Arpin wanted to stay, ‘but the wise men decided differently,’ he says

Two days after leaving his position as vice-chair of broadcasting at the CRTC, Michel Arpin sat down with me for an exclusive interview in his new office at Université de Montréal, where this week he officially took on a position as visiting professor in the communications studies department. For more than two hours, we discussed his departure from the CRTC, Quebecor Inc.’s Sun TV News application, and the transition to digital over-the-air broadcasting. The following excerpt has been edited for length and style. There was a recent Globe and Mail story claiming you were “ushered out the door” at the CRTC. Did you see the article? Sure, I saw it. My term was coming up as of Aug. 30, 2010. At no time did anyone from the PMO ever call me. I did receive, in early March, a standard letter saying, “Canada is very proud of what you’ve done, but we’ve decided not to renew your mandate.” In early January I sought reappointment. That letter said, “Thank you but no thank you.” I quickly learned afterwards that they issued a call for my replacement. So I chose to file an application to reapply for my job. What I’ve heard, but no one ever spoke to me directly, was that it was attractive to reappoint me for a short term. The rumour was that this would be the same length as the time left for the chair: until Jan. 24, 2012. By that time the government could change the whole direction of the CRTC and would have an opportunity to appoint a new chair and vice chair of broadcasting. I was quite interested, even if it was for a shorter term than five years, because we had just revised all the policies for BDUs , over-the-air and specialty services, and now the commission will be renewing all the licenses. We established the principles and now we can apply them on a case-by-case basis. It was very attractive to me to be a part of that. I thought I had all the background to do that and play a key role. But the wise men decided differently. Do you think the SunTV News application had something to do with you not receiving renewal? Could be. Did the clear connection between the application and a sitting Prime Minister make the Sun TV News decision difficult? We were aware of it. That letter came within weeks after we announced we would not grant any more Category 1 licences before September 2011. An organization like the CRTC does not like to be compelled to make a turn that fast. Second, we had also stated, not long before, that news and sports were no longer a nature of service that we will be regulating, and anyone who wants to enter that business is welcome: You will all be granted Category 2 status. Overnight, Sun Media comes in with its application to have a Category 1, and for the first couple of years, basic distribution status. I met with the Sun TV people. They came to see the CRTC with a plan in the early stages. Not necessarily the one submitted. We clearly stated to Pierre-Karl Péladeau and Pierre Dion that news would no longer get genre protection—which they weren’t requesting. Must-carry is a form of genre protection. They never said they wanted a Fox News-like service to be protected, but they wanted to have basic distribution at least for two years to establish the brand. We reiterated to them that we’re not going to accept applications before September 2011. What do you see as the digital dividend in Canada? That’s a word you never hear in Canada, the digital dividend. You hear it overseas. To be frank, I think the government is only interested in getting money for the spectrum. It’s public knowledge that the government was pretty upset by the commission suggesting that a task force should be set up to examine the digital transition in a broad sense ... I don’t think there is any motivation by this government to do anything. Their vision is not to interfere with the ability of industry to do something. When you read about what other jurisdictions have done, including the U.S., they look at health issues, information issues, and economic issues. I’m also disappointed it’s never in the platforms of the Liberals or the NDP. They don’t put the ministers of industry or heritage on the spot in the House. Why has there been such resistance to the multiplexing option in digital television? Is this not a possible solution for those regions that will be left waiting for digital service? I’ve raised it myself at public hearings. If you don’t have the money, why aren’t you sharing infrastructure? I think they all decided to remain competitive, even on the technological aspect, as part of their operations. One day the broadcasters will try multiplexing ... but you’re absolutely right. It’s a very good solution. Maybe not for Toronto, but for Kelowna, for Kamloops, for Barrie ... that could be an option. But in today’s climate it will not come from Industry Canada or Canadian Heritage. Most independent channels are reporting that they will be ready for the deadline on Aug. 31, 2011, yet many of the major networks are struggling. I don’t understand that. Neither do I. Gregory Taylor is a post-doctoral researcher at Ryerson University who is writing a book on Canada’s digital television transition. He can be reached at gregory.a.k.taylor@gmail.com.

Arpin wanted to stay, ‘but the wise men decided differently,’ he says

Broadcast | September 3, 2010

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