Hamilton Media

[bornagainbiking]

I too watched some of the independent from Detroit with Saturday night horror films with the Ghoul. Old cheezy flicks. How do you thinks Elvira got started.
E television is NOT in touch with Hamilton. Who cares about Hollywood. And I am sick of Ryan Seacrest, is he even Canadian NOT.
We are a working class city.
We need a station that runs movies all night for the night owls or shift workers. Can the informercials.
Get back to basics maybe run some TV series we missed like ER, the Shield or Third Watch other just off the main stream (Not CSI or Law and order). Movies movies movies,
Anything or channel that is not like all the others. A&E and History are sort of in this venue.
CH as it is now is trash.

[thistleclub]

Many observers expect Asper to ask the CRTC to lift CanCon requirements from the station license, which would pave the way for CHCH to become a clearing house for syndicated and low-cost American content. This would likely preserve the station's financial viability but probably not improve its quality much, if at all. The late night pulp-and-cult film stuff would be awesome but Canwest is probably going to be looking for things that can make the most money from the broadest base. CH's province-wide signal reach is one of its strong suits, a factor that could mean that you have a better chance of making a niche audience profitable, but the recessionary thinking is likely to favour the safe bet, the lowest common denominator. Despite the Aspers' early talk of strengthening local coverage, they've shown little eagerness to assume the costs of operating a real local news unit. And so you get maybe a quarter of a news hour devoted to local stories, and those 10-15 minutes are repeated four or five times in a 24-hour cycle. (Even the CRTC's inducement of a $60m Local Programming Improvement Fund (a lifeline for public and private broadcasters serving markets of fewer than one million people) hasn't helped -- three weeks after the fund was unveiled, CHCH shed 14 jobs, cancelled four programs, halved its noontime news, shuttered its Halton bureau and began talks to jettison its senior news anchors.) The Globe & Mail's Michael Posner has suggested another long-shot solution for Canwest -- if the CRTC decommercializes the CBC it would raise the tides for Global and CTV holdings. It'll be an interesting spring.

[SteelTown]

I remember the ONtv days, it wasn't good. Hardly any local content it was all provincial news. The only good thing about ONtv was that it expanded the station province wide, main reason CanWest bought the station after WIC.

ONtv was the beginning of that fake studio. I remember the fake elevator ride Matt Hayes would take to go up to do the weather forecast.

[SteelTown]

CanWest has 8 weeks to find a buyer for CHCH or all of E! channels. By that time it's April which CanWest meets with the CRTC. If they find a buyer it's likely they'll request the CRTC to approve the sale. If no buyer it's likely they'll request the CRTC to bend the rules for less local content.

[SteelTown]

Picture looks fuzzy for CHCH
Chance of sale slim: observer

February 13, 2009
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/512942

The president of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says he doubts there will be a "happy outcome" for local viewers from the strategic review of CHCH television by its parent company Canwest.

Ian Morrison says he believes there will be little interest in buying the stations as a package and he says he thinks it will be extremely doubtful that an organization would want CHCH by itself.

"The number of entities that could add CH to their stable is limited by regulation or the fact they already have the Toronto area market covered."

Morrison believes CHCH will continue in Hamilton. But sagging financial fortunes and an inability to sell the station will be used as an excuse to further reduce local programming.

"The realistic threat is not that you would tune in and see snow on the screen but rather that you would see a deterioration of quality and quantity of local coverage."

He says broadcast regulator the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission should put pressure on the station to fulfill local obligations.

A CRTC spokesperson says broadcasters can apply to reduce their local programming licence commitments. Stations that break their commitments usually find themselves criticized at their next licence renewal.

CHCH had produced more than 40 hours of local programs and recently reduced that to 37 hours. Its licence requires 36.5 hours.

Canwest says it is awaiting the outcome of its review before it determines its next steps.

CHCH's future

CHCH TV is one of five television stations being "strategically reviewed" by parent company Canwest Global Communications.

Canwest is looking at four options:

* Selling: A move that would require approval of the broadcast regulator Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

* Rebranding: Changing CHCH from being part of E! Channel into something else.

* Reprogramming: Dramatically changing its program offerings.

* Closing it down: The company says this is an absolute last resort. And experts say this is extremely unlikely because the broadcasting licence would have considerable value in the marketplace.

For Canwest to walk away would leave a great opportunity for another company to apply and be granted a licence to broadcast on CHCH's frequency.

The stations

The stations, as well as CHCH, being reviewed by Canwest are:

CJNT-TV in Montreal,

CHCA-TV in Red Deer,

CHBC-TV in Kelowna

CHEK-TV in Victoria

How long will the strategic review take?

