Laid low with some kind of vicious viral crud for the last 2 weeks, I missed this story. But I think it’s worth commenting on, if only because one teeny-weeny year ago there was so much gnashing of teeth over the possibility that the thuggish Steveoid Government would immediately jackboot von Finckenstein’s ass out of the Big Chair at the CRTC and replace him with a brainless Harper-fellating rubber-stamper who’d facilitate full-metal, 24/7 Hate! from conservative science project Sun TV, affectionately known as “Fox News North”.
Now that time is finally looming in the not-too-distant future… minus the jackboots and thuggery, with barely a whimper, not a bang, von Finckenstein’s tenure as CRTC Chair looks to be coming to the end that so many feared. Despite his reported wish to stay on, the government has let it be known that they’re in no mood to put up with independent thinking and are in the process of finding a replacement for The Fink, who won’t be re-appointed — no CRTC chair for you! NEXT!!:
Konrad von Finckenstein’s contentious term as chairman of the federal broadcast and telecom regulator is coming to an end, after five years characterized by clashes with the Tory government and a series of landmark decisions about the future of the industries it oversees.
Mr. von Finckenstein had been seeking an extension to his term as head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In an internal memo sent early Tuesday afternoon, Mr. von Finckenstein informed his staff that the government will soon be evaluating candidates to take over his job.
“Contentious term”? Some would offer this translation: von Finckenstein refused to grant Sun TV the license it wanted, instead granting it the license it actually qualified for.
Actually, the government’s decision probably has a lot less to do with Sun TV than it does with von Finckenstein’s independence, something considered a bug, not a feature, by the Harper Conservatives. In spite of being appointed by Harper, they’ve clashed on a few different issues, and to a government in which Obedience is Everything, going out of lockstep on anything is reason enough to get shuffled out the door.
But we’ll see. Von Finckenstein’s term ends in January, just 3 months from now. Before that we’ll know who will succeed him (Luc Lavoie?!), and shortly thereafter, how (or if) it affects our cable TV packages and that goofy little channel up the dial.
Not that it really matters, and this time around I’m obviously not the only one who isn’t too frantic about it. Could it be because by now everyone’s seen the actual Sun TV product and realizes it’ll be a Jumbo Snooze-a-Rama no matter where it sits on the dial?
Master of his (News) Domain
