CBC ADMITS TO QUALMS ABOUT ROLE IN HOWARD STERN'S RETURN TO CANADA John McKay – Canadian Press The CBC and Howard Stern?
Not exactly a conventional media marriage. And the public broadcaster, part owner of the new satellite radio service that will bring the shock jock back to Canadian airwaves next week, admitted Thursday it has qualms about the move. "It's no secret that Howard Stern's programming is not consistent with the kind of programming you would find on CBC/Radio Canada's airwaves, but this is a Sirius Canada decision," said CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald.
"Have we expressed concerns? Sure we've expressed some concerns about it."
Stern's satellite radio program, which began in the United States on Jan. 9 will finally come to Sirius Canada on Monday morning.
The subscription-based network is 40 per cent owned by the CBC, 40 per cent by Standard Radio and 20 per cent by Sirius in the United States.
"Sirius Canada is a separate company," noted MacDonald.
"Yes, we're partners and Sirius Canada made the decision that was right for it based on what the market demands."
After initially opting to exclude Stern from its lineup, Sirius Canada was deluged with complaints from Canuck fans of the controversial DJ.
It's been suggested that the CBC held up Stern's arrival, but MacDonald said that was "unfair," noting that network program lineups are reviewed regularly.
He said new technology that allows Sirius Canada subscribers to block out Stern if they so choose was a significant factor in finalizing the deal.
For his part, Stern has called his pending return to Canadian radio "good news."
A posting on his website says he told listeners he'd been thrown off Canadian airwaves in the past for alleged "hate speech."
In fact, the self-proclaimed "King of all Media" was dropped by CHOM-FM in Montreal in 1998 and in 2001 by Q-107 in Toronto after thousands of complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - the industry's voluntary watchdog agency.
Sirius Canada has said it does not expect Stern to run into censorship trouble this time because his satellite show is a pay service.
In the U.S., satellite radio is not federally regulated while in Canada, it falls under the jurisdiction of the CRTC.
"It's really up to the public to decide whether it wants to submit a complaint, regardless of the fact that it's a service that is purchasable," says CRTC spokeswoman Miriam Gennaro.
She couldn't immediately say, however, whether different standards will apply to satellite radio. |