Too many Tories at TVO: lobbyists by Stewart Bell

by Stewart Bell

Ontario's public television station, TVO, is so stacked with provincial Conservatives that it risks losing its independence, the lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting has alleged in a letter to federal regulators.

But Isabel Bassett, the TVO chairwoman and chief executive officer, said yesterday the board members are well-qualified for their positions and that, while they may have been appointed by Queen's Park, their political affiliations are irrelevant.

"I am working with the body of people that are there. I find them excellent – strong backgrounds – and they're hard working and they're contributing, I think, to the running of this company, and that's what I look at," she said.

Friends of [Canadian] broadcasting members have traditionally been outspoken supporters of TVO, even answering phones during fundraising drives. This is not, however, the first time they have raised concerns about the future of the station. They have appeared at licensing hearings, conducted opinion polls and tried to persuade the Ontario government not to privatize the station, as Alberta did.

In a point-by-point reply to the lobby group's allegations to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which was to renew TVO's broadcast licence this week, Ms. Bassett refutes a series of claims made by the Friends in their letter.

According to the Friends, seven of the 12 TVO board members are "active leaders" of the Ontario Conservative party, while Ms. Bassett is a former minister in the government of Mike Harris, the Premier.

"Control of the TVOntario board by leading members of the governing political party creates reasonable doubt as to whether the 'independent corporation' is in fact 'independent' from the provincial government, as well as a clear appearance of political control," the letter said.

The lobby group has asked the CRTC to attach a condition to the broadcast licence "directing that the board of directors of TVOntario be constituted in a manner which ensures that TVOntario is not directly, or perceived to be directly controlled by the Ontario government."

But the group does not provide any evidence supporting its claim the board members are Tory leaders. In an interview, Ian Morrison, the group's spokesman, identified one as a "bagman" for Mr. Harris and another as a campaign organizer.

"We have our sources," he said.

Mr. Morrison said if the board is not independent, TVO's credibility is at risk and it may be in violation of federal broadcast policy. He said the board only began to become stacked with Tories in 1997 and that no other provincial broadcaster has so many political appointees as directors.

Ms. Bassett said the arms-length relationship between the broadcaster and the province is already enshrined in legislation and that recent appointments were made as they have been for the past 30 years.

"I think it's unfortunate that they would get caught up in this seemingly political fight. I don't know their political backgrounds, but the Friends are probably not staunch supporters of the current government," she said.

"So I think it's unfortunate that they would not recognize the wonderful things that we at TVOntario are doing, and why would we be diverting our attention into this political thing to give them some profile rather than saying look, this is what's on the air."

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