by JAMES BRADSHAW, Media Reporter, The Globe & Mail
Published
The chairman of Canada’s broadcast regulator said it is “disturbing” to read allegations that the president of Bell Media intervened to exclude him from news coverage on CTV, the country’s largest private broadcaster.
On Wednesday, The Globe and Mail published a story detailing how a long-running feud between Bell and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission boiled over. Last week, Kevin Crull, the president of Bell Media, which owns CTV, became angry with a regulatory decision and directed senior staff not to show chairman Jean-Pierre Blais in coverage of the story, according to sources.
Mr. Crull sought to have comments and interviews by Mr. Blais excluded from Bell-owned networks, the sources said. Mr. Blais released a lengthy response on Wednesday. (Read the full statement.)
“An informed citizenry cannot be sacrificed for a company’s commercial interests,” he writes in a 253-word written statement. “Canadians can only wonder how many times corporate interests may have been placed ahead of the fair and balanced news reporting they expect from their broadcasting system.”
READ MORE HERE AT THE GLOBE & MAIL WEBSITE
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/reports-of-bell-meddling-with-news-coverage-disturbing-crtc-chief-says/article23615500/
Once again the facts are clear. Let people run our business that have reached the age of maturity and know the Radio and Television industry from “the inside out- not from the outside in”.
Bell is rapidly acquiring a reputation as a misguided fool rather than an industry leader. When your “financial fitness” sags it seems to bring out the reasons why. We just found out who the problem is.
Oh well, so be it!
Bulletin board posters like to rant against the CBC, but as Been There notes above, Bell/CTV is often the “misguided fool” in handling PR. I seem to recall that, a few years ago, then head Ivan Fecan was taking leaves of absence to run ad campaigns for either the Grits or Tories.
And didn’t they also turf Terry David Mulligan sparking an age-discrimination lawsuit? Wonder if Terry settled out of court as I don’t recall seeing any follow-on stories?