An issue that the potential candidate for MP in Saanich-Gulf Islands could build her campaign around.
CHEK TV, which has been on air in Victoria since before I was born [and that is a long, long, longgggggg time ago] is signing off the air Monday. Matthew Pearson writes on Page 3 of today's Victoria Times Colonist that Canwest Global Communications has decided to not sell the station to the staff and are instead surrending the license on Monday.
First off the price is a paltry five million dollars.
Secondly, how the f'k can you not make money with an over the air TV station in a market of over 350,000 people?
Spokane, Washington, a market a bit bigger than Victoria, about half a million, has five commercial stations and none of them are crying the blues.
Now that I have asked the question I will answer it.
There are multiple reasons why CHEK and the other Canwest Global Communications station closing, the one in Red Deer, Alberta, are going down in flames. Big reason is that they are greedy. Becasue there are no other local stations, unlike, say, Spokane, and no local competition the A Channels get lazy, hire crappy, ugly, boring and dumb reporters to do their news, which is the profit centre on American afflilates and just generally suck.
Competition is the key, not government grants, comp-e-f'ing-tition.
Again, it is virtually impossible to lose money running a TV station unless you try.
Obviously no one has tried harder than Canwest Global Communications.
Elizabeth May, whatcha gotta say, Elizabeth May?
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