Big Or Small, Ezra Smears 'Em All

Intervention, observation ou réponse de l'intimé / Intervention, comment or answer by respondent

Date reçu / Date Arrived: 2013-02-06

Numéro de processus public / Public Process Number: 2013-19
Numéro d'intervention / Intervention Number: 2552
Demande(s) / Application(s): 2012-0687-1
Cas / Case: 179106

Demande à comparaître à l'audience publique / Request to appear at the public hearing: Non/No
Intimé / Respondent: Non/No

Commentaire / Comment

Sun News Network repeatedly aired false and libelous information about me and my husband, even after being told that the information was false.

On Ezra Levant's show "The faces of Idle No More" on
January 24, 2013 (see: http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/2114639455001) Ezra Levant erroneously stated that me and my husband were at a Sun media protest, then accusing us of being professional protesters. In this newscast, Ezra clearly intends to demean me and my husband and ridicule us on air. 

Neither me nor my husband was even in the country when that protest took place, nor have we been anywhere near Toronto since Jan. 1 of this year. After writing Sun to tell them that the information that they aired was false, demanding an apology, Sun actually aired the program again!

There has to be some accountability. This is the just tip of the iceberg in terms of their racist, misleading, and at times outright false programming. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sakura Saunders

Raisons pour comparaitre / Reasons for appearance

I do not need to appear at the hearing, but I can present evidence that I was out of the country (from Jan 1 until Feb 28) and I can also attest to other programming that I have seen that is blatantly racist.

Sakura Saunders is this lady, and the original of the above can be found here. If you compare pictures of her to the video below, its pretty clear Ezra is talking about the wrong gal.

I am told she is considering legal action.  Get in line, young lady.

The State Of Levant

Glen McGregor of the Ottawa Citizen has some new viewer numbers for the Sun News Network.  They are very sad:

Who is the Monkey King, you ask?

In any case it looks like Brian Lilley is out-pointing Ezra these days. ratings wise.  Gotta be the hair.

The Sun News Network: Hard News, Straight Talk, Random Gunfire...

Desperately seeking content for its weekend broadcasts, Fox News North turns to SHAW TV rejects the Beasley brothers, who will travel the nation and kill stuff for no apparent reason.  Which raises the question: if you slaughter a deer on Sun TV and nobody watches, is it really Venison?

The State Of Sun Media

Former Toronto Sun editorial page editor Rob Granatstein laments:

When the latest victims of downsizing are gone, Toronto will be down to three general assignment news reporters, according to people in that newsroom, unless staff is reassigned. That’s flat out ridiculous. The Sun will rely even more on its columnists to generate the news going forward. The editors have no idea how they will fill their weekend papers.

[...]

The heart of local newspapers used to be the “local” part. The Sun seems to be ceding any advantage it used to have to its competitors.

[...]

A realist also looks at it through a business prism. The papers are still profitable, but like all of us from the newspaper world, the loss of advertising, classifieds, plus giving the content away for free on the Internet, it’s hurt us all. The Sun continues to hold on to The daily freebie, 24 Hours, and dump money into TV with the Sun News Network – ventures that baffle the staff as people and spending gets cut everywhere else.

Apparently I'm not the only that wonders what's up with the Sun News Network.  I can't see it ever making money.  Does anyone still advertise there anymore?  So why keep the thing afloat?

Fox News North Financial Update: Still Losing

...but less.  May Ezra Levant soon face the axe.

Sun News Network's Problem Is Not Being "High On The Dial"

Sun News Network received a $3-million investment from its co-owners in the last quarter, as losses accelerated at the upstart network amid struggles to attract the subscriber base needed to woo large advertisers.

[...]

Sun News launched just over a year ago, and worked to secure distribution deals with broadcasters across the country. But in many jurisdictions the channel is located high on the dial, making it difficult for casual viewers to locate the subscription specialty channel.

Sun News Network's problem is being shitty.  Anyone who really wanted to locate it has done so by now.  The problem is, nobody does.   Well, 19 people: Ed Kennedy, the Fourniers, a couple of Neo-Nazis, and Ezra's dad. 

In fact being high on the dial means that people who might hear about it via other media sources and think it might possibly be interesting or controversial never need to get disabused of their illusions. 

In fact, the only reason that anybody outside of the hard-core angry-old-white-guy target demo is watching it these days is because Ezra and co.  tend to go meta and trash their fellows within the sad, small, self-loathing tribe that Canadian journalism.  And then these poor doomed saps figure they can wank an easy column out of playing victim to the jerks at Fox News North.  But in so far as they ref Sun News, they give the network oxygen.  If CBC and CTV and talk radio ceased to exist and it came down to Sun TV vs. the Rotisserie Chicken channel, the rotating chicken would win and next time you saw Ezra he'd be wearing a dorky hat and stuffing your McNuggets into a plastic clam-shell.

John Miller On Sun TV's Freedom Weekend

 The discussion topics for Freedom Weekend-by-the-lake have yet to be decided, but Ezra says "we'll talk about how to strengthen our freedoms here at home, and project freedom abroad to the world." Wow, that sounds like a cattle call for any white, barrel sucking immigrant hater who's too stupid to find out the regular room rate at the Muskoka Marriott is only $199.

Note: Sun TV is charging $1,050 per person, although I suspect that price will come down.

Which One Of These People Is Unreal?

Put it another way, perhaps: which one has been photoshopped in over the figure of a hapless (and now professionally defunct) Theo Caldwell?

Sun TV Interviews Criminals

 ...in particular convicted hate-monger Gary Harding.  And it turns out to be really boring.  Next Kory Teneycke will be scouring  the prisons for guests to appear on his increasingly unwatched network.  At least they'll work for free.

Richard Warman takes note.

CRTC Has Fox News North License Pulled For Cheating

 The CRTC has officially approved TVA Group’s request to revoke the broadcasting licence for CKXT-TV and its related transmitters. The issue first surfaced in May, when some cable providers complained the channel’s parent company, Quebecor, was using the station to air Sun News programming over the “free” airwaves -- in addition to its specialty cable service, which requires a fee. In the words of its competitors, Sun News was trying to have it both ways.

Essentially, this means no more free access to Sun News. From now on, Sun News can only be viewed on cable and satellite services that have made a deal with Quebecor to carry the station.

Revenues: down 86%.

Average viewership: not enough to fill a hockey rink.

No wonder Ezra is so obsessed with the tent city in St. James Park; he knows he may need cheap accommodations in the very near future.

Sun News Network May Face Investigation For Trans Bashing Ad

 Queer Ontario’s Casey Oraa says the group plans to respond to the ad and may request an investigation by Advertising Standards Canada. He says the fact that queers did not notice the ad during its first two weeks of airing “shows you how many people watch Sun TV.”

“They have no qualms with printing it as long as no one’s watching it who shouldn’t be,” Oraa says. “So obviously they don’t really care. They only care when they think they should care because people are giving them flak.”

Meanwhile, J-Source compares Ezra's account of meeting Occupy Toronto protesters with unedited footage shot by the protesters themselves.  I haven't watched the clip and, frankly, I'm not sure its worth writing about the station anymore.  Its starting to feel like beating up some guy in a wheelchair.  What's the point?

Sun TV: It Doesn't Get Better

They've been running that gay/trans-bashing commercial again from McVety and Co.  Classy Bunch.  Although I suppose it would be more of an issue if anyone was watching the stuff.