Is Local TV Really In Trouble? Shaw Says No!

CTV and Global TV are trying to convince Canadians that local TV is in trouble. What they’re really doing is lobbying to push through a new TV tax, a charge to the cable and satellite companies and their customers for carrying their stations. They want this extra charge because they’ve misspent the hundreds of millions of dollars they’ve already received from taxpayers, cable and satellite companies.

Taxing Canadians to provide broadcasters with yet another bailout won’t help fix the problem. What it will do is add up to $72 to your cable bill.

The truth is, local TV doesn’t need saving.

The broadcasters are asking Canadians to help “save local TV”, but local TV doesn’t need saving. They say they’re broke, but the truth is both CTV and Global TV are both very big businesses with a number of very profitable channels and assets. Let’s be clear: it’s not local TV that needs saving. Broadcasters need to invest in local TV, not spend on foreign programming.

Canadians and Shaw are already doing their part.

Shaw and Shaw Direct contributed over $86 million last year alone. That’s 1.8 million dollars every week and that’s just our share. The fact is, cable and satellite companies provide hundreds of millions of dollars every year to broadcasters – as much, or more, funding comes from the Canadian government. Where does that money come from? It comes from the Canadian taxpayers.

The bottom line.

We can’t afford to keep bailing out companies who don’t know how to control their spending. Major broadcasters must be responsible for their own businesses. Get the facts and send a message to government. Be loud.

Thank you for your continued support.

Get the real story! Watch the Business News Network’s interview with Peter Bissonette, President of Shaw Communications.

Jim Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications has an important message for you about this current move to increase the cost of YOUR television. Use this Nanaimo Info LINK for his response.