Canadian producers, writers and directors are raising a number of concerns about CHUM Ltd’s proposed $20 million benefits package offered up in conjunction with its acquisition of Craig Media. Among the most vocally opposed to the benefits package are the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), which tell the CRTC that the private broadcaster should offer up a minimum further $11.8 million in new tangible benefits, and that more of a focus should be placed on 10-point original Canadian drama or long-form documentaries. The WGC and DGC note that the proposed transaction will vault CHUM to the status of the third largest national broadcaster (with stations in most major markets but Montreal), and thus to be commensurate with the size and nature of the transaction, the benefits should be higher than the minimum level of 10%. The two groups propose that the tangible benefits package be at least 12% of the value of the transaction.

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