CANADIAN TELEVISION HARI KARI COMMITTED AS CANADIAN MEDIA MEGA MERGER ANNOUNCEMENT CONTINUES TO STUN INDUSTRY
July 12, 2006..a date which will live in broadcast history,as broadcast consolidation hits north of the border,
Bell Globemedia, the parent of the CTV Network announced to a stunned and shocked broadcast and money
world that they would be buying their competitor,the innovative CHUM Limited, parent of famed Citytv and its sibling A-Channel for 2Billion canadian dollars. About the companies involved..DEEP BREATH!

Besides CTV Network,and 21 CTV Stations, Bell Globemedia also owns CTV Newsnet,Discovery Channel Canada,MTV Canada,OLN Canada,TSN/RDS (along with ESPN),The Comedy Network,Report on Business TV,ARTV,Viewers Choice PTV,ESPN CLASSIC Canada,NHL Network,Animal Planet Canada,Discovery Channel HD Canada,CTV Travel,Discovery Civilization Canada,and The Globe and Mail.

CHUM Limited owns Citytv Toronto,Calgary,Edmonton,Vancouver,Winnipeg,CKX Television,and the A-CHANNEL stations in Windsor/Wingham,Barrie/Toronto,London,Ottawa,Victoria/Vancouver. Along with Speciality networks ACCESS,Book Tv,Bravo Canada,CablePulse24,Canadian Learning Television,CourtTV Canada,Drive In Classics,Fashion Television,MuchMusic,MuchLOUD,MuchMoreMusic,MuchMusicRetro,MuchVibe,MusiMax,MusiquePlus,
PunchMuch,Razer,SexTV,Space,Star,TVLand Canada. and 33 radio stations..WHEW!!!!!

The announcement came as CHUM Limited announced massive layoffs of up to 300 employees and elimination of local news across canada on both its City and A-Channel stations,but spokespersons say that
the layoffs and cuts are in no way related to the buyout.
Hit hard in the announcement were Citytv and A-Channel stations in Calgary,Edmonton,Vancouver,Winnipeg and Barrie which saw their newscasts and local shows come to an abrupt end,while CHUM stremlined other A-Channel and Citytv news and local shows in other Canadian cities.

Ivan Fecan,the president of CTV said that while BGM and CHUM Limited will be one enity, its news divisions will continue to be independently run,meanwhile Fecan announced that the A-Channel stations will be sold,possible buyers could be, Rogers Communications and Corrus Entertainment.

The merger must be approved by both CRTC and Competition Committee (canada's version of the FCC and FTC) already several media watchdogs are saying that this merger will NOT be good,while industry critics say that this is just the way of the the business world. It should be noted that BGM is in the process itsself of being acquired by Teachers and TorStar Communications.