* Late March to early April. RBCP Capital Markets has been retained to assist in the process.

"Once we have gathered all the information we will make a rational business decision based on comprehensive information," said John Douglas, vice-president of public affairs for Canwest

Canwest woes

* The company is $3.6 billion in debt.

* In November, the company said it was cutting 560 jobs across the country, including 14 jobs at CHCH in an effort to save $61 million.

[SteelTown]

'Save CH,' Facebook petition urges

February 13, 2009
Elisabeth Johns
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/512906

Residents are rallying to save CHCH News from the chopping block.

A Facebook group called "Save CHCH News" has attracted more than 9,100 people in just one week.

An online petition posted yesterday gathered more than 40 signatures in one hour alone.

CHCH has been gutted by layoffs and program cuts. It's one of five community stations across Canada that Canwest is considering to either reprogram or sell.

CHCH general manager Patrick O'Hara said closing the station is the "worst-case scenario."

The Facebook group and petition were created by Jodi Hinkson, a 32-year-old Hamilton mom and an avid CHCH watcher.

"I believe that there would be a great disservice to the communities that CH serves if the station goes dark," Hinkson said in an e-mail. "I wanted to make some noise and rally the viewers behind finding a way to ensure Canwest, or any potential buyer, that we care about our station."

She said the group also hopes to send a message to the CHCH staff that viewers "stand behind them."

She plans to send the petition to Canwest Global and the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

People can sign the petition at gopetition.com/online/25272.html. The link is also listed in the Facebook group.

[MsMe]

Picture looks fuzzy for CHCH

Chance of sale slim: observer

February 13, 2009
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 13, 2009)
The president of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says he doubts there will be a "happy outcome" for local viewers from the strategic review of CHCH television by its parent company Canwest.

Ian Morrison says he believes there will be little interest in buying the stations as a package and he says he thinks it will be extremely doubtful that an organization would want CHCH by itself.

"The number of entities that could add CH to their stable is limited by regulation or the fact they already have the Toronto area market covered."

Morrison believes CHCH will continue in Hamilton. But sagging financial fortunes and an inability to sell the station will be used as an excuse to further reduce local programming.

"The realistic threat is not that you would tune in and see snow on the screen but rather that you would see a deterioration of quality and quantity of local coverage."

He says broadcast regulator the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission should put pressure on the station to fulfill local obligations.

A CRTC spokesperson says broadcasters can apply to reduce their local programming licence commitments. Stations that break their commitments usually find themselves criticized at their next licence renewal.

CHCH had produced more than 40 hours of local programs and recently reduced that to 37 hours. Its licence requires 36.5 hours.

Canwest says it is awaiting the outcome of its review before it determines its next steps.

CHCH's future

CHCH TV is one of five television stations being "strategically reviewed" by parent company Canwest Global Communications.

Canwest is looking at four options:

* Selling: A move that would require approval of the broadcast regulator Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

* Rebranding: Changing CHCH from being part of E! Channel into something else.

* Reprogramming: Dramatically changing its program offerings.

* Closing it down: The company says this is an absolute last resort. And experts say this is extremely unlikely because the broadcasting licence would have considerable value in the marketplace.

For Canwest to walk away would leave a great opportunity for another company to apply and be granted a licence to broadcast on CHCH's frequency.

The stations

The stations, as well as CHCH, being reviewed by Canwest are:

CJNT-TV in Montreal,

CHCA-TV in Red Deer,

CHBC-TV in Kelowna

CHEK-TV in Victoria

How long will the strategic review take?

* Late March to early April. RBCP Capital Markets has been retained to assist in the process.

"Once we have gathered all the information we will make a rational business decision based on comprehensive information," said John Douglas, vice-president of public affairs for Canwest

Canwest woes

* The company is $3.6 billion in debt.

* In November, the company said it was cutting 560 jobs across the country, including 14 jobs at CHCH in an effort to save $61 million.

[email protected]

905-526-4687


http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/512942

[adam]

If CHCH "goes dark" it will create a great opportunity for a more local company (if not Hamilton then at least Ontario based) to start broadcasting. This would be a step up.

[flar]

Originally Posted by adam

If CHCH "goes dark" it will create a great opportunity for a more local company (if not Hamilton then at least Ontario based) to start broadcasting. This would be a step up.

I don't think that will happen...TV is dead.

[MsMe]

People only want the big screen tv now for DVD movies and to watch sports. I myself go online to read the news now. So I can see tv getting very downsized if it doesn't die altogether.

[omro]

TV itself isn't dead, the linear format is dead.

