CRTC ok's porn channel, but denies Christian applications.

Ottawa -- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has stifled Christian broadcasting endeavours once again while approving a licence for a "home-grown" Canadian-content pornographic TV network in the summer. It turned down two applications for Christian radio stations in the Ottawa area.

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Two years ago in April 2006, the CRTC turned down an application for a Catholic FM radio station to serve the Greater Toronto Area (1,600,000 Catholics), but approved a license for the homosexual station Pride FM to serve the same region (30,000 or so devotees). Although it eventually granted a TV broadcasting licence to the Crossroads Television System in Burlington, Ont., the commission turned down several of the system's applications before giving it the go-ahead--but only with strict stipulations that it provide "balanced programming," meaning that the Christian channel would have to provide airtime to other faiths, including the Muslim, Hindu and Jewish ones, or to atheism. (C.L, June 06, p. 31)

People were described as "livid" after the recent Ottawa radio applications were nixed (Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 5, 2008). Calgary Bishop Fred Henry wrote a column, in which he called the approval of the pornographic channel "ludicrous." (Calgary Herald, August 26, 2008)

"The CRTC has been noticeably reluctant over the years to license religious broadcasting," said Henry. He counselled Canadians to write to their cable providers and assert that they will switch services if the providers include the new pornography channel on their rosters. He also urged Canadians to register their protests over the state of broadcasting affairs with the CRTC, Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0N2 or fax [phone].

Michael Coren, who hosts a popular talkshow on the Crossroads TV channel, contrasted the red-carpet government treatment given to pornographers with the discriminatory actions of another government agency, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, against this magazine.

"Catholic Insight magazine has overwhelmingly Canadian content and caters to thousands of seriously Catholic Canadian men and women," he said. "At the same time as a group of porn merchants receive government blessings to make a profit on lust and loneliness, an internationally respected journal is threatened because of its Christian teaching on love and sexuality. X-rated lunacy, with more Canadian content than anyone thought possible" (Toronto Sun, August 23, 2008).