Avis de Recherche
| Avis de Recherche | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Avis de Recherche logo | |
| Launched | October 21, 2004 |
| Owned by | Avis de Recherche Inc. (Vincent Géracitano) |
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec |
| Website | Avis de Recherche (French) |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV | Channel 187 |
| Shaw Direct | Channel 731 |
| Cable | |
| Cablovision Warwick | Channel 46 |
| CCAP | Channel 46 |
| CTSV | Channel 77 |
| Télé-Int-Tel | Channel 77 |
| VDN | Channel 9 |
| Vidéotron | Channel 49 |
| IPTV | |
| Telus TV | Channel 59 |
Avis de Recherche (AdR) is a Canadian French language Category B specialty channel devoted to crime prevention. Despite AdR's Category B licence, it is a must-carry channel in the province of Quebec on digital basic cable.
Contents |
[edit] Programming and format
AdR is a specialty service dedicated to help law enforcement authorities; where viewers are invited to communicate any clues, tips and leads which might help police find missing persons or resolve criminal acts.
Programming on AdR comes in the form of capsules or segments that vary from 30–60 seconds in length and feature bulletins from the police regarding various crimes, missing and/or wanted persons. This format repeats over a 24 hour period.
[edit] History
[edit] Before the launch
The idea of AdR was formed in 1999, when founder Vincent Géracitano's Montreal office was broken into. The thieves were caught on surveillance video and the tape was taken to the police. However, police did not have any way to broadcast the tape, and the case wasn't sensational enough to be carried in the mainstream news. This incident sparked the idea for Avis de Recherche.[1]
In September 2002, Géracitano was granted approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), to operate a category 2 digital cable television channel called Avis de Recherche.[2]
[edit] After the launch
Two years after being granted approval, on October 21, 2004, AdR launched exclusively on Vidéotron in Quebec. Unlike most other specialty channels who collect a subscription fee from cable companies for distribution, AdR was paying Vidéotron, among others, roughly $0.02 per subscriber to be distributed on its basic cable system for free. With this fee and a minimal source of other revenue, AdR was running at a loss for several years.[3]
In March 2007, AdR, along with several other current and new television licensees, applied to either keep or gain mandatory digital basic cable status on all digital cable providers. In July 2007, AdR was approved as a must-carry service on digital cable in Quebec on the grounds that it is of "exceptional importance", with a subscription fee of $0.06 per subscriber and a mandate to spend 20% of its subscriber revenues on Canadian programming.[4]
Later that year, Quebecor Media, owner of Vidéotron, appealed the decision to the Privy Council mainly on the grounds that with the 6 cent increase, it would make the basic cable package unaffordable, thus violating the Broadcasting Act. This led the CRTC to reconsider its decision. However, in January 2008, the CRTC upheld its original decision with minor adjustments, including an increase from 20% to 43% expenditure of its subscription revenues on Canadian programming. Effective January 24, 2008, the CRTC's decision meant all digital television providers in Quebec must carry AdR as part of their digital basic package.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ APB out for TV viewers; Channel seeks CRTC nod; CNews
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2002-267; CRTC; 2002-09-04
- ^ Crime-fighters in the middle of CRTC squabble; Playback Magazine; 2007-08-15
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2007-246; CRTC; 2007-07-24
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-12; CRTC; 2008-01-21
[edit] External links
- Avis de Recherche (French)
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