Vision TV to be removed from Basic cable?!

[Peanutbutter]

The CRTC is in the process of trying to remove Vision TV from the basic cable line up. They intend to change the terms of the license.

VisionTV provides wholesome television for all ages. Programming that is healthy for the whole family to watch. This type of programming is at a premium as the amount of trash TV that has invaded nearly every channel today has nearly entirely taken over.

I like watching the Colombo movie they play every Thursday. They play a bunch of other great programming options as well.

Learn more about it here.

[Mighty AC]

To be honest I don't watch very much TV but I do like Downton Abbey, and ancient TV like Murder She Wrote, Colombo, Fawlty Towers and the Waltons. However, this is still a win if keeps Pat Robertson out of a few homes.

[DogOnPorch]

The only source of the Waltons?? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo......

Did you know John-Boy has a new show?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2149175/

[Pliny]

Here is a trivia question for you. On the Walton's, what was the name of the guy who cut the grass? See if anyone

remembers that one.

[Guest]

Lawn boy?

[DogOnPorch]

Lawn boy?

[Boges]

It's kind of redundant because of CTS.

[Moonlight Graham]

The CRTC should look at most of the channels on TV because most of them are filled with complete trash programming. How many channels, inluding the news networks, are like tabloit networks designed to give 15 y/o girls eating disorders?

[BubberMiley]

It is a trick question. There was no guy who cut the grass on the Waltons.

[betsy]

I love Vision TV for all the wholesome tv shows. There was Road To Avon Lea, Cosby Show, Murder She Wrote, Little House On The Prairie, Sue Thomas FBI, etc., even for just the nostalgia those kind of shows bring. Very refreshing.

I think CRTC ought to be revamped.

Is there a signing of petition needed?

[betsy]

I'm calling my MP!

[The_Squid]

Is it in HD? If its not in HD, I wouldn't watch it anyway. Pat Robertson spouting his nonsense in HD would be bad....

This is one of many completely pointless channels.

[DogOnPorch]

Is it in HD? If its not in HD, I wouldn't watch it anyway. Pat Robertson spouting his nonsense in HD would be bad....

This is one of many completely pointless channels.

Not a Downton Abbey fan, I'm guessing?

Craig does Downton...

Hahah..."War has been declared"

[Guest American Woman]

Is it being removed because it's Christian programming?

[segnosaur]

The CRTC is in the process of trying to remove Vision TV from the basic cable line up. They intend to change the terms of the license.

VisionTV provides wholesome television for all ages. Programming that is healthy for the whole family to watch. This type of programming is at a premium as the amount of trash TV that has invaded nearly every channel today has nearly entirely taken over.

I like watching the Colombo movie they play every Thursday. They play a bunch of other great programming options as well.

Learn more about it here.

From looking at the link you provided, technically they aren't "removing them from basic cable". They are giving cable companies the option to remove them. Your local cable company may decide to keep them on basic cable if they're popular enough, but don't have to if they don't want.

Frankly, any "religious" cable channel that gives air time to someone like Peter Popoff should never ever be given any sort of special consideration.

(In case you didn't know, Popoff is a televangalist who was caught using a radio to get information from his wife when he was supposed to be getting signals "from god". It was a widely-known scandal. The fact that Vision TV would give him a platform after all that is rather... distasteful.)

[kimmy]

Is it being removed because it's Christian programming?

First off, Vision is not "Christian" programming. They describe themselves as "multi-faith and multi-cultural". While there may be more Christian programming than programs from other faiths, they do have Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh programs as well. And not all of their programming is religious in nature, either.

I believe that the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) rules regarding what must be included in the "Basic" cable package have been changed; cable customers are no longer required to pay for Vision in their basic cable package. For some context, look into the threads about the Sun TV "news" network, which involves a similar issue-- Sun applied to be in the same category of channels that Vision is being removed from.

-k

[Guest American Woman]

First off, Vision is not "Christian" programming.

According to Vision, it's "Canada's largest provider of Christian programming in ten million Canadian homes;" that's the claim being made at the 2013 National Religious Broadcasters Convention* in Nashville this week.

*The National Religious Broadcasters Convention and Exposition is attended annually by thousands of Christian media and ministry professionals. http://www.christianpost.com/news/nashville-to-host-2013-national-religious-broadcasters-convention-march-2-5-91116/

Edited March 7, 2013 by American Woman

[bush_cheney2004]

Does the CRTC require that the CBC be carried in the Basic cable package ?

