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Bid for Tele-Metropole MONTREAL - Relentless ques­ The line of questioning tioning by a federal commis­ taken by commission chairman sion of inquiry did not deter Andre Bureau, Les Sherman Andre Chagnon, president of and Norman Cartier reflects Le Groupe Videotron Ltee, the concern within the from giving calm assurances Quebec industry that the prop­ that a $134.1 million acquisi­ osed acquisition of 99.6 per­ tion of Tele-Metropole Inc. cent of Tele-Metropole voting would not result in an exces­ class A shares would result in sive concentration of corpo­ too much control by Video­ ratelbroadcasting power in tron in production, broadcast­ Quebec. ing, program distribution and With an unfailing air of self­ advertising. confidence, Chagnon told the In one of several attempts to Canadian Radio-Television and allay these concerns, Chagnon Telecommunications Commis­ told the commission that there sion (CRTC) that the corpo­ will be no vertical integration rate marriage of Videotron, of both companies at the oper­ Canada's second largest cable ational level. distributor and Tele-Metro­ "The transfer of control is pole, Canada's largest French­ occurring at the level of the language broadcaster, would board of directors and not at .result in more and better Cana- . the operational level," said dian services. CRTC hearings Chagnon. on the matter were held in Tele-Metropole, he explain­ It wasn't a bumpy ride for Anne of Green Gables:as the show swept the first annual Gemini Awards, held in Toronto and broad­ cast across Canada by syndication. For the comtlete list of award winners. see p. 9. Montreal Dec. 1- 2 at the Shera­ ed, is a broadcaster with a wide ton Hotel. spectrum of viewers while Vid­ ""Weare willing to make a eotron's tele-shopping and major commitment to Tele­ non-programming services Geminis: a syndicated experiment Metropoleprogramming at a deal in sVecific products aimed time when one cannot remain at targeted audiences. stationary without taking two "Broadcasting and cable dis- TORONTO - The countdown Cable-TV (Montreal). we search our television steps backwards," Chagnon for the first Gemini Awards Cohen said that CBC was screens at 8 p.m. to try and find told the commission. cant. onp. 4 was a clifthanger for the execu­ continuing to support the it. Upon insisting, the magaZine tive of the Academy of Cana­ program through advertise­ was finally told that it might tie dian Cinema and Television ments and by maintaining the on Channel 9 but that we ; which had to decide whether technical and production sup­ should check with Videotronj ' it should risk sticking with the port where possible. Glen Videotron confirmed that it . I Global license renewed CBC and its labour troubles, or Warren eventually took over would be available on Channel; i TORONTO - The Global tele­ Global must broadcast an extra cut free and find an alternative production responsibilities. 28 (which covers the east en<J~; vision network has received a 50 hours of new Canadian to the public broadcaster. Fi­ The loses incurred by the CBC of Montreal), and suggestet,--­ five-year license renewal, but shows. nally, the decision was made to would simply be written off to that we call Cable TV to locate i at the same time has been hit During September CRTC remove the broadcast from the labour difficulties, Cohen told the whereabouts of the progJ i with increased requirements hearings in Ottawa, Global schedule of the CBC and syndi­ Cinema Canada. ram on the west end of the is. ! for new Canadian program­ proposed a ml111mum 166 cate the program. The financial situation of the Ian," -~ ming. hours of new Canadian drama, "We couldn't get guarantees Geminis was unclear as it went The Canadian Radio-tele­ variety and documentary pro­ from the CBC unions that they to broadcast. Cohen reported vision and Telecommunica­ grams a year. Network execu­ wouldn't go out on strike and that the short lead time given tions Commission (CRTC) re­ tives said they expected that prevent the broadcast of the the syndicators made raising newed Global's license, but about 205 hours of new Cana­ Geminis, so on the weekend advert~sing revenue difficult, also told the southern Ontario dian programs would actu,ally before the show, we made the and he could not guess at the broadcaster it must show a be broadcast, but refused to decision to pull it from the costs to the cable companies, if CBC," Academy president Ron any, of bumping previously minimum 183 hours of new guarantee more than 166 ...0 Canadian drama, music and hours in any year. Cohen told Cinema Canada. scheduled programming. ......0::0 The decision was made by Meanwhile, confusion reign­ .,. ~ dance, variety, children's and Network president