OTTAWA-GATINEAU — Canadian producers went against the current, stating Wednesday they had no problems with HDTV Networks not proposing local programming.

Appearing at a CRTC hearing into John Bitove’s bid for the national over-the-air television network that saw a second wave of opposition, the CFTPA told regulators that approving the licence would provide producers with another door to knock on.

‘Producers want more customers; broadcasters want fewer competitors,’ noted producer and CFTPA representative Stephen Ellis.

Earlier in the day, Canwest Media and CTVglobemedia executives denounced the initiative, saying it would lead to too much fragmentation in the market, and would add nothing new to the broadcast landscape. Picking up on questioning Monday by CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, they also argued that no new licence should be granted to a broadcaster who wouldn’t commit to local programming.

The CFTPA did have some concerns about the proposed network, and asked the CRTC to ensure that HDTV Networks’ program spending limits be made a condition of licence. The producers organization is also looking for a commitment to regional independent producers and to the cost of upconverting existing standard-definition programming being excluded from its Canadian programming spending.

It is also looking for more than the $3.5 million pledged for script and concept development, and said HDTV Networks’ plan to license programming across multiple platforms would only work if it compensated producers for each use.

‘By providing 100% of its programming in HD and offering a fresh programming perspective, HDTV would, in our view, be meeting the current and future needs of Canadian television viewers,’ said Ellis.

But CTVgm stated there was no need for HDTV Networks because the industry was already at the ‘forefront of the HD revolution.’

Rick Lewchuk, SVP of CTV Creative Agency and Brand Strategy, noted that all primetime programming on CTV was in HD, and that its entire slate of Canadian scripted programs (i.e. Corner Gas, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Instant Star) and movies of the week are in HD.

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Note: HDTV Networks closed the CRTC hearings with a pledge to add two hours of local programming per week to its schedule.