City TV station sees special funding dry up

The amount of local television programming in Prince George is in jeopardy after a federal fund supporting smaller stations like CKPG was axed.

The Pattison Broadcast Group, which owns CKPG, has put expansion plans on hold and will review its current lineup in the wake of a decision last week by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to phase out the Local Programming Improvement Fund.

"We have to look going forward with our local programming commitments that we have in place today and say, 'Can we seriously maintain those?'" said Rick Arnish, chairman of the Pattison Broadcast Group. "Our desire is to [maintain it]. I've always been one to say it's a privilege for us to have a license in a marketplace like Prince George and our team in Prince George does an excellent job of producing local programming."

In a two-page memo to staff obtained by the Citizen, Arnish wrote that the company "will be challenged to continue the amount of pure 'local' programming that we produce daily" as a result of the CRTC's decision. Eliminating local programming entirely is not an option for the company, because Arnish said it's what drives viewers and local advertisers to the station.

The CRTC announced last week it plans to phase out the programming fund by Aug. 31, 2014. That will mean a savings of about $12 a year for most consumers, but a loss of millions of dollars a year for Canadian television stations located outside of large metropolitan centres.

"Twelve dollars doesn't even buy you a really good bottle of wine, it certainly doesn't buy you a 12-pack of beer," Arnish said, adding the company hasn't received any negative feedback from viewers about the fee being charged.

Had the fund stayed in place, Arnish said Pattison had plans to expand the noon news on CKPG to an hour-long program from its current half-hour format and add live newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays. Without the fund's assistance, those plans are now permanently on hold.

Arnish even expects some small stations across the country to close as a result of the CRTC's decision, but added CKPG and other Pattison outlets in Kamloops and Medicine Hat, Alta., remain viable. Pattison also owns 30 Canadian radio stations, 20 of them in BC. Locally the company owns 101.3 The River and 99.3 The Drive.

The CRTC claims the fund, which was set up in 2008, served its purpose during the economic downturn and is no longer required. Last year, 80 Canadian stations shared $106 million from the fund, which is collected by cable and satellite providers.

Arnish said that although the economic situation may have improved for some large-market stations over the past four years, it hasn't gotten better in smaller markets. He's optimistic the commission may revisit its decision as it monitors the impact of the loss of the fund.

The CRTC said despite the pending elimination of the fund, stations will still be expected to air local programming.