Here are some of your comments and our correspondence
Dear Mayor:
I am contacting you on an issue I am sure that you are aware of regarding
the lack of CBC TV broad casts in the Kamloops area.
I would like to know why the Mayor and city council have not taken exception
to this issue and have not voiced concerns publicly to the federal government about not receiving a service paid for through our federal taxes.
It seem the rest of the province including Kelowna,Vernon and Pentiction
receive this service but not here in Kamloops, Why is this?, and I have
heard not a peep out of any of our elected city officials.
Once again the people of Kamloops are being treated as second class citizens
(e.G., highway tolls,) and not receiving a service they have paid for.
I want our Mayor and city council to use their influence to restore CBC- TV
broadcasts to Kamloops.
your truly
Keith A. Barry
Mayor Terry Lake responds on May 6 to Keith Barry's letter
Dear Mr. Barry
Thanks for your message. This is the first concern I have had expressed to
me which I suppose, is why council has not seen the need to take a stand on
this issue. If you would like to bring it to the attention of the public, I
can suggest you appear as a delegation to council and this will highlight
your concern. You can do so by contacting Ms. Bobbie Harrison at City Hall.
I am sorry I do not have her direct line as I am in Montreal at the moment.
Kind regards, Terry
Mayor Terry Lake
Hello Keith,
Councilor John O ' Fee moved that we write a letter expressing our concern about of the diminishment of CBC service in Kamloops. And this was unanimously supported.
very best
Arjun
very best regards,
Arjun Singh
Hello Pam
Thank you for your email regarding the CBC. I am aware of the situation
and have been in touch with the Hon. Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage
regarding this. She advised me to write directly to Robert Rabinovitch,
President and Chief Executive Officer of the CBC and also to Diane Rhéaume,
Secretary General of the CRTC. I have done this and I am attaching copies of
those letter for SOCK`s information. I hope to have a response to both of
these letters in the near future and will be happy to share them with you
and your group.
Again Pam thank you writing.
Sincerely,
Betty Hinton, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo
Betty Hinton's letter to Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Betty Hinton's
letter to Diane Rhéaume,
Secretary General,
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Betty Hinton's
letter to Mr. Robert
Rabinovitch,President and Chief Executive Officer,
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
As for SOCK - we've connected with hundreds of people and have ignited great debates around lunch rooms, coffee shops, and dinner tables. I am truly excited about the level of support that we've received from Kamloopsians and encourage all citizens to visit the web site and share their thoughts and feelings with each other. People are standing up for their right to be connected on issues of national and international importance as well as to entertainment of a intellectual and sophisticated nature. Kamloops is an community that supports a University and a huge arts movement, I'm not surprised that we aren't accepting this situation. This issue of the role of the CBC in Canadian society concerns not just Kamloopsians but all Canadians and has touched not only our City Hall and MP's office but the National Senate as well."
Let me know if there is anything that I can elaborate on. I also have a great CBC t-shirt that I could pose for a photo in :)
I just read the article in the Kamloops Daily News Extra regarding your views on the now unavailable CBC TV coverage. I agree with you 100% ! I am a senior citizen and no way can I afford to connect to cable or satellite TV in order to receive CBC programming. I have sent an email to CBC and received a reply basically saying... sorry but we cannot afford to set up a satellite station in the Kamloops area. I was extremely disappointed in their obvious lack of concern. They seem to think that every senior citizen has a money well in their back yard. As a federal tax payer for many, many years I feel it is my right to have access to CBC programming since I and thousands of others have financed their operation since their inception. I feel left out in the cold and completely ignored. I must admit that at this point in time I am not particularly proud to be a Canadian! I look forward to hearing from you and would like to assist you in any way I can.
Hi Pam;
If Betty Hinton is supporting the CBC, it will be a first for her and
possibly
for the Conservative party. See their policy on Canadian Broadcasting
http://www.conservative.ca/EN/2692/41659 Harper has been very clear that
private
companies are to be encouraged, that CBC should narrow it's focus, that
Canadian
content rules should be weakened, and that the CRTC is too have their powers
reduced.
