CBC's OTA Future: Discussion

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by cm3020prob

Why aren't CBC's analog rebroadcasters working the same way? Why the need to uplink ANOTHER whole set of CBC stations to a third satellite for the sole purpose of serving their analog rebroadcasters?

CBC built their network of re-transmitters before Canada had DTH satellite services, so the CBC had to do it on their own. To switch would require upgrading all 600 towers, and while the capital cost of such an upgrade may be small, the big expense would be flying a crew in to do the install. Considering the rest of the retransmission gear is at the end of its life, they don't want to throw good money after bad towards this.

It would also require a special contract with the BDU and I am sure they would see the CBC coming and charge an arm and a leg.

Don't get me wrong, I think the CBC is throwing the baby out with the bathwater on this one and shutting down a bunch of transmitters that really should be kept operational. A better criteria of what markets should have transmitters needs to be set (the old population of 500 is out of date).

[cm3020prob]

The CBC built a trans-canadian micro-wave relay system in the 1960s (I think), then came satellite in the 1970s, and since the late 90's early 2000s, broadcasters are using a common fiber link for delivering a ton of conventional and specialties, and then in the late 2000s, networks moved the master controller from individual O&O stations to a Toronto broadcast center, where the final signal for each station travels across the country to reach the main transmitter.

There was many technological changes in the past decades. But the CBC kept ALL 600+ rebroadcasters in their initial state since they've been turned on? Hard to believe.

[alebowgm]

This letter was just brought to my attention, what good it does who knows.

May 24,2012
Hon. James Moore
The Corporation of the
Town of Tecumseh
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A OA6

Dear Minister Moore:

I am writing to you today to express concern regarding the future of Television de RadioCanada, or French CBC, programming in the Windsor-Essex region. It is my understanding that the CBC/Radio-Canada analog transmission system that serves our region is scheduled to cease operations on July 31, 2012, and further, that stations that do not originate programming will not be transitioned to digital.

As the Mayor of a community with strong francophone roots, and a large and vibrant Frenchspeaking population today, I am disconcerted to learn that the only direct, local source of francophone programming would be eliminated. Cable or satellite options are not a viable alternative for all residents, and I strongly believe Franco-Ontarians in our region should have access to news, culture, and general programming in their preferred official language.

I urge you to support the transition of CBEFT to digital, or to explore alternative methods by which francophone broadcasting may continue in the Windsor-Essex Region.

Yours truly,

Gary McNamara
Mayor

/ep
cc: Hon. Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State (La Francophonie)
Mr. Joe Comartin, M P- Windsor-Tecumseh
Mr. Jeff Watson, MP- Essex
Mr. Brian Masse, MP-Windsor West
Mr. David Van Kesteren, MP-Chatham-Kent-Essex

[alebowgm]

City council is lobbying the CBC to reverse a decision to end its analogue service for French-language television.

CBEFT has been a cultural "lifeline" for local francophones with "free, over-theair television in French," said Gerard Malo, a local CBC journalist and the Canadian Media Guild's national director of francophone affairs. He said the Windsor area has one of the highest percentages of homes with analogue TV sets in Canada, and there are hundreds of local francophone households without access to digital or satellite TV services.

Malo said CBC could maintain Windsor's analogue service for as little as $10,000 by implementing a system known as "multiplexing," which combines multiple digital data streams into one stream as a shared medium.

See: http://www.windsorstar.com/entertain...#ixzz1vuvT9Re4

[El Gran Chico]

Communities Should Be Offered CBC Transmitters Slated for July Shutdown

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/9806...-july-shutdown

[El Gran Chico]

And CBC responds:

http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2012/05/25/

[cm3020prob]

The CBC's reply is the same narrow-vision one: analog transmitters are old, and re-use the average 1.7% of the whole country, regardless if case-by-case communities uses more or less OTA.

Yeah, ok, but what if communities want to take over Radio-Canada's transmitter and upgrade it to digital ?

Personally, I spent my childhood in a small town up north, 2200 residents (1100 households), where there's a SRC analog retransmitter operating at 5 watts on VHF-Hi. I tried, the only thing I could get by setting up an interior antenna is interference, unwatcheable. It's stupid to setup an exterior antenna because there's a hill in the line of sight to the SRC's 21.5kW digital transmitter (VHF-Hi) located 120 km away, where TVA and V digital transmitters are also located at similar powers.
- Cellphone: The community get only Bellus cell signal, no Rogers or Videotron.
- Internet: Either Télébec internet or independant cable provider, both with heavier caps than in the big cities, impossible to subscribe to a wholesale provider.
- Phone: All calls inside the city are local, everywhere else it's a long distance call. Impossible to port your phone number to a VoIP provider.

