Letter to the Globe and Mail re: Alliance Atlantis sale

Re: Fears as Alliance on the block – Globe and Mail, December 21, 2006

Unlike Robert Lantos, Canadian screenwriters think the dream of a Canadian studio really ended in 2003, when Alliance Atlantis announced it was out of the production business.  That, combined with the regulatory policy of 1999, resulted in a severe decline in the production of original shows, mainly drama.  Now, with the possible sale of Alliance Atlantis to one of the conventional broadcasters such as CanWest Global, the artistic community is bracing itself for another hit.

The conventional broadcaster who buys up Alliance’s 13 specialty channels can air the few original programs they make on several different channels many times in order to reduce their programming costs.  Without regulations to limit the number of times a program can be used to fulfill priority programming requirements, Canadians will be treated to even more repeats of Canadian TV – and even more chances to see The Littlest Hobo. What a disservice to those of us who want to see programs about our interesting country on our own airwaves.

Sincerely,
Maureen Parker, Executive Director
Writers Guild of Canada