Tories mull $150M in aid for private TV broadcasters

The federal cabinet is considering a $150-million fund for the country's private broadcasters to help rescue local TV stations and their newscasts.

Members of the cabinet's priorities and planning committee met Tuesday to discuss their options for helping broadcasters who warn they are stretched to the max, sources said.

The discussions came on the same day that Canwest Global Communications, which owns the Global TV network, faced another deadline for reaching a debt repayment schedule with its lenders. They also came as the government announced nearly $1 billion to guarantee warranties on new vehicles sold by GM Canada and Chrysler.

Canwest, CTVglobemedia and Quebecor have all been lobbying thegovernment, led by ConservativePrime Minister Stephen Harper, to come up with both short-term and long-term assistance.

Harper has met with Canwest CEO Leonard Asper and Quebecor's Pierre Karl Pladeau in the last few months.

The $150-million local programming fund would be tied to news and current affairs programming, and would favour smaller urban centres. A formula would be worked out to ensure that big cities such as Toronto and Montreal did not swallow up the lion's share of the cash.

Whether the CBC would be eligible is still unclear, although the private broadcasters have been lobbying vigorously against it. The CBC is facing a $170-million shortfall this year and is planning 800 job cuts. Last month, the federal government refused its request for bridge financing to help the public broadcaster weather the ongoing economic crisis.

One source said the discussions are still "fluid." Proposals have been batted back and forth between cabinet and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The idea of help for local television has widespread support in cabinet and among the Conservative caucus, where the issue has come up repeatedly at weekly meetings.

Last month, Heritage Minister James Moore confirmed that the government was considering the issue, but he would not reveal the details.

The question of how exactly to help the broadcasters is a sticky one. Some Tories favour an approach that tweaks regulations and helps the broadcasters financially, rather than simply handing them more money.

Quick change by CRTC could be difficult

Most of that conversation has centredon the concept of "fee for carriage," a practice whereby the broadcasters could charge cable companies for transmitting their signals.

But getting the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissionto make that change quickly is complicated. The commission is currently reviewing the licences of all the country's broadcasters, and is also looking at their regulatory regime as a whole.

The change would also be decried by cable and satellite companies, who warn the fees would be passed on at least in part to consumers.

"The government is trying to address something in the short term, while recognizing that regulatory changes need to take place but that will take some time," one source said.

The political landscape has become more fertile for broadcasters in recent months.

MPs have been clamouring for help for local TV stations, as they feel pressure from constituents who are bracing for the planned closures and sales of their stations. Local TV is also a critical venue for MPs wantingto get out their particular messages.

The Commons heritage committee is currently studying the issue of local TV broadcasting, and MPs from both the Conservative and the Liberal partiesseemed to be pressing for movement on the fee-for-carriage issue.