In today's technological era, people don't want to be forced to watch news at a specific hour and shows at other hours. They want the flexibility of "what I want, when I want it".

I'm not entirely sure about canada, but in the UK DVR/PVRs have taken over. Our sattelite and cable operators offer them built into their packages and you can buy simpler ones for the free to air channels. I have friends who have a Virgin+ Media box and I don't think they've watched a single piece of scheduled programming since they got it. I will have tears in my eyes when I say goodbye to my Sky+ box of over 3 years.

Content delivery is changing. Everything will end up becoming "on demand", so I doubt TV will change, but certain shows will stop being the "9am such and such show" and rather the "9th Novemember such and such show"

Live TV is dying, not television itself.

[flar]

^^I think we have a different Idea of what TV is.

For me, TV==the live stuff, like newscasts and event coverage but really when it comes down to it, the television model is simply a means to deliver audiences to advertisers. It is no longer effective in that respect except for major events like the superbowl. I think ultimately TV is dead because these too will be more effectively delivered over the "tubes" than the "airwaves". The rest of it--shows--can be downloaded, and I think PVRs are an interim solution because they are still based on fixed broadcasts. Eventually everyone will just get their content via fast downloads and watch it on their television set, BUT with no commercials (but note that very young people seem content to watch shows on their laptop screens with earbuds).

The average TV viewer is now around 55; the most sought after demographic for advertisers is younger than this. From a business standpoint, TV stations are no longer profitable. PVRs are a part of this too because the good ones cut out the commercials.

[adam]

I completely agree. I get the feeling they put more effort into making commercials than they do the actual shows!

[omro]

Originally Posted by flar

^^I think we have a different Idea of what TV is.

For me, TV==the live stuff, like newscasts and event coverage but really when it comes down to it, the television model is simply a means to deliver audiences to advertisers. It is no longer effective in that respect except for major events like the superbowl. I think ultimately TV is dead because these too will be more effectively delivered over the "tubes" than the "airwaves". The rest of it--shows--can be downloaded, and I think PVRs are an interim solution because they are still based on fixed broadcasts. Eventually everyone will just get their content via fast downloads and watch it on their television set, BUT with no commercials (but note that very young people seem content to watch shows on their laptop screens with earbuds).

The average TV viewer is now around 55; the most sought after demographic for advertisers is younger than this. From a business standpoint, TV stations are no longer profitable. PVRs are a part of this too because the good ones cut out the commercials.

I totally agree with you. PVRs are an interim, but they also point the way. People don't want to be constrained by schedules anymore. You're totally correct, all "video" content is going to be downloaded or streamed in the future and I believe that even "live" content will be delivered in a similar manner. Why miss the beginning seconds of "live from the scene", when you can start the video stream after you've had time to make a cup of tea. The only thing that will be "live" will be the appearance of content mark on the display of the user interface that connects to the server saying that this stream is now viewable.

The channel paradigm is going to end for the most part. A few live 24 hour countrywide news services might still exist, which will feed into their own content deliverables. The latest headlines, weather, business news, etc. Soon it'll be a studio and genre paradigm. What do you want to watch made by this production company today?

I just recently gave away a good 200 VHS tapes to charity, from series I used to collect and films and so on. I'd been keeping onto them just in case I wanted to watch them again and to save myself having to buy the DVDs for something I watched infrequently. Pulling those tapes off the shelves, seeing the old price tags, just made me realise how much money I'd spent over the years and in essence, wasted. Each tape varied between £4.99 and £13.99 so if you median that at £9.50 a cassette, multiply by 200 - that's £1,900 and that's with pretty poor maths.

I rarely collect DVDs and refuse to buy into the whole Blu-Ray packaging. Both are equally expensive, dead formats. It's only a matter of time.

Don't underestimate advertisers, they've been around a long long time. They'll come up with something in the future. The most obvious would be some form of fixed advertising built into the User Interface of the system that is used to deliver your video content onto your television screen. A lot of online video streams force you to sit through a short advert before the content begins and there's no way to stop it. Another would be less subtle product placement within the content. In a few years time, I full expect to watch an episode of CSI: Albuquerque and hear to coroner say "the victim had been been drinking a caffeine free, diet cherry coca cola shortly before the fatal stabbing. At least they enjoyed that refreshing zero calorie drink before they died."

[Dundasguy]

Originally Posted by omro

I rarely collect DVDs and refuse to buy into the whole Blu-Ray packaging. Both are equally expensive, dead formats. It's only a matter of time.

Dead formats?

