TORONTO – Shaw Media is making plans to launch a national TV news channel called Global News 1.
In filings to the CRTC, the media division of Shaw Communications (TSX:SJR.B), which operates Global Television, says it wants to launch a “hybrid local/national” English-language channel.
A brief outline of the plans were included in Shaw’s submission to the broadcast regulator as part of the CRTC’s formal consultation on the evolution of the broadcasting system.
The news channel would fall under “Category C” guidelines, which covers all-news channels like the CBC News Network, CTV News Channel, RDI and the Sun News Network.
If successful, it would mean cable and satellite companies would have to offer their customers the option of subscribing to the new Global service, but it would not be a mandatory part of basic service.
While Shaw didn’t outline exactly how its proposed news channel would operate, it’s likely Shaw would tap into the assets of numerous local TV stations it owns across the country. Shaw also operates a regional news channel in British Columbia called Global News BC 1.
The application would be for “a service that will expand and diversify the amount of news and information-related programming in the Canadian broadcasting system,” Shaw told the CRTC.
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Hmm someone should make an intervention against such a channel based on their alleged interference in the editorial policy in Vancouver. The alleged killing of a story on the demise of the home phone might be a good example.