CRTC RENEWS LICENCES FOR CTV, CANWEST GLOBAL
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission imposed a number of conditions in its seven-year renewal of the licences of all the television stations of CTV and CanWest Global Communications. One condition is a requirement that both broadcasters follow a Statement of Principles and Practices regarding cross ownership of television stations and newspapers. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, which owns national newspaper The Globe and Mail. CanWest Global' owns 14 major dailies, 126 community newspapers and a 50% interest in the National Post. Provisions of the Statement of Principles and Practices include: management of broadcast newsrooms being kept separate from newspaper newsrooms, the creation of a monitoring committee by CTV and Global to deal with complaints about their compliance with the statement, and CTV and Global spending $1 million per year to promote the statement and committee.