Back to topic, the community cannot use SRC's useless analog retransmitter, it's better to shut it down and keep subscribing to cable or satellite. But maybe the community would be interested in a digital rebroadcaster delivering SRC+TVA+V+TQc at an acceptable but low-power. Thanks CACTUS for the suggestion.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by El Gran Chico

And CBC responds:

Interesting. It is true that in most cases the CBC is not selling a tower as they are either leasing space on someone else's tower or continuing to use it for radio services.

It was my impression however that the CBC was unwilling to give the towers they are selling to the communities as they were wanting to sell them for fair market value to raise money. The CBC also missed the point of the communities upgrading the facilities for digital multicast services. This could also be done on towers the CBC is keeping for a nominal or no fee as compensation for lost services. Things do get more complicated on leased towers however.

[MaxHeadroom]

Not to mention the liability issue of who gets to work on/climb the tower. Some volunteer from the community?

[alebowgm]

I got a reply from MP Joe Comartin on CBEFT being shutdown this afternoon... I wrote back and said if your position is you don't want the station to close, then he, along with the local leaders, need to file an intervention at the CRTC...

Thank you very much for writing to me about the impact of the loss of French programming on the Windsor-Essex region. I, like you, am deeply concerned about the effects that this decision will have on our Francophone community which is considered one of the most assimilated Francophone communities outside of Quebec in Canada.

The issue at hand stems far beyond the fiscal constraints which ensued for CBC/Radio-Canada as a result of the economic downturn and fiscal constraints in the Harper government’s budgets since 2009. It is a concern that begs the question as to whether or not the spirit of the Official Languages Act is being upheld and implemented in the programming that is offered in both Official Languages to Canadians. The linguistic duality of the Windsor-Essex region is a characteristic that is paramount to the identity of many of the members in our community.

As a result of the loss of French radio and television programming, my colleague, Brian Masse (MP for Windsor-West) and I have been very active on this file for years. We have echoed the concerns that have been raised by thousands of francophones in Windsor-Essex who have voiced their discontent to the cutbacks in French radio programming, as well as the upcoming elimination of the CBEF transmitter. In April 2009, we wrote to Konrad Finckenstein, the President of the CRTC, Hubert Lacroix, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada on the impact of proposed changes to French programming in Windsor-Essex. We have also brought our concerns to the attention of the Minister of Heritage and the Commissioner of Official Languages. We have been working alongside SOS CBEF, an activist Francophone group that was established in Windsor-Essex, as a result of the CBC/Radio-Canada’s decision to eliminate French programming via radio and television.

We recognize that CBEF has served as a vital forum for debates, news, and opinions of the vibrant French community in Windsor-Essex. In my view, the anticipated closure of this local institution represents a serious threat to minority rights in Canada. It is a step backward, rather than forward in terms of improving the level of equality and accessibility of cultural programming in Canada to Francophones. On numerous occasions, we have stressed both to the CBC/Radio-Canada and the CRTC, that the degradation of minority language broadcasting in one of the leading medium-sized markets in Canada is simply unjustifiable. We have called on the CRTC to use its regulatory powers, or those affiliated with federal authorities to protect French broadcasting in South Western Ontario and to assure the continued survival of CBEF.

In reaction to the loss of French radio programming in Windsor in 2009, many Francophone residents mobilized to voice their concerns on the erosion of the minority language programming. The mobilization resulted in eight hundred and seventy six complaints which were filed with the Office of the Official Languages Commissioner. The Commissioner decided to launch an investigation into the matter thereafter, and subsequently published a twenty-five page report detailing his findings. In the report, the Commissioner outlines that the objective of the investigation was to determine whether the CBC/Radio-Canada’s decision to cut CBEF 540 AM’s budget complied with the requirements under Part VII of the Official Languages Act, which reads:

41. (1) The Government of Canada is committed to:

a) Enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and

b) Fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society

2) Every federal institution has the duty to ensure that positive measures are taken for the implementation of the commitments under subsection (1). For greater certainty, this implementation shall be carried out while respecting the jurisdiction and powers of the provinces.

As a Crown Corporation established pursuant to an act of Parliament, the Commissioner maintains that CBC/Radio-Canada is a federal institution within the meaning of section 3 of the Official Languages Act and must comply with the obligation to take positive measures as set out in subsection 41 (2) of the Official Languages Act.