David L~~ documentary shows. The re­ Mintz said Global has reached Cohen, ACC director Andra ed about the whereabouts of .... .L quirements are for the 11- the 200-hour level before, but Sheffer, ACC head of television the actual screening of the l.U I month period starting October. questioned making that level a section Audrey Cole and Paul program. IV Guide, a sponsor In each of the next four minimum. Hoffert who was responsible this year, had given the I years the CRTC ordered "We believe that it would for the show. Geminis cover exposure, and Global, as a condition of its have been much better to set a City-TV in Toronto picked all the weekend newspaper license, to show a minimum of lower minimum and let us up the Gemini Awards for supplements had also an­ 200 hours of new Canadian overachieve," he told Cinema broadcast and Jay Switzer of nounced the show for broad­ drama and variety. Except for Canada. Mintz said higher City syndicated it across Cana­ cast on the CBC. children's shows the new minimum requirements create da. Among the outlets found In Montreal on the Thursday programs must be broadcast no incentive to achieve levels were CKVU (Vancouver), City afternoon of the broadcast, during nightly prime time beyond what is laid down by (Edmonton), CFAC (Calgary), Cinema Canada was told by hours. the CRTC. CKND (Winnipeg), CKVR the local Academy office that it didn't know where it was In the final year of its new He explained if a network (Barry) AFM (Altantic pro­ term, starting Sept. 1, 1991, cant. onp. 4 vinces) and Videotron and being broadcast, and suggested - ) Cinema Canada News Update. December 9,1986 Telefilm Financial woes close Life Channel nominations TORONTO - The Life Channel the board's decision, Silkans hearing is slated for Feb. 10, MONTREAL - Telemm Canada came to an abrupt end this said it is not something that 1987, he said there has been has announced two new ap­ month when it went off the air arose abruptly; the possibility talk of a delay so that some ap­ pointments in an effort to early in the morning of Dec. 1 had existed for some time. plicants who were late with shore up its executive staff. At in the face of mounting finan­ "The channel was insolvent the original deadline can be a board of directors meeting in cial problems. because it didn't have a large considered. Toronto on Dec. 1, Denise The Life Channel's board of enough subscriber base or suf­ Approval of the application Melillo was confirmed as the directors decided several days ficient advertising revenues to depends on the support avail­ new head of Communications, previously that the service keep it going," he said. able from the cable industry in and Deborah Bernstein was would have to be shut down The Life Channel was at­ the form of cable companies named manager, Operations because it had gone broke. tracting about 500,000 sub­ promising to carry the Life for the Toronto office. But a Life Channel applica­ scribers in August 1986, but by Channel and also the ability to Melillo, head of public rela­ tion to the Canadian Radio­ September that number had prove it would be of significant tions since 1978 for the Place television and Telecommuni­ dropped to 383,000. public benefit, he explained. des Arts, Montreal's principal cations (CRTC) to become The reason for the sudden Asked whether the Life theatre complex, fills the post part of cable's basic service for reduction in subscribers, Sil­ Channel had run into trouble left by Josee Miville-Dechene the group of stations carried as kans said, is that several cable partly as a result of a generally last May. The interim period part of a regular cable system companies dropped the Life less healthy pay-lV industry, was covered by Myrianne Pav­ package has not been with­ ChaIUlel from a special $15.95 Silkans said both of Canada's lovic, who has been promoted drawn. The application leaves per month programming pack­ other specialty services, Much to manager, Communications the possibility the service age that included Much Music, Music and TSN, have also for the Montreal office of Tele­ could return to the air waves TSN (The Sports Network), applied to become part of the mm. as a non-pay-lV channel. First Choice/Superchannel and basic service. Melillo's background in­ ....-c Juris Silkans, a spokesman the Life Channel. "I think you have got to cludes work as a journalist for for the Life Channel, said the Silkans said he hopes there is draw your conclusions from Radio-Canada, and schooling service was insolvent and in still a chance that the Life that." in music and public relations debt by more than $2.5 mil­ Channel can return as part of The Life Channel went on as well as cultural administra­ lion.

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