I will send out a note to our members providing some information and
inviting
them to contact you. We do not allow attachments on the list.
Great work.
Michael
To Pam Astbury ..... Don't cry Pam , loosing the CBC in Kamloops is just another
step "forward" in loosing it across Canada ! .... The CBC has been a drain on
Canadian tax payers since it's birth in the 50's .... If it wasn't for the fact
that we are forced to pay for it's existence, it would have fallen on it's face
years ago ! ... Between the corn-ball comedy, and the dry and uninteresting
programs, the only thing that keeps it afloat is " Hockey Night In Canada" (
and it's getting boring too ) ... If, you doubt this , spend a little time in
a local coffee shop, and ask everybody in there ---- what did you watch on your
TV last night ? ... The bottom line is ,,,,, If the CBC was any good, it could
stand on it's own feet ..... Oh, and by the way ,, CBC radio isn't any better
for the same reasons ! ..... J. Woods .. Logan Lake B.C.
I
wrote letters to the CRTC, CBC and Betty Hinton and I was very unsatisfied
with the responses received. I was reluctantly letting go of the issue
because there's only so much time and energy one can put into these sorts of
things. I was happy to read that an organized group is carrying on the
effort in Kamloops. I'd like to pass on to you a copy of a letter we sent as
it presents another perspective that I haven't seen much of in the local
media so far. Feel free to use it in your group's efforts to achieve justice
in this matter. Thanks for the good work!
Frank's letter says, in part: "We will not be subscribing to cable or
satellite TV services, but I'm upset that we'll be losing CBC programming. I
find it ridiculous that our public broadcaster, paid for through taxes,
should be telling us with local television ads that we'll need to subscribe
to Shaw cable to continue to receive CBC programming. What kind of scam is
this?"
Dear Mr. Jordan,
Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning CBC Television reception in your area.
I can assure you that I am very aware, active, and have raised the issue of CBC television directly with the Minister of Heritage, the CRTC and CBC Radio Canada’s President, Mr. Rabinovitch.
As you know, for decades, a limited amount of the CBC Television program schedule (approximately 40-50 hours per week) was transmitted to the Kamloops area by local station CFJC-TV, under an Affiliation Agreement with the station’s owner Jim Pattison Broadcast Group (JPBG). In the summer of 2005, JPBG decided that to protect the viability of the station it would be necessary to end this agreement it applied to the CRTC for permission to disaffiliate, and the application was approved.
On November 1, 2005, the CRTC issues Public Notice. Advertisements were place in area newspapers inviting comments on the application.
For the majority of the residents of Kamloops, JPBG’s disaffiliation means they will actually receive more CBC programming than they ever had before. The approximately 95% of viewers who already subscribe to cable or satellite will now receive full CBC service. Prior to disaffiliation, cable was required to carry only the affiliate station. Now, with disaffiliation, cable is required to carry full CBC service on channel 13.
Unfortunately, the remaining 5 percent of Kamloops residents who continue to receive their television signals over the air no longer have access to CBC programming. Constructing and maintaining new transmission assets to provide over the air signals is very expensive. Given the small and shrinking number of people who get their signals exclusively over the air, and the Corporation’s shrinking resources, they believe that constructing a new transmission system is an inefficient allocation of resources.
The transcripts of this decision are public record and can be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at www.crtc.gc.ca .
Section 20 of the Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-25 states that the commission reminds the CBC of its obligations under section 3(1)(m)(vii) of the Act to ensure that it’s programming “be made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means as as resources become available for the purpose.” At the time of the CBC’s next license renewals, the Commission will review with the CBC its plans and the projected costs for extending its full service throughout Canada.
I regret that at this time, there is not a more favorable conclusion for a small sector of this riding and I look forward to the next CRTC review.
Sincerely,
Betty Hinton, MP
Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo
Hello Marketplace!
I'm writing from Kamloops BC where we have been handed a most rotten
deal by the CRTC and CBC. (I hope that the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation is not exempt from being held accountable!)
