivan Fecan recently told the CRTC, as well as the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that they had to close the stations because no one would take them, even for a dollar.
Then earlier this evening, about two hours after our story broke, CTV issued its own press release in response to Shaw’s offer, saying yes to the cable and satellite giant.
“I think it’s great,” said CTV CEO Ivan Fecan. “We’ve accepted their offer of $1 per station.”
Of course, Fecan did stay on message, as broadcasters continue to insist cable is raking in the dough and should be forced to pay a fee for OTA signals. “Cable is obviously rolling in money and can obviously afford to underwrite the losses. Good for them.
“I’m sure they will live up to the existing conditions of license placed on these stations, which is wonderful news for the employees and for the people of Windsor, Wingham and Brandon.”
More to come on this story in the morning.
– Greg O’Brien
