Moore downplays reports of broadcast bailout

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore appears to be pouring cold water on a report that Ottawa is considering a $150-million fund to help ailing TV broadcasters.

ACanadian Press report on Tuesday suggested the fund would be used to bolster local programming for struggling networks like CTV and Canwest Global Communications.

But Moore, speaking from Saskatoon Wednesday, would not give the report much credence.

"The fact is, there's nothing to announce. When you're going through difficult economic times as a nation aswe are in Canada, any government has a responsibility to keep their eyes and ears open about what a government might be able to do to for any given industry, but we have nothing to announce, no commitments, and I wouldn't put much weight frankly on that story," he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking in Moncton on Wednesday, said no decisions have been made on how to help Canada's broadcasters.

"I can't tell you very much other than that we are certainly aware of the difficulties affecting the sector some of them are longer term challenges, some of them have to do obviously with the drop in ad revenues. We've seen dramatic drops because of what's happened in the automobile sector,"Harper said.

He said the government is "aware of the problem" and "looking at options."

The CRTC has ordered cable companies to contribute $60 million towards a local programming fund but that money isn't expected to flow until fall.

In the meantime, Canwest has put several of its stations up for sale and CTV plans to close two regional stations in southwestern Ontario.

Broadcasters asked that rules be relaxed

The private broadcasters appeared before the federal broadcaster regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, earlier this year, asking for relaxed licence conditions, including fewer requirements for regional programming.

The CBC also has a $171-million shortfall in funding this year and has announced it will cut 800 jobs across the country.

ACTRA, Canada's actors union, issued a statement Wednesday urging the federal government not to ignore the CBC while bailing out private broadcasters.

The private broadcasters are in difficulty because of their own "financial mismanagement," including spending $775 million last year on U.S. programming, said ACTRA executive director Stephen Waddell.

ACTRA also urged the CRTC not to give in to broadcasters' requests for relaxed regulation on Canadian content and spending on regional programming.

"Now they are using the economic downturn to hold the government and the CRTC hostage in order to get out of regulations they never wanted in the first place," Waddell said.