[waldo]

I believe that the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) rules regarding what must be included in the "Basic" cable package have been changed; cable customers are no longer required to pay for Vision in their basic cable package. For some context, look into the threads about the Sun TV "news" network, which involves a similar issue-- Sun applied to be in the same category of channels that Vision is being removed from.

no - VisionTV was/is in the 'must carry' grouping where distributors have greater latitude to move/assign the channel numbering and offer arrangements (e.g. theme bundling). Depending on your subscription arrangement (e.g., theme selection choices) you may be indirectly paying for VisionTV. VisionTV is attributing its ever decreasing viewership numbers to how its being "maneuvered" across the channel/bundling groupings by distributors. VisionTV aims to remedy this apparent viewership decline through it's CRTC application for mandatory carriage... where every Canadian TV viewer would then be required to pay for it. From an earlier post in the SunTV thread, the following identifies the only services that presently have mandatory basic service distribution:

Presently, the following are the only services that have mandatory distribution on the basic service of cable companies/satellite distributors:

• CBC News Network (in French-language markets): $0.15
• Réseau de l’information (RDI) (in English-language markets): $0.10
• Avis de recherche (in French-language markets): $0.06
• Weather Network/Météomedia: $0.23
• TVA: offered without a wholesale rate
• Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN): $0.25
• Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC): $0.10
• AMI audio, formerly known as VoicePrint: $0.04
• Accessible Media: $0.20
• Canal M, formerly known as La Magnétothèque: $0.02

[Boges]

Does the CRTC require that the CBC be carried in the Basic cable package ?

CBC is an OTA Network, so pretty much. The question is does the CRTC require CBC News to be on Basic Cable.

Again this isn't as big a deal as you would think. Across the country CTS is available on basic cable. It shows pretty much the same stuff as Vision did. I even get a CTS HD. I'm surprised Vision has lasted so long.

[segnosaur]

First off, Vision is not "Christian" programming.

According to Vision, it's "Canada's largest provider of Christian programming in ten million Canadian homes;" that's the claim being made at the 2013 National Religious Broadcasters Convention* in Nashville this week.

The other poster admitted that most of the programming on the channel is oriented towards christianity. However, a quick look at their schedule shows they also have programs like "The great night of Shiva" (which I assume is Hindu), "Reflections on Islam" (for Muslims), and "Murder She Wrote" (for worshipers of Angela Landsbury).

So, I guess whether having >90% "Christian" programming and 10% "non-Christian" classifies you as christian or interfaith is the question.

[waldo]

CBC is an OTA Network, so pretty much. The question is does the CRTC require CBC News to be on Basic Cable.

within the digital conversion framework (imposed by the CRTC), what significance does your mentioning OTA hold? As for 'CBC News'... I answered that in my preceding post (itself a reference to a post offered previously within the MLW SunTV CRTC application thread). Again, isolating only on the 'CBC News' listings within that previous quote (specifically, the anglophone and francophone offerings/markets, respectively)

Presently, the following are the only services that have mandatory distribution on the basic service of cable companies/satellite distributors:

• CBC News Network (in French-language markets): $0.15
• Réseau de linformation (RDI) (in English-language markets): $0.10
• .

  .

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[Guest American Woman]

So, I guess whether having >90% "Christian" programming and 10% "non-Christian" classifies you as christian or interfaith is the question.

As I said, they are at a Religious conference billed as "Christian" referring - only - to their Christian broadcasting. Seems to me any organization claiming to be "interfaith" while overwhelmingly predominant in one faith does not fit the definition of "interfaith." If a Catholic school also teaches about other religions, does that make it an interfaith school? I doubt if many people would accept such a claim.

[waldo]

As I said, they are at a Religious conference billed as "Christian" referring - only - to their Christian broadcasting.

only? You mean it's before a Christian billed conference and you're expecting non-Christian broadcast references to be mentioned/highlighted?

Seems to me any organization claiming to be "interfaith" while overwhelmingly predominant in one faith does not fit the definition of "interfaith." If a Catholic school also teaches about other religions, does that make it an interfaith school? I doubt if many people would accept such a claim.

would that be your definition of "inter/multi-faith"? I read that VisionTV offers, by its designation, 'Faith & Religious Programmings' in the categories it designates as, 'Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim & Sikh'... that it's related programming across these groupings is composed of ~50% Christian and ~50% distributed across the other 4 categories.

whatever VisionTV broadcast percentage makeup within its categories, by definition, its current license is predicated upon meeting requirements within the Category 4 CRTC designation, 'Religious Programming'. Specifically, that it offers, "programs dealing primarily with (i.e. more that 50%) religion and religious teachings, as well as discussions of the human spiritual condition."