Saskatchewan TV network about to go dark http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2010/04/30/sk-scn-deadline-1004.html
Saskatchewan's educational TV network will become an ex-broadcaster at midnight Friday night unless a last-minute buyer comes forward. Money for Saskatchewan Communications Network was cut in last month's provincial budget, affecting 35 jobs. SCN runs a variety of TV programs made inside and outside the province, and also operates a distance education network. The move outraged filmmakers and arts groups members, who said a vital part of the province's culture is being lost. There have been several protests by supporters. The provincial government said it would save about $5 million a year by closing SCN, which was created by the former Progressive Conservative government in 1989. The province also said some of the functions of SCN could be taken up by other branches of the government. The minister responsible for SCN, Dustin Duncan, also said he hoped an interested party would come forward to continue SCN's broadcast operations. The deadline for proposals is 2 p.m. CST. "If there is a proposal that comes in and looks promising, then we have the option to extend broadcasting into May if that's one of the requirements of the proposal," Duncan said. Without such a proposal, the network goes off the air at midnight, he said. SCN would still have a broadcast licence, but it would suddenly be less attractive to a potential buyer, said Lars Murran, president of the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Industry Association. That's because SCN will lose its prime position on the cable, he said. Currently, on Regina's Access Communications cable, it's on channel 12. "It will end up maybe … on channel 953," Murran said. "That's a big problem, because if you affect the saleability, you're going to affect the type of buyer that's actually going to be interested." -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
