CRTC rolls over to broadcaster's latest attempt to tread water

Yahoo!: CRTC phasing out restrictions on how much ad time TV stations can run
GATINEAU, Que. (CP) - Canada's broadcast regulator says it's easing out restrictions on advertising time limits for conventional television stations but they won't be entitled to get fees from cable and satellite subscribers.
Currently, conventional TV stations are restricted to 12 minutes of advertising per hour in prime time, between 7 and 11 p.m. But the maximum limit will increase to 14 minutes on Sept. 1, 2007, to 15 minutes on Sept. 1, 2008, and will be unlimited after Sept. 1, 2009.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Thursday that the relaxed restrictions is intended to "provide broadcasters with additional revenues to respond to the changes this industry is experiencing."

Translation: "Fewer people are watching television, so we need to make them watch more commercials. It'll all balance out in the end."

To a network executive, this makes more sense, and is a lot easier to implement, than creating great, original new programing, maybe even a new entertainment paradigm that would give more people a reason to watch television again.

To those of us with an ounce of sense, it's rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

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