Having access to media is a concern to many in the gay community. And as a community we need to be able to create and share our stories with no barriers. In a new report by Jeremy Hainsworth he writes about how two conservative-leaning media giants are "wielding so much power in Canada over what gay and sexual images make it on the air." Below is an excerpt from his article.Jeremy Hainsworth writes:
Corus is a spin-off of Shaw Communications, a company well known for its years of limiting OutTV's access to the dial. The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled in 2008 that Shaw had violated regulations by failing to market the gay and lesbian digital channel equitably along with similar channels.
OutTV chief operating officer Brad Danks says cable companies like Shaw and Corus should be instructed to put diverse programming ahead of their commercial interests. "There has to be core channels that represent the diversity of Canadian voices," he says. He would like the CRTC to enforce such a shift but is well aware that the order would have to come from Parliament.
Channels such as SexTV and OutTV are at risk of vanishing if they are shifted into digital oblivion or repackaged as other offerings, Danks says. "At the end of the day, whose system is it?" he asks. "It should be the peoples' system." READ MORE
