What, no more Bill Saiff?
Ottawa at Six reporter Cory O'Kelly is working on a great story. We'll let him pick up the tale...
We got a call from a viewer letting us know that cable giant Rogers is informing customers in Ottawa this week that come August 18th it will drop the PBS affiliate in upstate New York -- known to many in this area as WNPE/WNPI -- and replace it with a PBS station from Detroit.
Why does this matter? Well WPBS in Watertown holds a unique place in the hearts of Ottawa Valley TV viewers. For more than 35 years, Ottawa area viewers have been supporting the station with donations of thousands of dollars annually. A lot of the programming available on the station -- British imports like the soap EastEnders, or comedies like "As Time Goes By" -- are geared towards, and supported by, the Ottawa area audience.
Here's how important Ottawa is to the northern New York PBS station. I spoke to program director Lynn Brown this morning. We were supposed to do a phone interview. Instead, she was at a border crossing on her way to Ottawa to do in-person interviews with CBC Ottawa. She says the WPBS station in northern New York cannot afford to lose its Ottawa viewers.
As for a response from Rogers, it's struggling to find someone to speak to us on-camera. It told WPBS that the decision to take the Detroit PBS station is a result of "streamlining". As well, Rogers didn't bother to inform WPBS in Watertown of its decision. The station got Rogers on the blower only after it was informed of the decision by an Ottawa area viewer.
CBC Ottawa will have more on this story throughout the day. Stay tuned.
Listen live to CBC Radio
Watch Ottawa at Six 
Podcasts
Comments
As a huge supporter of WPBS, I am outraged by this decision by Rogers to replace it with the Detroit affiliate. And for them to make this decision without the courtesy of informing WPBS shows a lack of professionalism and even more importantly, a lack of knowledge of the significant relationship which exists between WPBS and their Ottawa viewing audience. Many of us here in the Ottawa viewing area have come to know the people of WPBS personally, having met them at concerts, on bus trips, etc. We know what to expect from their selection of programming because they make their decisions based on what their viewers want to see, which is more than we can say for Rogers.
Posted by: Heather Clifford | July 17, 2009 01:49 PM
Rogers informed me that if you do not subscribe to a digital package you will not be able to receive the 95 96 and 97 stations so you will not be able to see any British shows on WPBS or Vision. Only if you live in the Toronto area can you receive these channels. How fair is that?
Posted by: Linda Thompson | July 22, 2009 05:48 PM