The Weather Network had its broadcasting licence renewed until 2018 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Friday, but the national regulator might as well have put the word ‘forever’ in place of an actual date.
By virtue of its new position as operator of a National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System (NAAD), which the channel’s parent company, Pelmorex Communications Inc., offered to create in 2009 in exchange for a guaranteed spot on all basic cable TV packages, The Weather Network is now a permanent fixture of Canada’s media landscape.
“The company has essentially assured its future in the eyes of the CRTC by having this clause added to its licence,” said Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst. “Because now it is virtually impossible for the CRTC to ever realistically consider revoking The Whether Network’s licence for fear of jeopardizing Canada’s emergency broadcast capability.”
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