General

Sun TV News application approved

News and opinion channel gets specialty license

Sun TV News has been green-lit by the CRTC after a long war with the regulator and critics who are opposed to the 24-7 news-and-opinion channel nicknamed “Fox News North.” The CRTC had previously refused to grant the Quebecor property a category one license that would force cable and satellite providers to carry the channel, like CTV News Channel and CBC News Network. Instead, it received a category two license, which is granted to most specialty channels. The channel is expected to be modeled after the right-leaning and opinion-heavy Fox News. In the past year, Fox News has regularly attracted more than three times the viewership of its main competitor, CNN. In September, Kory Teneycke, the former spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and chief spokesperson for Sun TV News resigned after prominent Canadians, including Margaret Atwood, signed their name to a petition trying to block the channel’s license.

National Post

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