wahyinghung
06-09-2010, 04:10 PM
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00626/Kory_Teneycke_po_626865gm-a.jpgSteven Chase And Susan Krashinsky
Ottawa and Toronto — Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Jun. 09, 2010 5:17PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Jun. 09, 2010 5:23PM EDT
The former chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is spearheading a bid by Quebecor Inc. to set up a Fox News-style TV station in Canada with an unabashedly right-of-centre perspective.
Quebecor has filed an application with the CRTC, Canada's broadcast regulator, to operate an English-language news channel. The application has not yet been made public but a source says an announcement on the venture is “imminent.”
Kory Teneycke served as director of communications to Mr. Harper in 2008 and 2009 and this week was appointed vice-president of business development at Quebecor Media Inc.
He's been working since last summer on contract for Quebecor, investigating the feasibility of creating a more unconventional news outlet that speaks to conservative-minded Canadians.
The venture appears to be driven by the potential for profit rather than a desire to advance big-C Conservative fortunes in Canada.
It’s an attempt to mine what Mr. Teneycke believes is a largely untapped market for more right-of-centre TV offerings in Canada, acquaintances and people familiar with the plans say. Sources say Mr. Tenecyke pitched the proposal to Quebecor last year and has been trying to prove the business case for the station ever since.
Mirroring the format of both Fox TV and MSNBC in the U.S., the envisioned Canadian station would offer straightforward reporting but also conservative-minded opinion shows – a mix of programming that would be clearly separated rather than blended.
Ezra Levant, a conservative author and activist, is being seriously considered as a host for one of the new station's anchor opinion shows, sources say. Mr. Levant and Mr. Tenecyke have worked together as far back as the 1996 Winds of Change conference, a precursor to the unite-the-right movement that merged the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.
Mr. Levant rejected the idea he’s in line for a job. “I have no contract with any network whatsoever. I have no offer from any network whatsoever,” he said.
“I will always be involved in whatever [Mr. Teneycke] is doing but right now I am happy to be a freelancer doing stuff on demand, whether it’s CBC or CTV or [others].”
Mr. Teneycke refused to comment on his employer’s plans. “When Quebecor has something to announce we’ll announce it and right now I am afraid we don’t.”
Ottawa and Toronto — Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Jun. 09, 2010 5:17PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Jun. 09, 2010 5:23PM EDT
The former chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is spearheading a bid by Quebecor Inc. to set up a Fox News-style TV station in Canada with an unabashedly right-of-centre perspective.
Quebecor has filed an application with the CRTC, Canada's broadcast regulator, to operate an English-language news channel. The application has not yet been made public but a source says an announcement on the venture is “imminent.”
Kory Teneycke served as director of communications to Mr. Harper in 2008 and 2009 and this week was appointed vice-president of business development at Quebecor Media Inc.
He's been working since last summer on contract for Quebecor, investigating the feasibility of creating a more unconventional news outlet that speaks to conservative-minded Canadians.
The venture appears to be driven by the potential for profit rather than a desire to advance big-C Conservative fortunes in Canada.
It’s an attempt to mine what Mr. Teneycke believes is a largely untapped market for more right-of-centre TV offerings in Canada, acquaintances and people familiar with the plans say. Sources say Mr. Tenecyke pitched the proposal to Quebecor last year and has been trying to prove the business case for the station ever since.
Mirroring the format of both Fox TV and MSNBC in the U.S., the envisioned Canadian station would offer straightforward reporting but also conservative-minded opinion shows – a mix of programming that would be clearly separated rather than blended.
Ezra Levant, a conservative author and activist, is being seriously considered as a host for one of the new station's anchor opinion shows, sources say. Mr. Levant and Mr. Tenecyke have worked together as far back as the 1996 Winds of Change conference, a precursor to the unite-the-right movement that merged the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.
Mr. Levant rejected the idea he’s in line for a job. “I have no contract with any network whatsoever. I have no offer from any network whatsoever,” he said.
“I will always be involved in whatever [Mr. Teneycke] is doing but right now I am happy to be a freelancer doing stuff on demand, whether it’s CBC or CTV or [others].”
Mr. Teneycke refused to comment on his employer’s plans. “When Quebecor has something to announce we’ll announce it and right now I am afraid we don’t.”