A Piece of the Action

The power of the media is being leveled straight at your head, and many are oblivious to the fact the campaign is not subliminal in nature. The only thing that is subliminal is a misdirection being employed.

Since March, CTV the television arm of CTV Global Media has been running advertisements stating, “For more than 50 years, CTV and ‘A’ have been proud to serve your community. We are leaders not only in the quality of our local news and programming, but also in our commitment to the community. The future of local television broadcasting, including your station, is at stake. Local news is the foundation of the Canadian broadcasting system. If we cut local roots, we lose something invaluable as a nation. At CTV and ‘A’, we want to see local television continue to strengthen our communities.”

On CTV’s campaign website they are quoted as stating, “Television service providers, including cable and satellite companies, are reaping huge profits at the direct expense of local Canadian TV stations that are going out of business.”

According to this ad campaign, current Canadian regulations are allowing satellite and cable companies to include their TV Stations to customers with no fees going to CTV. This is a relationship that has been in effect since cable and satellite service provider were introduced.

The ad campaign then alerts the viewer that CTV is at a “Crisis Point” and unless they don’t get a piece of the action from these service providers, local programming and content will be cancelled. This position has been rather effective, as CTV has compiled a long list of online signatures of viewers who are in fear of losing their local TV stations. The word has spread, and the masses are carrying the ‘the cause’ forward.

So effective is this mission that Google reports over 15,000 pages dedicated to the CTV “Save Local Television” campaign.

Why do people get so sucked in by manufactured media hype? In what way would losing a local breakfast show be the destruction of “the foundation of the Canadian broadcasting system?” Does this ad campaign step over the line of journalistic integrity by disguising a true motivation as a public ill? Is CTV abusing a public trust by forcing its journalists to participate in what is essentially a political campaign?

Part of the hype is trying to convince the local viewer that advertising dollars alone are no longer able to support conventional television. But is this not the main source of income for any form of media provider?

Television from its inception has always been provided free to the viewer. Anyone with a pair of ‘Rabbit Ears’ or a television antenna mounted to their homes can pick up the local TV stations without paying any fees to CTV. I always thought that tuning into a local station was “giving them a piece of the action,” since it is the viewership numbers that provide the likes of CTV the ability to provide advertisers, local or otherwise, the confidence to purchase a 20 second TV spot.

It seems that like CBC, CTV is looking to the public to carry them. Using alarmist language like “Crisis Point” is an abuse of their public trust since viewers tune in to be entertained and informed, and not programmed to do the bidding of the television network.

To accuse cable providers of reaping huge profits at the “expense of local Canadian TV” is also misleading, since it is not “costing” any expense to the TV station for having their channel provided to the viewer on cable or satellite. Once again, the fact that cable is enabling CTV to get more viewers is a benefit to them for generating advertising dollars. If anything, it would be reasonable to assume that cable providers and satellite companies should get a commission for generating the viewers for the local TV station.

Anyone who resides any further than 100 kilometers from Edmonton knows that rabbit ears (free-to-air) reception of CTV is like trying to look at bikini clad woman in a sand storm. It was the advent of satellite TV that allowed the likes of CTV to once again increase viewership and in turn increase advertising sales.

Perhaps instead of using valuable airtime to ruffle the feathers of their viewers, CTV should be selling that airtime to local businesses CHEAP! Maybe cut them a deal and put their ads on a timeslot that will be beneficial to the local businessperson. Instead of putting the small business on the air at 2:00AM where they maybe able to afford 20 seconds, create a local interest segment and put the message in front of the viewers that actually have jobs where they have to go to bed at 10:00 PM, so they can afford the products the advertiser is selling.

If local television is hard up for money, run a telethon to raise more funds. It would be chock full of local Canadian content, be entertaining as hell and it sure would pay the bills. Television media is a business plain and simple. It is never good business to get ‘your’ public to do your bidding. In the end it will backfire, until then I guess I have had my say.