Another Canadian local TV station has gone dark, as the CRTC approved the closure of CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat, marking the sixth such shutdown since 2019 amid what broadcasters are calling a crisis in local media.Blacklock's Reporter said Pattison Media Ltd., the station’s owner, surrendered its broadcast licence on June 3, citing economic pressures, shrinking ad revenue, and years of financial losses. CHAT-TV had served the Medicine Hat region since 1957.“The contraction of support for local television, intense economic pressures and continued financial losses have placed an unsustainable strain on CHAT-TV’s ability to continue,” Pattison told the CRTC. Regulators approved the revocation on Friday. Details on the station’s finances were filed confidentially..The Medicine Hat shutdown follows the closure of other longtime stations in Red Deer, Lloydminster, Rivière-du-Loup, and Kenora. Broadcasters have repeatedly warned Parliament that local private TV has been unprofitable for over a decade.Bell Canada Enterprises, operator of CTV, told a Senate committee in 2022 that local TV and radio ad revenues had dropped by $700 million over the previous decade. Global TV’s parent company also testified that small-market newsrooms were “on the brink.”The CRTC in a 2022 report predicted that conventional broadcasting had three years to survive unless structural reforms were introduced. Online advertising has outpaced TV ad sales for 12 consecutive years, with platforms offering cheaper and more targeted options for advertisers.Experts and industry leaders are calling for new policies to support Canadian broadcasters while accommodating the growing presence of foreign digital services.
