MONTREAL — Although Rogers and Radio-Nord aren’t interested in buying the failing black sheep of Quebec TV, two other parties are, says a spokesman for TQS.

‘It’s good news. People have been saying that no one wants to buy the network but…there are concrete offers in the works,’ Gilles Corriveau tells Playback Daily.

In mid-January, a Quebec judge gave the network a 45-day extension on its creditor protection. The company was back in court late last week to provide the judge with a financial update, says Corriveau. ‘Today was really just a formality. But we did learn that things aren’t worse for the network than they were a month ago.’ Potential buyers must submit their offers by Monday, although nothing will be made public until March 10.

TQS, which is 60% owned by Montreal-based Cogeco — CTVglobemedia owns the remaining 40% — was placed under creditor protection last month. TQS has more than 600 employees and maintains it has about 12% of Quebec’s francophone TV viewing market; Radio-Canada hovers around 15%.

There has been much speculation as to who might buy the failing network, including talk that TQS would die because no one would come forward to save it. But the rumors that Rogers and Radio-Nord were interested amount to gossip, says Corriveau. ‘That was just speculation.’