CJOB: "No tag day for CTV is required"

"Manitoba's information superstation" has some harsh words for "Manitoba's number one broadcaster."

CJOB's news director Vic Grant sticks it to CTV in his Excuse Me blog today in response to CTV's cross-Canada open-houses to "help save local TV," held last weekend after the CRTC turned down its bid to charge cable companies to carry its programming.

Key quotes from Grant:

"The local CTV station, which, incidentally is the cream of the local crop, held a meet and greet over the weekend trying to recruit support. The effort fell flat on its face.

"Well, Excuse Me, this is all part and parcel of CTV Globe Media and for it, or for any portion of the company to make a plea of poverty is ridiculous.

"Didn’t CTV, through its holding , spend ridiculously to secure the Hockey Night in Canada Theme. And then the topper, CTV buying the broadcasting rights for the Winter Olympics, a multi-million dollar investment.

"And CTV wants each Canadian household to pitch in and save a few of its television stations?"

Meanwhile, the CTV events seem to have attracted a decent crowd in most places. Check out this group of people waiting in line at the Edmonton event:



Says the YouTube poster:

"A pan of people waiting in line inside CTV studios on Stony Plain Road in Edmonton. They were touring groups of 15 people every five minutes through the control rooms and otherwise. When I left at 1:30pm there was an hour and a half wait for the next tour and no sign of the lineups getting any shorter soon. There were also lineups at the 15 computer stations they had set up throughout the building."

Anyone care to offer an explanation without saying, "There's nothing to do in Edmonton on a Saturday?"