Von Finckenstein clears the air on political interference

CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein appears to have done himself and the Prime Minister’s Office a favour by clearing the air on suggestions of political interference in the commission’s business. In a letter to the editor published in The Globe and Mail on Wednesday, von Finckenstein sought to set the record straight on reports about the Harper government offering him new appointments to encourage him to leave early. In the process the CRTC chair has also assured the Conservative government and the broadcasting industry that it will be business as usual as the commission considers a politically sensitive broadcasting application for an all-news service called Sun TV News. Von Finckenstein’s letter responded to a column by Lawrence Martin, who had written that the Conservative government and Prime Minister Stephen Harper find the CRTC chair too “independently minded” and are trying to encourage him to leave “well before” the end of his tenure by offering him plum appointments. In his letter, von Finckenstein wrote that he read Martin’s column “with consternation” and said the government has not interfered in any way with the commission’s affairs or offered him new appointments. “I would like to categorically state that no one at any level of government has approached me about the Sun TV application, the appointment of the CRTC's vice-chair of broadcasting, or my own mandate,” von Finckenstein wrote. The CRTC chair added that Quebecor Media’s application for a broadcasting licence to operate Sun TV News—which is being spearheaded by Quebecor Media official and former PMO director of communications Kory Teneycke—will undergo normal CRTC processes. “The application was published on Sept. 1 for comment, and a public hearing will be held in Gatineau, Que., starting on Nov. 19. The CRTC will then make a decision on the basis of the evidence on the public record,” von Finckenstein wrote. Von Fincksenstein’s appointment as chair of the CRTC does not end until Jan. 24, 2012. One regulatory insider told The Wire Report that the chair wanted to assure stakeholders that he’s “not under anyone’s thumb.” “I think it means that there hasn’t been any attempt to influence. It would be a very dangerous thing for him to do if there had been contact ,” the insider said. In a recent interview with The Wire Report, former CRTC vice-chair of broadcasting Michel Arpin suggested that political considerations may have been behind the Conservative government’s decision not to reappoint him. Arpin’s term ended Aug. 30. Howard Bernstein, a former television producer who has worked for the CBC, CTV and Global Television, said in an interview that it was clear from the beginning that Martin was criticizing the Harper government and not the CRTC chairman. Bernstein said the column did not say von Finckenstein will bow to political pressure. Rather, Bernstein suggested that in his response, the CRTC chair was trying to indirectly send a message to Harper and address the central point of Martin’s column—that Harper seeks to replace von Finckenstein. “I think von Finckenstein is playing a game here,” Bernstein said. “He’s not a naïve man, but he’s using naïve words to get around what Lawrence Martin really said.” Bernstein added: “The prime minister understands von Finckenstein is not going to hand a licence to Sun TV like they want him to.” Ian Morrison, spokesman for broadcasting watchdog the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, said in an interview that sources he trusts but cannot name have told him there was some truth to The Globe column. Morrison pointed to a recent article in La Presse this month as evidence of the government’s interest in CRTC business. Through an access to information request, La Presse reporter Malorie Beauchemin found that Prime Minister Stephen Harper received a briefing note in July about Quebecor’s Sun TV News broadcasting application. “It made my radar blip, because surely our prime minister doesn’t get briefing notes on every application that goes before the CRTC,” Morrison said. Sara MacIntyre, a spokeswoman for the PMO, told La Presse that the government does not comment on briefing notes prepared for the prime minister, who receives confidential memos covering a number of files. MacIntyre did not say whether it was normal for the prime minister to receive a briefing note on a CRTC licence application. Morrison said he has never had any reason to doubt von Finckenstein’s integrity but questioned why the chair waited until he did to react publicly. Lawrence Martin’s column appeared in the Globe on Aug. 19 and von Finckenstein replied with the letter on Sept. 8. John Doyle, television critic for the Globe, told the Wire in an interview that mounting speculation pushed von Finckenstein to comment publicly on unconfirmed claims. So far, the controversy has been based on anonymous information as opposed to official sources like the CRTC or the government, Doyle said. He acknowledged that if the government interfered in CRTC business, it would be up to the chair to clear the air. In a previous email response to questions about the matter, Matthew Deacon, press secretary to Heritage Minister James Moore, told the Wire that the government continues “to work at arms-length with the CRTC on broadcasting and telecom matters.” news@thewirereport.ca

Von Finckenstein clears the air on political interference

Broadcast | September 9, 2010

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