"Fox News North": 24-Hour Right-Leaning Network In the Works for Canada

[RedHot25]

Surprised this has not been posted yet (I think anyway) here .

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1598301/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1600054/

Quebec billionaire Pierre Karl Péladeau is attempting a major shakeup of television news in Canada, with plans to launch a 24-hour cable channel modelled on the right-leaning U.S. network Fox News.

...

To operate the upstart news network, Quebecor has enlisted a former senior aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to oversee the operations. Kory Teneycke, who served as director of communications to Mr. Harper in 2008 and 2009, has been appointed vice-president of business development at Quebecor Media Inc. and will lead the new project.

...

Sources say Mr. Teneycke pitched the proposal to Quebecor last year and has been trying to prove the business case ever since. It's an attempt to mine what Mr. Teneycke believes is a largely untapped market for more right-of-centre TV news, according to people familiar with the plans. The envisioned Canadian station would offer conservative-minded opinion shows – although news and opinion would be clearly separated rather than blended.

...

The new channel is also courting a prominent Canadian right-wing pundit. Ezra Levant, a conservative author and activist, is being seriously considered as a host for one of the new station's anchor opinion shows, sources say. Mr. Levant and Mr. Teneycke have worked together as far back as the 1996 Winds of Change conference, a precursor to the unite-the-right movement.

[VladtheImpaler]

[HotHotHeat]

Canada is already over saturated with news outlets. This will fail.

[mykalberta]

Its likely to fail for the mere fact that they arent pushing for cable status but rather the same thing CBCNW and CTVNN have.

FNC is good enough for us right of center folks in Canada.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Its likely to fail for the mere fact that they arent pushing for cable status but rather the same thing CBCNW and CTVNN have.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1598301/

However, Quebecor's bid could face a hurdle that would stall the channel. According to sources familiar with the plans, Quebecor is seeking a “must-carry” designation for the channel. Such status would guarantee the network a spot on basic cable, and a pipeline to almost every home in the country – but it's a long shot to be approved.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Garbage, neocon propaganda machine.....

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

Canada is already over saturated with news outlets. This will fail.

It's a recognition of a growing trend in the media business . . . . . . being fair and even-handed makes a lot less money than picking sides.

FOX was the pioneer and has been wildly successful. MSNBC has recently picked up the flag from the opposite side of the political spectrum and their ratings are starting to climb. CNN has become a weaker sister.

This trend is pushed by two points. The first is the fact that the common consumer of information has never had access to as wide a range of information and opinion as we see today and, secondly, because of the first point, the common consumer of information can more easily exercise his/her natural trend towards "confirmation bias," surrounding yourself with opinions you're already pre-disposed to agree with. Canadians are no different than Americans in that regard.

Would that work in Canada? Absolutely. It would probably be hugely successful if the evidence elsewhere is any indication. Basically, Quebecor sees a market niche already proven to work and is taking a step to fill it.

It's probably not smart, however, to openly declare yourself biased ahead of time. Even FOX doesn't do that, instead opting for the "fair and balanced" label even as we might agree that's probably a bit of a stretch.

Cowperson

[CaptainCrunch]

I'm a bit of a news junkie. I make sure that I try to watch as much news as I can. I have to admit that BBC has started to let me down a bit. There's not a whole lot of politicizing news on CTV news net compared to the other channels.

I will say tho that watching CNN especially in the morning has become painful, mostly because their anchors are trying to be rock stars.

Just read me the news, give me the facts, let me form a judgement. I'm smart, really really smart. I can figure it out.

A fox news channel probably doesn't interest me, just like a Al Jazzera probably isn't on top of my list.

[OldDutch]

The problem to me is that this would not be news, it would be an editorial channel. I have no problem with it being on the air, just label it as such. My fear is that they take the exact model they have in the US: miss-information, deceiving stats, using hard line commentators labeled as "experts", leaning on emotions to drive opinion. That has lead to a low informed public in the US being a large group of miss-informed people who need to watch a Glen Beck to gather their opinion.

I'm not trying to start an argument of Fox vs. MSNBC or Right vs. Left. My problem is the deceiving nature of labeling opinion as fact.