Blu-Ray and DVD offer a picture resolution you cannot get anywhere outside of a movie theatre. I don't think they're going anywhere.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by flar

when it comes down to it, the television model is simply a means to deliver audiences to advertisers. It is no longer effective in that respect except for major events like the superbowl.

I'd say TV is dead in the same sense that Paul Graham argues that Microsoft is dead: "not that Microsoft is suddenly going to stop making money, but that people at the leading edge of the software business no longer have to think about them."

Similarly, TV will carry on, but it will no longer be at the forefront of entertainment/news programming. Of course, that won't stop the people who make a living from TV from trying to hamstring the disruptive competition emerging in online media.

[hmagazine]

A warm hello to all members and friends of The Hamilton Association,


Our next free public lecture will be this Saturday, February 21,
beginning at 8 pm in the usual place, Room 1A1, Ewart Angus Centre,
McMaster University Medical Centre.

Our speaker this month will be Canadian journalist Ian Brown.

His talk is titled:

Everything But the News: A Journalist's Future

Ian Brown considers the fate of narrative journalism when newspaper
readership is declining, and media struggle to re-invent themselves in
an age of blogs, twitter and infotainment. He asks whether there is
still a place for well-told stories to help us understand human experience.

Ian Brown's accomplishments are as varied as his interests. He has
written for magazines such as Macleans; newspapers, notably the Globe
and Mail; hosted CBC Radio's late lamented literary program Talking
Books and still hosts TVOntario documentary programming. His feature
articles range from an hour-by-hour description of individual stories
played out over three days in a Toronto hospital, to a public
correspondence with L'Arche founder Jean Vanier about discovering
one's humanity. He has three published books, Freewheeling, about the
family dynasty behind Canadian Tire Corporation, Man Overboard: True
Adventures with North American Men, and an edited collection of
essays, What I Meant to Say. His next book, The Boy in the Moon, due
out this year, is about living with his son Walker who has a rare,
profound genetic disorder.

Please help us expand our audience by informing friends and colleagues
who might be interested in this presentation.

Tax receipts for the 2008 tax year will be available from our
treasurer, David Keane.

Hope to see you on Saturday!


Sincerely,

Aurelia Shaw
HAALSA Secretary ( [email protected] Tel. 905-527-0080 )

[SteelTown]

CanWest seeks financial saviour amid debt crisis
By SINCLAIR STEWART, ANDREW WILLIS and GRANT ROBERTSON AND TARA PERKINS
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Story/Business

February 20, 2009

Leonard Asper is scrambling to secure a financial lifeline for CanWest Global Communications Corp. before the end of the month to prevent his family-run media empire from sliding into bankruptcy protection.

Yet even if he is successful, the price of that lifeline could be steep. Some potential investors - including Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.- want to take control of CanWest away from the Asper family in exchange for any cash infusion.

At least one investor weighing a proposal said it would insist that Mr. Asper step aside as chief executive officer and that he and his siblings eliminate the dual-class share structure that gives them control of the company, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Officials at some of CanWest's main creditors believe that if the company cannot find access to hundreds of millions of dollars in new credit within the next few weeks, it could be forced to seek protection from lenders and restructure under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. CanWest, which owes $3.9-billion, and its primary adviser, RBC Dominion Securities, have approached numerous institutional investors to gauge their interest in a deal.

The response from potential backers has been lukewarm, not merely because of CanWest's economic woes brought on by the recession, but because several creditors are jockeying for protection in any restructuring process.

CanWest's borrowing capacity was put on a tighter leash this month when a senior credit facility was cut back to $112-million from $300-million by Bank of Nova Scotia. The new limit is about $20-million above what CanWest has already drawn.

The limit is in place until next Friday and Mr. Asper is now trying to negotiate a new borrowing agreement by that date, in order to have the full amount of credit reinstated.

"Options on the table include some sort of recapitalization that would see creditors take a haircut, and the Asper family squeezed out," said one banker working on CanWest. "Leonard Asper ... is still focused on trying to find some sort of solution that salvages something for the family."

CanWest spokesman John Douglas said "we have ... a very structured process. It has checkpoints all along it, and one of those checkpoints is reaching an agreement with our senior lenders. That is where all the attention is being devoted right now."

CanWest's largest non-family shareholder, Fairfax Financial, is among investors that have expressed interest in a new capital injection to forestall bankruptcy protection. Bankers close to the company suggest Fairfax or other investors would have to inject about $300-million to be effective. A condition of such an investment by Fairfax would be a change in control at CanWest, according to sources.

Some other funds, including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, have been approached by CanWest officials, but said they were not interested in investing in the media company, sources say.