Here's the deal:
Over-the-air CBC was once carried by our local broadcaster CFJC until
the CRTC permitted a dissociation between the two. This is a common
occurrence in BC, and in communities of similar size, CBC has
constructed new transmitters to ensure that all resident continue to
have over-the-air CBC. Not so in Kamloops. We've been told that unless
you pay for cable or satellite, you'll not have the national station
anymore.
We think this is wrong for a number of reasons.
1) All citizens contribute to the CBC with their tax dollars - and now
citizens of Kamloops have to pay for cable on top of that?
2) CBC then becomes a service for the rich. Fixed income families,
seniors, and students (we have a growing university) are cut off from
our national service.
3) People wanting to reduce the amount of Americanized media entering
their homes are now stuck - By subscribing to cable, they are exposed to
all the unwanted channels. Even on rabbit ears, all we get are two
global feeds which carry senseless Americanized shows.
4) Decisions such as this are short sighted. By limiting viewing to
cable, those Canadians who might watch their CBC show (such as
Marketplace) might then go out for a walk, spend time with their kids,
or read a book. What sets us apart from the USA is that our citizens
are more enlightened and well read. Decisions like this lead me to
believe that those values are eroding!
Kamloops is a blue collar town of 82,000 people. The CRTC used a
figure of 5% of people rely on rabbit ears from their TV. This figure
was generated using a landline phone-call survey. Increasingly, citizens
are moving away from landlines to SAVE MONEY. These are going to be the
people who have rabbit ears. We feel this figure is not accurate.
Also, the towns of Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Penticton, Chase, and Vernon,
to name a few (our neighbours) have received their new broadcasts - why
should we be excluded? Its obvious that the CBC's executives in Ontario
are not interested that ALL Canada be connected.
I think the principals behind this are very strong. I hope that you
follow up with us.
Cheers - Pam Astbury
Save Our CBC Kamloops Founder
email:
saveourcbckamloops@hotmail.com
On August 25 CBC's Marketplace responded to Pam
Hello,
Thanks for your message. I'll pass your story along to our producers
for consideration for a future show. Someone may contact you for more
information. Take care,
Kelli McNeil
Associate Director
CBC News: Marketplace
In case you are keeping a file, attached is a copy of the letter I sent to
the CBC regarding withdrawal of service in our area.
Thanks,
Gisela Ruckert Read Gisela's
letter
Hello Ken,
Prince George is highly likely to lose CBC television over the airwaves,
just as Kamloops did last February. This affects all citizens NOT currently
subscribing the cable or satellite TV. Because we did not act in time, the
CRTC allowed CFJC in Kamloops to drop CBC broadcasts. I recently
learned that Prince George (CKPG) and Medicine Hat are next on the list.
I've sent a letter to the PG Citizen. I hope that you and your council are
able to head this up before its too late.
Kind Regards -
Pam Astbury
Save our CBC Kamloops
President
Read Letter to the Prince George
Citizen
Hello Ms Hinton,
On behalf of your constituents, I ask that you consider the effects of
losing CBC television broadcast in Kamloops and the south Cariboo. As you
know, the people in your riding area lost access to CBC TV as a broadcast
service in March 2006 when CFJC became independent.
The CBC has defended its decision not to construct substitute towers in this
area based on the statistic that only 5% of viewers rely on rabbit-ear
transmission. Our citizen's group, Save Our CBC Kamloops, has drafted a
petition that is currently circulating the City. As part of our public
awareness campaign, it is obvious that this statistic is wrong. After ten
days, we have already collected approximately 1500 signatures. Our target
is 15,000 signatures by the end of March, Ms Hinton, which is approximately
18% of the Kamloops population. The cross-section of affected voters is
broad: seniors, students, fixed income residents, and middle and high income
voters who choose to limit their viewing to high Canadian content channels
such as the CBC.