[Bertuzzied]

So besides Azure, who else in Canada would watch this crap? other than for a laugh? hehe

[Devils'Advocate]

I dunno. I used to watch Rush Limbaugh when he had his 30 minute show on in the mornings during the early Clinton years. It would piss me off something awful and make me want to punch the guy. So it will be good for that kind of entertainment value.

However, right-leaning channels are saturating the Canadian market with only the CBC to the centre-left.

[Crispy's Critter]

Great! I'm going to approach them with an idea for a show where I cry a lot while saying I love my country, while simultaneously comparing anything and everything to the nazi regime! Then I will go on all their other shows and blatantly lie about things, while simultaneously comparing anything and everything to the nazi regime. I'm sure it will be a hit!

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Crispy's Critter

Great! I'm going to approach them with an idea for a show where I cry a lot while saying I love my country, while simultaneously comparing anything and everything to the nazi regime! Then I will go on all their other shows and blatantly lie about things, while simultaneously comparing anything and everything to the nazi regime. I'm sure it will be a hit!

The Brady Bunch and Cheers have already been done.

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

However, right-leaning channels are saturating the Canadian market with only the CBC to the centre-left.

You have CBC representing the centre left and a couple other smaller ones going from centre to centre-right but you have nobody pandering to the bat crazy far right yet like fox in the states.

[Crispy's Critter]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The Brady Bunch and Cheers have already been done.

yea, they have, however there was only one brady bunch nazi episode, where Greg was going through a 'phase', and that old coach guy who had KKK ties on cheers died early in the series. I'm proposing an all nazi, all the time format.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

The problem to me is that this would not be news, it would be an editorial channel. I have no problem with it being on the air, just label it as such. My fear is that they take the exact model they have in the US: miss-information, deceiving stats, using hard line commentators labeled as "experts", leaning on emotions to drive opinion. That has lead to a low informed public in the US being a large group of miss-informed people who need to watch a Glen Beck to gather their opinion.

I'm not trying to start an argument of Fox vs. MSNBC or Right vs. Left. My problem is the deceiving nature of labeling opinion as fact.

You might have never watched FNC, but at no time do they indicate that Glen Beck is reporting the news. He is doing an opinion show similar to Larry King and Oprah. If people cannot tell the difference between news and a talk show - its not FNC problem.

FNC reports the news on separate shows.

[CaptainCrunch]

I want to see if someone is willing to start up an extreme political channel.

It would be fun to see the news reported from the viewpoint of a hardcore facist, a hardcore communist, and a hardcore free enterpriser.

They could even have a debate show where they bring them together for debates on the days issues with Adam West as the host.

Think of it

Hardcore facist - "Today in the news, BP announced that there is actually more oil spilling then they reported before. This of course is the fault of Jewish lies"

Hardcore Communist - "Today Glorious peoples project increases efficiency in bringing much needed fuel supplies to the surface."

Hardcore free enterpriser - "Today in the new BP's stock unfairly plummetted due to attacks on its efforts to increase profitability by bringing oil to the surface without the need for expensive pipes and pumping technology by those damned dirty environmentalist hippies who siphon free money off of the people that work to support society"

[troutman]

I warned of this in the lib-ndp merger thread. If we had two parties and Canadian equivalents of Fox and MSNBC, this country could become deeply divided like the US.

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by troutman

I warned of this in the lib-ndp merger thread. If we had two parties and Canadian equivalents of Fox and MSNBC, this country could become deeply divided like the US.

Have you read any of the CBC comment threads recently? Have you ever listened to the difference between the average caller on CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup and those who call Rutherford's show on QR77?

I've spent a bunch of time with both sides of the political spectrum and the division between my rural Alberta rancher/farmer family and my social worker aunt and her family couldn't be deeper. I realize that every spectrum of opinions will have extreme ends but it seems to me that the poles are already getting more entrenched and more intolerant of the other side.

It's sad but I think it's a consequence of mass and social media and the momentum is already there for a transformation where the loudest voices that are heard will be the equivalent of the Tea Party on one hand and anarchist anti-globalization demonstrators on the other hand.

[Nage Waza]

Some of the posts on CBC.ca are disgusting, especially regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict.