Press Releases

- 21 June 2010 -

SCN Matters reacts to sale of SCN to Blue Point

With few details available regarding the business plan for Blue Point Investments, which has just been awarded the purchase of Saskatchewan public broadcaster SCN, the group SCN Matters is still forming its position. But according to SCN Matters spokesperson Robin Schlaht, “Basically the feeling at SCN Matters is that these are the cards the government has dealt via their short-sighted decision to end support for SCN and their flawed, forced privatization process, but as always we at SCN Matters will be working toward the best possible outcome for Saskatchewan viewers and the Saskatchewan television production community. As such, although we don’t know many specifics of the Blue Point plan, we would intend to work collaboratively with Blue Point to achieve a sustainable provincial educational broadcaster which addresses the needs of Saskatchewan viewers and producers.”

For 20 years SCN (Saskatchewan Communications Network) has provided commercial-free educational programming on basic cable and satellite services throughout Saskatchewan and across Canada. In the March 24th budget the provincial government announced the total withdrawal of its support for the public broadcaster, without consultation with viewers, the television industry or even SCN’s independent Board of Directors. Since then the government has held a very hurried and insular bidding process for SCN assets, while hoping that a company would come forward to continue broadcasting from Saskatchewan in some form.

“There are several issues of course,” Schlaht added, “including the lag time for CTRC approval during what is essentially the middle of the annual production financing cycle and the potential loss of this current production year for many Saskatchewan producers. Also, this new entity will be a hybrid educational/commercial channel, and it’s not clear what that will mean. But most worrisome is the fact that the provincial government has repeated that it will withhold all financial support for this cultural institution which has been so instrumental in preserving Saskatchewan history and sharing Saskatchewan stories. They’ve entirely turned their backs on SCN and it’s 20-year legacy of achievement, and told Blue Point to sink or swim based on advertising revenues alone. This doesn’t bode well for this enterprise. Even in Alberta, when Access-The Education Station was privatized by Ralph Klein, the provincial government maintained an annual grant to ensure that the channel could sustain some provincial educational content.”

SCN Matters is a broad group of viewers, voters and television industry personnel concerned with the government’s decision to end support for SCN.

- 11 May 2010 -

SCN Matters delivers petition to Premier Brad Wall

On Tuesday, May 11th, the group SCN Matters delivered a petition to Premier Brad Wall calling for his government to restore funding to SCN, Saskatchewan’s public educational broadcaster. The petition consists of 2,451 signatures, from 80 Saskatchewan cities and towns. These are the signatures turned in to the organization to date, and hundreds more are arriving each week which will be passed onto the government in the coming weeks and months.

The Petition reads:
“We, the undersigned, appeal to you and the Government of Saskatchewan to demonstrate your commitment to the people of Saskatchewan, to Saskatchewan culture and to the economy of Saskatchewan, by renewing the Government’s support for public broadcaster SCN – Saskatchewan Communications Network.”

It was presented to the Premier’s office by SCN Matters organizer Heather Malek on behalf of the signatories and SCN Matters members (including over 4,600 Facebook members), urging Wall to reverse his government’s ill-informed decision to close SCN and to halt the accelerated SCN privatization process which is likewise insular, hurried, haphazard and riddled with irregularities.

SCN Matters contends that the proposed accelerated assessment process for the privatization of SCN is in fact deliberately designed to prevent public oversight and input from stakeholders, and is destined to rob the people of Saskatchewan of their valued public educational broadcaster and its 20-year legacy of excellence.
The government’s decision to close SCN was made without consultation with viewers, the television industry or even SCN’s independent Board of Directors. The process of implementing this decision has likewise been rife with irregularities and a failure to consult stakeholders and experts.

SCN Matters is a group of viewers, voters and television industry personnel concerned with the government’s decision to close SCN, and is asking that SCN funding be restored, even on an interim basis.

SCN Matters Media Contact: Robin Schlaht (306) 569-9102
email: info@scnmatters.ca website: http://www.scnmatters.ca or Facebook.

- 7 May 2010 -

SCN multimillion dollar Request for EOIs cut short compared to Gov’s year-long $250,000 Greenwater Request for Proposals

A telling exchange between NDP critic Danielle Chartier and Dustin Duncan, Minister for Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport, reveals that the government engaged a nearly yearlong tendering process to sell some cabins at Greenwater Lake (with a total value of $250,000) while the complex multimillion dollar privatization of SCN will occur within a six-week period, with no formal Request for Proposals.

The exchange between Chartier and Duncan occurred at the May 3rd “Estimates” committee meeting for the Department of TPCS. A transcript of this particular section of the exchange follows below.

When Chartier first drew attention to the discrepancy Duncan answered that the Greenwater action had been a Request for Proposals and that the SCN action had merely been a Request for Expressions of Interest, to see if there might be any interest in someone continuing the operations, so less rigorous a process. But Chartier countered that in fact the government was treating the SCN Request for EOIs as if it were a Request for Proposals, that no RFP would be following, and that the government intended to proceed over the next month or so in awarding the tenders to applications based on the EOIs. Duncan provided no real answer other than to admit “the member is right.”

The government announced an imminent RFP for a group of cabins at Greenwater Lake on April 15th, 2009, and awarded to purchase for $250,000 via an order in council on February 10th, 2010. In contrast, the request for EOIs for SCN assets was released April 16th, with an April 30th deadline, and a date to finalize a shortlist of most promising applications one week later. The government is scheduled to announce the successful bidder(s) on May 31st.

The government’s decision to close SCN was made without consultation with viewers, the television industry or even SCN’s independent Board of Directors. The process of implementing this decision has likewise been rife with irregularities and a failure to consult stakeholders and experts.

Transcript of Excerpt: May 3rd Consideration of Estimates, Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport.

DANIELLE CHARTIER: Thank you. I need your help here understanding something. So I’ve got the request for proposals for Greenwater cabins and it’s about 40 pages long and includes an inventory of the rental cabin assets, and it’s clear there’s actually some rigour involved for this, this sale of about $250,000 or less, but..and the process took place over a period of a number of months, since last spring. So how is it that this amount of rigour was required for the purchase of 23 rental cabins, but you can transfer the assets of a public broadcaster with an expression of interest which is 11 pages long, in such a short period of time, and not nearly as much detail required?

- 1 minute, 9 second pause while Dustin Duncan consults with staff -

DUSTIN DUNCAN: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and to the member for the question. I think, there certainly is a difference in the process. The…when the member refers to the SCN instance, and the expression of interest step, that’s at a time I think when we, frankly aren’t sure, weren’t sure, if there would be any interest, if anybody would come forward with any viable plan to…to continue on with the operations of…of a broadcaster. The expression of interest essentially allows us the opportunity to…to further discuss a scenario where this could be viable, whereas I think the RFP is a much more, I think it’s further along the steps in terms of a…an asset or an operation that, that is…is going to be transferred from government to the private sector.

DANIELLE CHARTIER: Just to clarify, though, isn’t your hope or goal that the tentative date for transfer of broadcasting assets is June 30th? So you’re quite far along. This isn’t just an expression of interest. This is…you haven’t just asked for people to express interest. You’re…you want, these are proposals that you’ve actually, in fact, asked for.

- 1 minute, 36 second pause while Dustin Duncan consults with staff -

DUSTIN DUNCAN: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and to the member for her question. It’s certainly, I mean I recognize what the…what the member is saying. There are going to be, there’s going to be a lot of work that’s going to be done on the, in the instance of SCN by the evaluation team. That work has already begun. At the time, the expression of interest, we did pursue that route because as I said before, we weren’t sure if there was going to be any interest, if anybody was going to come forward with a viable opportunity and so this allows us to work through that process, to identify on the broadcast side initially, whether or not there is proposals that merit further discussion. But the member is right that this is going to be a fairly intense time for that evaluation team, and for successful proponents, if we get to that step.

DANIELLE CHARTIER: Okay, well back to Greenwater. I wish there was an answer that was satisfactory, but alas, I’ve learned in my short time in this place that there’s not too many that are satisfactory at all. Anyway. Greenwater.

DOWNLOAD – video of excerpt (19MB): files.me.com/robin_imac/5g7or5.mov
DOWNLOAD – audio only excerpt (37MB): files.me.com/robin_imac/tq44yj.aif
DOWNLOAD – audio of excerpt with pauses removed (22MB): files.me.com/robin_imac/dwsp3y.aif
SCN RPF: files.me.com/robin_imac/1a4rwg
Government’s Greenwater Announcement (Apr 15, 2009):
www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=a3a9ef15-d589-468c-9669-64f01a530618
Order in Council awarding Greenwater tender (Feb 10, 2010):
www.publications.gov.sk.ca/details.cfm?p=29474

- 26 April 2010 -

SCN Matters files complaint with CRTC

The group SCN Matters filed a formal complaint April 23rd with the CRTC asking the commission to investigate SCN for violations of CRTC regulations and of SCN broadcast licence conditions which have occurred since the March 24th provincial budget announcements and the government’s dismissal of the SCN Board of Directors.

The complaint contends that when SCN’s independent board of directors was dismissed without cause by the provincial government and replaced by a board consisting of only two government ministers, SCN was thrown into noncompliance with the federal government’s 1985 Direction to the CRTC regarding the inability of a provincial government to hold a broadcast licence.

The February 1991 decision by the CRTC awarding a broadcast license to SCN is explicit in this regard, stating: “The Direction specifies that, in order that it may issue a broadcasting licence to a corporation such as SCN, the Commission must first be satisfied that the applicant corporation is an ‘independent corporation’ not directly controlled by the government of a province….SCN confirmed at the hearing that its Board of Directors, while appointed by the provincial government, includes no members or employees of government agencies other than one individual who is, in fact, an employee of SCN. As stated by SCN’s Chairperson: ‘I think that given the Act and the way it is established, that formally I would say the SCN has its own authority through its Board of Directors….and that helps to protect our independence’.”

On March 24th the provincial government announced the closure of SCN, Saskatchewan’s public educational broadcaster, without consultation with viewers, the television industry or the SCN Board of Directors. That day the entire Board was dismissed, and in its place Wynne Young, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport was appointed as Chairperson, and Audrey Roadhouse, Deputy Minister of Education, was appointed as the only other director.

The complaint filed by SCN Matters to the CRTC asserts that decisions made and enacted by the noncompliant board should be considered invalid, including the proposed sale of SCN assets and transfer of its broadcast license. It requests that CRTC “conduct an investigation, halt the trading in the SCN broadcast licence, cite the current SCN Board of Directors and its actions as illegitimate, and require the Saskatchewan government to appoint a legitimate independent caretaker SCN Board of Directors as vetted by an independent body or bodies to ensure against prejudice.”

SCN was created in 1990 by the Progressive Conservative government of Grant Devine, but the move to eliminate the broadcaster was announced last month by Premier Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan Party government. The decision was a complete surprise to the people of Saskatchewan, and it was made without consultation with the television production industry, SCN viewers or the public.

Since the announcement to terminate SCN, Saskatchewan residents have held several rallies in support of SCN and flooded the government with pleas to restore SCN funding, and the Facebook group “SCN Matters” has attracted over 4400 members.

Further information on the government’s refusal to consult with the legitimate board of directors during the past two years can be found in the April 17 Leader-Post article Government Fading SCN to Black Amid Misinformation and Disrespect, which quotes past SCN Chair Veronica Gamracy. Link here.

The February 1991 CRTC decision awarding a broadcast licence to SCN can be found here.

This Information Bulletin is provided by SCN Matters, an ad-hoc group of viewers, voters and television industry personnel concerned with the government’s decision to terminate the operations of SCN.

SCN MATTERS Contact: Robin Schlaht (306) 569-9102
email: info@scnmatters.ca website: http://www.scnmatters.ca

- 19 April 2010 -

SCN built television industry alongside commercial fare

The group SCN Matters congratulates our friends Virginia Thompson and Robert de Lint and Vérité films on achieving a green light for their series InSecurity.

Like virtually all Saskatchewan production companies, Vérité would likely not exist (and certainly not in Saskatchewan) were it not for its collaborations with SCN, Saskatchewan’s educational broadcaster. Vérité’s first production, begun in 1995, was the long-running youth series Incredible Story Studios, an innovative youth drama which SCN supported through its award-winning run of 65 half-hour episodes.

The principals of Vérité freely admit their indebtedness to SCN, and their recognition of the near impossibility for young producers and filmmakers to stay in Saskatchewan without SCN’s crucial licensing capacity. SCN Matters encourages media to contact Vérité Films to discuss the role SCN played in bringing the company to Saskatchewan and sustaining the company during its early years of creating innovative education programming for SCN like Incredible Story Studio and Renegade Press, which to this day are the pride of our production community. Vérité Films is, in fact, a prime example of how SCN has been instrumental in supporting the growth and sustainability of film and television production in this province.

With the loss of SCN, it will be questionable whether in the future a series like InSecurity can even be brought to Saskatchewan. Its success will depend upon the availability of practiced, qualified craftspeople, but the 10-week shooting schedule is certainly not enough to sustain a career or provide for one’s family. Meanwhile, in a typical year SCN would partner with as many as twenty different production companies on dozens of productions which generate production activity year round. Many craftspeople who will be finding temporary employment with InSecurity have sustained themselves in Saskatchewan during the current downturn in television production by working on these smaller educational productions being produced with SCN involvement.

SCN Matters media contact: Robin Schlaht (306) 569-9102
email: info@scnmatters.ca
website: http://www.scnmatters.ca

- 15 April 2010 -

Saskatchewan Residents Oppose SCN Closure: Insightrix Poll

A new poll about the March 24th Saskatchewan budget indicates that a majority of Saskatchewan residents, 54.5%, oppose the government’s decision to eliminate SCN, The Saskatchewan Communications Network.

The poll, released April 15 by Insightrix Research, found that only three in ten (31.9%) of those surveyed support the decision to eliminate Saskatchewan’s educational broadcaster, while 54.5% oppose the decision (26.5% strongly, 28% somewhat) and 13.6% are undecided.

SCN was created in 1990 by the Progressive Conservative government of Grant Devine, but the move to eliminate the broadcaster was announced last month by the Saskatchewan Party government. The decision was a complete surprise to the people of Saskatchewan, it was made without consultation with the SCN viewers, the public, the television production industry, or the SCN board of directors.

Since the announcement, Saskatchewan residents have held numerous rallies in support of SCN, and the Facebook group “SCN Matters” has attracted 4300 members.

By investing in local productions, SCN helps to trigger out-of-province financing that has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Saskatchewan economy. Last week, the federal Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced that it had earmarked $939,469 for SCN for the fiscal year 2010-2011. With the closure of SCN those funds will be reallocated by the CMF to other Canadian broadcasters. No other Saskatchewan broadcaster is eligible for an allocation from CMF.

SCN supporters have also pointed to the important cultural and educational contributions of SCN, emphasizing the importance of developing and broadcasting family-friendly programs about Saskatchewan’s history and cultures.

The complete Insightrix report is available here.

Contact:
Robin Schlaht (306) 569-9102
email: info@scnmatters.ca
website: http://www.scnmatters.ca

—

- 11 April 2010 -

Federal Cash Headed to Saskatchewan Television Productions Now Forfeited

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has released its performance allocations for 2010 – 2011. The $939,469 allocated to SCN, Saskatchewan’s public educational broadcaster, will be forfeited if the broadcaster is shut down next month, as the Saskatchewan government has said it intends to do.

The move to eliminate SCN, which was created in 1990 by the Progressive Conservative government of Grant Devine, was announced last month by the Saskatchewan government without consultation with the production industry, the SCN board of directors or the viewers.

The CMF funding earmarked for SCN would trigger further investment and fuel the development and production of approximately twenty Saskatchewan-based television programs and series in the fiscal year 2010-2011. Instead, this allocation, and those for future years, will go to other broadcasters and television producers in other jurisdictions. No other Saskatchewan broadcaster is eligible for an allocation from CMF.

The Canada Media Fund is a not-for-profit corporation created by Canada’s cable and satellite distributors and The Government of Canada.

For comment or more information, please contact:

Robin Schlaht (306) 569-9102

website: http://www.scnmatters.ca

—

- 30 March 2010 -

SCN MATTERS Rally

Wednesday 12:00 p.m., 2440 Broad St.

Supporters of SCN (Saskatchewan Communications Network) are gathering in Regina on Wednesday to say thank you to the employees on their last day of work, and they are calling on the government to reverse the decision to shut down SCN, which has served the province so well since its establishment in 1990 by the Progressive Conservative government of Grant Devine.

The group of supporters called SCN Matters is rallying on Wednesday, March 31st at noon, at SCN’s headquarters in Regina, 2440 Broad Street. It is the final day of work for many of SCN’s employees. The SCN Matters group has launched a website to distribute information about the efforts to save SCN.

With great haste and without any public consultation, the government announced the closure of the broadcaster on March 24th. In a multi-channel world, Saskatchewan’s only voice is being silenced. SCN Matters says the broadcaster contributes too much to Saskatchewan economically and culturally to be shut down.

SCN’s investment in local production helps to trigger financing from outside the province that has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Saskatchewan economy. Producer Robin Schlaht says, “Although the dollar figures are not large, a broadcast license from SCN means a lot for a Saskatchewan documentary. It’s a vote of confidence that national broadcasters can look to. That’s what happened with A Few Good Men & Women, a series about the training of municipal police in Saskatchewan, which airs on SCN but also on Court TV and Access. SCN’s $78,000 contribution triggered other financing, including over $475,000 from out of province sources.”

SCN is Saskatchewan’s storyteller, developing and broadcasting family-friendly programs about Saskatchewan’s history and cultures. The loss of SCN would mean the loss of the production and exhibition of these types of programs. Producer Steve Suderman was developing a new documentary project with SCN about young Canadians with urban backgrounds returning to the farm. Suderman says, “SCN’s contribution, though maybe only making up 20% of the production budget, opens the door to pursing substantial out-of-province investments. And of course SCN is one of the last broadcasters in the country that wants to tell socially and culturally relevant stories rather than just piping in American reality TV. The documentary would feature several young Saskatchewan families who are a part of creating a new sustainable farm industry in Canada.” With the closure of SCN, Suderman’s project is now in doubt.

SCN MATTERS to Families – SCN is devoted to broadcasting programs suitable for families.

SCN MATTERS to Rural Saskatchewan – SCN’s programming brings stories about Saskatchewan’s history, culture and regional news to every part of the province and many of its programs focus on the rich rural heritage of Saskatchewan. Without SCN, these types of programs will no longer be produced or broadcast.

SCN MATTERS to Businesses – Saskatchewan productions supported by SCN bring in tens of millions of dollars of investment from outside Saskatchewan; money that is spent on creating employment in the province and on ancillary services such as construction materials, post-production services, hotels, restaurants, accounting and legal services, clothing, office rentals, business supplies, computer purchases, vehicle rentals, gas purchases and taxes.

SCN MATTERS to Students –SCN plays an important role in bringing educational and information programming to students across the province. Less than a year ago, Culture Minister Dustin Duncan praised the Gemini Award winning Drug Class, saying it “serves as an important resource for young people, and their parents and teachers”. With programs such as 15 Minutes of Fame, SCN helps develop the careers of Saskatchewan’s next generation of storytellers.

For more information, contact: Mark Wihak, mark.wihak@gmail.com or 721-4918

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