Revealed! Stephen Harper’s secret plan to take over the CRTC and launch Sun TV
Lawrence Martin wrote a juicy column for the Globe today about Stephen Harper’s push for Sun TV, a conservative news station that would be akin to his own version of Fox TV. After the CRTC rejected Sun TV’s bid for a licence in July (saying there was “little to distinguish Sun TV from other all-news services”), Martin says Harper and Quebecor’s Pierre Karl Péladeau and Kory Teneycke (a former Harper spokesperson) are trying to oust the head of Canada’s entertainment bureaucracy. Here’s what we learned today:
1. CRTC chair Konrad von Fickenstein’s term is slated to end in 2012, but insiders report that Harper wants him out ASAP to replace him with someone more amenable to Sun TV.
2. Von Fickenstein either loves his job or really wants to mess with Harper. He’s been offered ambassadorships in Chile and judgeships but hasn’t given in. Is heading up the CRTC really better than having your own cook at a villa in Santiago?
3. CRTC vice-chair Michel Arpin’s term expires this month, and his request to stay longer has been denied. One down, one to go.
4. Greg Weston, one of Sun Media’s top political columnists, was promptly shuffled out by Teneycke when he took over the political coverage. You may remember Weston for breaking the G20 fake lake story.
5. The front-runner to replace either Arpin or Von Fickenstein is Luc Lavoie, Péladeau’s top crony. Appointing Lavoie might give away Harper’s intent to stack the CRTC, but Martin isn’t putting it past him.
• Is Stephen Harper set to move against the CRTC? [Globe and Mail]
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Lawrence Martin wrote a juicy column for the Globe today about Stephen Harper's push for Sun TV, a conservative news station that would be akin to his own version of Fox TV. After the CRTC rejected Sun TV's bid for a licence in July (saying there was "little to distinguish Sun TV from other all-news services"), Martin says Harper and Quebecor's Pierre Karl Péladeau and Kory Teneycke (a former Harper spokesperson) are trying to oust the head of Canada's entertainment bureaucracy. Here's what we learned today:
1. CRTC chair Konrad von Fickenstein’s term is slated to end in 2012, but insiders report that Harper wants him out ASAP to replace him with someone more amenable to Sun TV.
2. Von Fickenstein either loves his job or really wants to mess with Harper. He’s been offered ambassadorships in Chile and judgeships but hasn’t given in. Is heading up the CRTC really better than having your own cook at a villa in Santiago?
3. CRTC vice-chair Michel Arpin's term expires this month, and his request to stay longer has been denied. One down, one to go.
4. Greg Weston, one of Sun Media’s top political columnists, was promptly shuffled out by Teneycke when he took over the political coverage. You may remember Weston for breaking the G20 fake lake story.
5. The front-runner to replace either Arpin or Von Fickenstein is Luc Lavoie, Péladeau's top crony. Appointing Lavoie might give away Harper’s intent to stack the CRTC, but Martin isn't putting it past him.
• Is Stephen Harper set to move against the CRTC? [Globe and Mail]){kind=link}
who voted for this dog? idiots.
There is no legitimate reason WHATSOEVER that SunTV should be told it can’t exist by fatass bureaucrats at the CRTC.
This is a country built on the free expression of ideas. If SunTV espouses dumb ideas (like Fox news) then people don’t have to watch.
I’ve watched Sun TV and there are plenty of reasons why it should not exist in Canada. Hate mongering and propaganda seem to be the cornerstones of their foundation. Mind you I’ve only seen that Ezra guy but it was enough to prove to me that it is just like the “news” paper. I’ve heard one of their other loudmouths on the radio years ago and I’m guessing he is just as ignorant as he was then. The paper and the station are so slanted I can’t stand to watch or read either of them at length, just give me the facts please, leave the emotion and B.S. out of it. Reminds me of some historical propaganda artists that managed to mislead a country (learn your history before you argue me on this please). A more recent example of allowing this kind of crap into the media helped lead a country into a fiscal and foreign policy nightmare. Hated and broke is not the future for Canada I want. As far as Harper goes, I will not comment, in time his actions will speak volumes for those who pay attention. Those who are willfully ignorant or too proud to admit they were misled will be in denial but those who are paying attention already know.