In 2010, the Commissioner launched a Court challenge against the CBC/Radio-Canada in order to determine whether or not language minority rights have been infringed upon in relation to their decisions to cut radio programming. To date, the Court has not yet held a hearing due to numerous procedural hurdles.

In addition, on May 22, 2012, Councillor Percy Hatfield of the City of Windsor passed a motion urging the CRTC, Industry Canada, Heritage Canada, and both respective Ministers to authorize the CBC/Radio-Canada to use a new technological method which would provide for free French television programming for citizens who do not have cable or satellite services. I have attached a copy of this motion for your reference.

Rest assured that I will continue to advocate for the importance of preserving, rather than eradicating French radio and television programming in Windsor-Essex. I recognize the vitality and diversity of our community, and as an individual with Francophone roots in my family, I take this issue seriously.

Once again, thank you for writing, and please do not hesitate to contact me in the future.

Sincerely,

Joe Comartin, M.P.
Windsor-Tecumseh

[El Gran Chico]

I've started reading Barry Keifl's Canadian Media Research Inc. blog (http://mediatrends-research.blogspot.ca/). Lots of interesting insight into the goings on at the CBC (he was Research Director for the CBC from 1983-2001).

[alebowgm]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 7, 2012

COMARTIN AND MASSE EXPRESS DISCONTENT WITH LOSS OF RADIO-CANADA’S ONLY FRENCH TRANSMITTER IN WINDSOR-ESSEX

(Ottawa, ON) – Today, New Democrats Brian Masse, MP (Windsor-West) and Joe Comartin, MP (Windsor-Tecumseh) expressed their grave concern with the imminent loss of the French analogue television transmitter in Windsor-Essex by July 31, 2012. The elimination of the transmitter is a result of CBC/Radio-Canada’s decision to eliminate over 600 analogue transmitters across Canada.

In 2010, Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) handed down a decision to broadcasters requiring the phasing out of analogue transmitters to digital transmitters as part of a seismic technological shift to enhance broadcasting technology and free up air-wave space for public safety services. Hundreds of affected municipalities are losing transmitters in French, English or both. The loss of the French transmitter in Windsor means that only residents with cable or satellite services will be able to watch CBC/Radio-Canada’s local, public broadcasting in the language of their choice. Those using ‘bunny ears’ or antennas will be unable to watch CBC/Radio-Canada’s programming in French, despite the fact that their taxpayer dollars contribute to funding for national and local broadcasting.

“Windsor has one of the most assimilated Francophone communities in English Canada. The CBEF Station is the only French-language station in the region and it is an important tool in the eyes of the community to try to counter the influence of English radio and television, particularly from the United States”, indicated Comartin.

In 1996, CBEF Windsor experienced a 60% cut in its budget, which resulted in a significant loss of French programming in Windsor. In 2009, more cuts to French radio programming ensued as a result of the budgetary constraints imposed on the CBC/Radio-Canada by the Harper government. Following said cuts, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages received hundreds of complaints from Francophones in Windsor detailing their discontent with the effects of this decision. The discontent was echoed by the establishment of an activist group, SOS CBEF, which has worked tirelessly to preserve French radio and television programming in Windsor-Essex. The Commissioner subsequently launched an investigation and issued a report arguing that the radio broadcasting cuts constituted an infringement on language minority rights under the Official Languages Act. As a result, the Commissioner challenged CBC/Radio-Canada in a federal court case which is still pending.

“Since 2008, Joe and I have been actively working to mitigate the impacts of the loss of French programming on our constituents. We have written to CBC/Radio-Canada, the CRTC and other major stakeholders expressing the profound losses that have and will continue to ensue as a result of these changes. This week, we have written to the President of the CBC/Radio-Canada again detailing our grave concerns and proposing solutions,” commented Masse.

http://joecomartin.ca/post/cbef-windsor

[insider22]

The future of OTA is under theat, not only the CBC stations.
That very sad for me, but I see it every day at my work.

look here for example:
Weak, failed digital TV signals a 'minimal to non-issue': CRTC
http://www.thewirereport.ca/reports/...non_issue_crtc

CRTC is acting if there no problem existing.

[alebowgm]

That article is pay only...

[insider22]

sorry,

But you get an idea from the title. basicly the CRTC, Industry Canada and the broadcaster seem to agree that OTA has no future and they dont care about the reception problem of viewers.