Ms Hinton, we are calling upon you to understand this national issue. We
realize that restoring a traditional form of public broadcast isn't
sustainable, however, we wish to be part of a national public broadcasting
solution. As broadcast technology changes, all of Canada will soon be
affected by changes to public broadcasting. As the first community in
Canada to be faced with the loss of CBC Television, we see the opportunity
to be "the Pilot City" for alternative means of broadcasting the CBC
publicly.
I am writing to indicate that a significant number of Kamloops voters are
angry at losing this important public service. The size of this group
should be of concern to you, Ms Hinton. There is no doubt that restoration
of CBC TV as a public service will be a key issue in your riding come
election time. Your constituents must hear from you on this issue now.
I ask that you contact me at your earliest convenience.
Regards - Pam Astbury
President
Save Our CBC Kamloops
Hi - I work
with the Canadian Media Guild, which represents CBC employees
across the country. We are deeply concerned about the CBC's plan to get out
of over-the-air transmission in all but the biggest TV "markets" (their
word) in the country.
We understand you have mounted a campaign over the fact that you no longer
get CBC over the air in Kamloops. We would very much like to support your
campaign in some way.
As well, we are making a presentation to the CRTC about the future of
over-the-air TV on December 1, where we want to argue that CBC should
continue providing terrestrial broadcasting as a public service. It would be
great to get some up-to-date info on the situation in Kamloops. For example,
CBC said that only 5% of Kamloops residents rely on over-the-air. Have you
found that that is an accurate number?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Karen
__________________________
Karen Wirsig
Communications Coordinator/Coordonnatrice des communications
Canadian Media Guild/Guilde canadienne des médias
416-591-5333 x 243
1-800-465-4149
Thank you for your response to my letter expressing dissatisfaction with the decision of the CBC to make CBC television unavailable to Kamloops viewers who are not cable subscribers. Perhaps my questions were not stated clearly enough, since your letter writer (Mr. Denis Andrychuk) did not answer them. I will restate them for you in simpler terms.
Dear Ms. Astbury:
I was very disappointed to read your comments in Kamloops This Week
(Nov. 24, 2006) that you received absolutely no word from me. Just two
days before that article was printed you had heard from me and the
following emails will attest to that. I have been working on your
groups behalf, as you well know, since last April when my first letters
went out to Robert Rabinovich, President and CEO of the CBC and Diane
Rheaume, Secretary General of the CRTC.
I will continue to pursue this matter on behalf of the constituents of
my riding that have lost their over the air access to CBC programming,
however, I would like to be given the courtesy of truthfulness with
respect to my efforts.
Sincerely,
Betty Hinton, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo
Ms. Hinton
Thank you for your comments. Please note that the City council meeting at
which I was quoted occurred on the 21st of November. You contacted me the
day after (Nov 22, 2006). I had sent you several emails, left phone
messages, and visited your office for months all in an attempt to reach you
on this very important issue. I appreciate that you are a busy person, but
it is the truth that we'd not heard from you on this issue since August.
Having said that, I am still looking forward to meeting with you. Karen
Wirsig, the communications coordinator of the Canadian Media Guild, is
speaking on our behalf at the CRTC hearings in Gatineau, Quebec. We are
looking forward to the results on this hearing. SOCK is pleased with the
progress that its executive has made in getting ourselves to this national
stage and will be happy to bring you up to speed when your schedule permits.
Warmest Regards,
Pam Astbury
Save Our CBC Kamloops
President
Read letter in Word document
Hi Pam - great initiative! I am attaching here our follow-up submission to
the CRTC. In there, we recommend that the CRTC examine the possibility of
"multi-plexing" in smaller cities and rural areas. That would require a
digital transmitter, which can transmit at standard definition up to 5
stations using a single frequency. We suggest that the CBC, along with
provincial or non-profit broadcasters could use the transmitter together as
a hub. It would be free, over-the-air. The hitch is that people would have
to buy new receivers and/or TVs to receive the digital signal over the air.
That is what people in the US are currently doing, so the equipment is
available.
More grist for the mill!
Happy holidays ... and good luck for the new year!
Karen
Read the supplementary submission to the CRTC from the Canadian Media Guild in pdf