Why Not Fox News?

Quebecor-owned Videotron, Quebec’s largest cable company, lost 4,000 cable TV subscribers in the second quarter, according to Quebecor Media CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau (August 11, National Post). I say that Videotron can spawn new audiences by broadcasting the Fox News Channel, which is far more popular than any of its competitors in the U.S. Why does Videotron remain steadfast in its resolve to censor this top-rated news channel that attracts more and more viewers?

---

Fox News became the most-watched cable TV news channel since 2002, hitting its 100th consecutive month as the number one news network in April 2010, according to Nielsen Media Research. The top 10 TV news shows for 2009 were accredited to Fox News, with The O’Reilly Factor being the best-rated show, followed by Hannity and Beck. The O’Reilly Factor also hit a major milestone in March 2009 when it reached its 100th consecutive month as the number one cable TV news show, according to Nielsen Media Research. Furthermore, The O'Reilly Factor averaged more viewers than its competitors CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and HLN combined, for mid-August, according to tvbythenumbers.com, a website that provides data and analysis based on Nielsen data. Two months ago, Fox News quadrupled the viewership of CNN whose primetime shows are tanking and ratings plummeting. Despite accumulating evidence that Fox News is leading the ratings in cable TV news channels in the U.S., Videotron continues to deny its customers access to this overwhelmingly popular news channel. All other major Canadian television providers like Bell TV and Rogers offer the Fox News channel, which was approved for Canada six years ago by CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission). Remarkably, when Videotron subscribers cried for Al Jazeera English, they got Al Jazeera English earlier this year, only one year after it was CRTC-approved. Is Videotron pushing a political agenda in withholding Fox News? How can Videotron brazenly tout its so-called expanding role as a content provider when it insists on churning out only mainstream media news channels with left-leaning biases? Presenting a different perspective on news events to rival mainstream news would demonstrate fairness and balance. Repudiating one of the highest-rated news channels in the U.S. cannot be justified. If integrity and credibility mean anything to Videotron, it would add Fox News now. Cynthia Yacowar-Sweeney is a Montreal-based freelance writer. She monitors and comments on Mideast media reports and the rising threat of radical Islam in the West.

---