Sparkes Ignite in “Local TV Matters” Debate

This one came to me today in the shower:
CTV and Global spent all that money buying A and E, and all they wound up with were IOUs.
Yes, I shower.
The great Canadian TV debate rages on, Christmas or no Christmas. Some fun fallout after I weighed in at The Toronto Star Sunday (if you missed it, read “Save local TV, but for what?” here):
In the Star’s Tuesday letters section, CTV Corporate Affairs V-P Paul Sparkes suggests my take on the whole carriage fee/bailout scam “entirely misses the point.” (Read his entire letter here.) “Canadian broadcasters have spent billions over the years producing Canadian hits – successful shows that draw millions of loyal viewers. Pointing to who spends what is a convenient way for cable and satellite companies to dodge the central issue.”
Way to miss the point yourself, Sparky. You can ignore the huge hole your network dug bidding up U.S. content prices and try to drag the debate back to your talking points, but you’re in a glass house here, fella. CTV introduced ZERO new scripted Canadian shows this fall, as did Global. You can’t claim to be defending the future of Canadian television if you aren’t making any.
I’m not saying CTV doesn’t produce any Canadian television. I’ll be the first one writing cover stories about Dan For Mayor, The Bridge and whatever else homegrown CTV has in the hopper. I’ve got CTV clips dating back to Night Heat and Check it Out!, fella, don’t tell me how to wave a flag. But your efforts to twist this debate around a “Local TV Matters” mantra is not washing in Ottawa or in Canadian family rooms.
Mr. Sparkes goes on to say that if I don’t get on side and “work to save local TV,” I can “look forward to a test pattern in prime time, brought to you by your friendly cable and satellite carriers.”
Holy hyperbole, Batman! Get Sparky in the Flashpoint writing room stat!
I much prefer the letter on today’s Star editorial page (“If anything, broadcasters should pay cable“), which I’m pretty sure was not written by my mom (or anyone at CTV).