And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: Jack Hicks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: APTN needs your support! If you support the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN -- see info below) being part of basic cable TV packages, now is the time to show it. All you need to do is (a) send the briefest of e-mails to the CRTC, and (b) pass this message on to as many others as you can! ----- Thank you all for your kind e-mail supporting APTN. I would like to ask if you can send your sentiments to the CRTC. As part of our decision, the CRTC asked for comments from the public regarding the CRTC's order that APTN must be a mandatory service, carried throughout Canada. The deadline for comments to the CRTC is next Friday, March 15. As of today (March 8), there have been more negative comments than positive. Many of you have sent congratulatory messages to us at our Ottawa office. We would appreciate it if you could send your positive comments directly to the CRTC as part of this process. Please indicate that you support the CRTC order that APTN be placed as a mandatory service with a small subscription fee. For this stage of support, an e-mail is sufficient and no more than a paragraph is required. As well, we would appreciate it if you could pass the word around that this additional support is needed and for others to send letters as well. The CRTC's e-mail address is: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or you can fax them at: (819) 994-0218 Thank you again and we appreciate your support and encouragement! Jennifer David, Communications Director Television Northern Canada 1-613-567-1550, ext. 222 ----- Native network wins bid to join basic cable TV: 'It's real history for us,' Indian producer says; station will broadcast in 15 aboriginal languages by Jennifer Ditchburn Canadian Press Tuesday, February 23, 1999 Ottawa -- An aboriginal television network complete with an evening newscast and talk shows will hit small screens across Canada this fall. The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network won its landmark bid to be carried as part of basic cable packages throughout the country yesterday, despite strong opposition from cable companies and the CBC. A wave of excitement rippled through the aboriginal film industry, which has been pushing for a national venue for years, when the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced the decision. "My God, it's real history for us," said Alanis Obomsawin, award-winning producer of such documentaries as Kanesatake and Richard Cardinal: Cry from the Diary of a M�tis Child. "It's going to give a lot of work to a lot of people, and the possibility for a lot of aboriginal people to produce, and get a place to see their stuff seen." The network will broadcast from Winnipeg and keep a head office in Ottawa. As a condition of its licence, it will broadcast 18 hours of French-language programming every week, in addition to the 15 aboriginal languages that will also be on its lineup. Cable companies will charge subscribers an extra 15 cents for APTN, to be passed on to the network to help pay for programming. That practice is customary for speciality channels: CTV Sportsnet, for example, cost subscribers approximately 80 cents. APTN is an offshoot of Television Northern Canada, which has been seen by northern natives for a decade. To date, mainstream stations have been reluctant to devote much of their schedule to aboriginal shows. "Some days the little guy does come out on top, and today is a great day for aboriginals and a great day for Canadians," said network chairman Abraham Tagalik. "We have certainly been on the fringes, and we will finally have an avenue to showcase and support the aboriginal film and television industry. This will go a long ways for them to open up opportunities." The CRTC said it approved the network because it fulfilled the objectives of the Broadcasting Act, which states that programming should reflect the lives of aboriginals in Canada. The CRTC has rarely ordered cable companies to carry particular channels as part of basic cable packages, but in recent months has been taking a more aggressive stand. Late last year, the commission announced that cable operators would have to broadcast the French-language network TVA, generating complaints of government interference from the industry. Sylvie Powell, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Cable Television Association, said the association won't comment until its lawyers review the decision. Cable companies told the CRTC in November that the network is going to cost them money for such items as informing subscribers of a channel lineup change. Those costs are likely to be passed on to consumers, Ms. Powell said. The 1996 royal commission report on aboriginal peoples made several recommendations on how to improve the representation and distribution of native programming. The report outlined aboriginals' struggles to develop their own TV industry and to get access to shows in their own languages. Funding for aboriginal broadcast ventures has been drastically cut in recent years. For instance, the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program, established in 1983 to improve access to aboriginal programming in northern communities, has been reduced to $7.9-million from $13.3-million when it was set up. ______________________________________________________________________ EAST TIMOR ON THE NET For the latest updates, news and views on East Timor and Indonesia visit http://www.easttimor.com maintained by the East Timor International Support Centre Hon. 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