In a move to shed some responsibility and enter a level playing field with CanWest Global, CTV has decided it would rather renew as a station group than as a national network.

‘Not renewing as a network allows us to renegotiate some contracts with our affiliates,’ says CTV spokesman Tom Curzon. ‘Some of these contracts go back decades, and one is at least 30 years old.’

CanWest Global never had to become a network because it owns all its affiliates, but CTV, which owns only some of its affiliates, as a network is still responsible for all of its affiliates’ activities.

‘It comes down to an issue of responsibility,’ says CRTC spokesman Denis Carmel. ‘But whether they can do away with the network will have to be worked out in the

hearings.’

In establishing the new feature film policy in June 1999, the commission decided to consider the licence renewals of all stations owned by the same corporate entity at the same time to allow each group of broadcasters to submit a comprehensive strategic plan for all of its stations. By doing this, CTV became directly accountable for its group of stations, owned and affiliated.

At that time, the commission also divided Canadian broadcasters into two main categories: those that reached more than 70% of the audience in one of the two official languages and that broadcast in several Canadian provinces; and those that reached less than 70%. (The first category included stations belonging to CTV, Global, WIC and TVA. The second included the stations of Chum, Craig and TQS.)

In CTV’s current licence renewal application, it indicated it would not be seeking to renew as a network, as defined by its existing affiliation agreements, and that it is negotiating supply agreements with non-owned network affiliates in Winnipeg (CKY-TV) and Newfoundland (CJON-TV). It also stated that it expects to deliver CTV services to CFCF-TV Montreal (currently owned by CanWest), which it remains interested in buying, on the same terms as its other affiliates.

‘The affiliates have some issues with us, and we have some with them, which is natural after this period of time. We have absolutely no intention of abandoning our affiliates; we value their contributions and our long partnership. We want to have a strong CTV presence everywhere in Canada, and that is what we are trying to achieve in this commercial negotiation,’ says CTV in a statement.

CJBN-TV Keewatin, CHFD-TV Thunder Bay and CITL-TV Lloydminster are also non-owned affiliates of CTV.

CTV’s network licence expires Aug. 31, so as of Sept. 1, the broadcaster expects to no longer be operating as a national network, although the CRTC’s Carmel says the commission ‘may still require them to remain a network.’

A handful of station affiliates are expected to challenge CTV’s licence negotiations, which begin on April 17 in Hull, Que. CanWest Global’s licence renewal is set for the same hearings.

‘A level playing field with Global is our prime motivation,’ says Curzon. But reapplying for a network licence some time in the future is also a possibility, he adds.

CTV owns 18 network stations, one independent station in Vancouver and six CBC affiliate stations along with ASN, a satellite television service in the Maritimes.

It also has eight non-owned affiliate stations, including CanWest Global-owned CFCF, CHAN-TV Vancouver and CHEK-TV Victoria. *

-www.ctv.ca