Sources familiar with the matter said Fairfax is holding off on a proposal until it gets more information on the state of CanWest's financial health - something it has been unable to obtain thus far. Any proposal would require an investor to hammer out a separate agreement with Goldman Sachs, which is a partner in CanWest's specialty channels, a stable of assets that rank among the company's most prized properties.

CanWest borrowed heavily to acquire a nationwide newspaper chain and specialty television network, Alliance Atlantis Communications, bought in 2007 for $2.3-billion. Mr. Asper anticipated paying down loans with the cash flow that comes from advertising in near-monopoly properties.

But advertising spending has dropped sharply, leaving CanWest in breach of debt covenants.

CanWest's lenders, led by the Bank of Nova Scotia, are reluctant to push the company into CCAA protection, but are pushing Mr. Asper for a plan that will see their loans repaid, banking sources say. Options being discussed by lenders include parachuting in a restructuring expert, who would supervise the sale or closing of operations.

Mr. Douglas said the company is reviewing all strategic alternatives as part of its restructuring. Relinquishing control, either by stepping back from the CEO role or allowing an investor to acquire CanWest voting shares, is not a scenario Mr. Asper has been wiling to pursue so far.

In a CCAA filing, creditors would take the reins at CanWest, and the Asper family's control of the company, based in part on a dual share structure, would disappear.

[ryan_mcgreal]

http://thespec.com/News/Business/article/519200

Hamilton Spectator to lay off 35
The Hamilton Spectator
Feb 24, 2009

The Spectator is laying off 35 staff across the newspaper in reaction to the global economic downturn and the resulting slowdown in the media industry.

"We're confident these reductions, while painful for our team, can be accomplished in a manner that will be invisible to our readers and advertisers," publisher Dana Robbins said yesterday.

Layoffs were also announced at the Record of Waterloo Region and the Guelph Mercury. The Spectator and its sister dailies are part of Metroland Media Group Ltd., a division of Torstar Corp.

The Spectator layoffs represent 30 full-time jobs, or 7 per cent of a staff complement of 430. The layoff affects positions in the editorial, circulation, advertising, production and business units.

"This is an extremely sad day for the union at The Hamilton Spectator," said Paul Morse, CEP Local 87-M chair. "These layoffs will cut deeply into a newspaper that has always provided highest-quality journalism."

Robbins said it was hoped the economic downturn would be "sharp and short, but it's ended up not being short, quite the opposite.

"There is not a company in Hamilton that is not facing similar circumstances.

"When our community suffers, The Spectator suffers, and that's what we're seeing."

David Estok, editor-in-chief, told newsroom staff that specific layoff notifications will be made shortly.

"This is, and always has been, a caring newsroom," Estok said. "Our thoughts and support will be with our colleagues who will be leaving."

Layoffs at the Record are equivalent to 20 full-time jobs in a staff complement of 272. At the Mercury, it's 13 of 85 full-time jobs.

[LikeHamilton]

CTV to close two Ontario stations

Reuters

TORONTO — Broadcaster CTV Inc. will shut a pair of its television stations in Ontario, citing “the current global economic crisis” and structural problems facing the conventional TV sector, it said Wednesday.

CTV, owned by privately held CTVglobemedia Inc., said it will not apply to renew the licences for the two stations when they expire at the end of August, 2009.

The stations operate under the A brand, offering network entertainment and local news programming in the Wingham and Windsor regions. CTV did not specify how many jobs will be lost as a result of their closing.
“The traditional economic model for Canadian television is broken,” Paul Sparkes, CTVglobe's executive vice-president of corporate affairs, said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, we may need to consider similar actions in other local markets given the current regulatory framework.”

In November, CTV cut 105 jobs and became yet another media company to reduce staff as the advertising market falters.

CTV rival CanWest Global Communications Corp. also cut broadcasting jobs last year and is now considering selling five conventional TV stations.

Broadcasters like CanWest and CTV have argued they deserve a share of the subscriber fees charged by cable and satellite companies for carrying their signals.

They say such a fee-for-carriage would help offset a drop in advertising revenues they have suffered as a result of the rise of cable and satellite services.

However, last October, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the federal regulator, turned down their requests.

“The financial pressures facing our conventional television operations are further compounded by the commission's decision to turn down requests to implement a fee-for-carriage regime for local television,” Mr. Sparkes said.

Woodbridge Co. Ltd., the Thomson family's private holding company, owns 40 per cent of CTVglobe, while Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan owns a 25 per cent stake, Torstar Corp. owns 20 per cent and BCE Inc. owns the remaining 15 per cent.