Lack of Canadian Porn May Imperil Channel Zero License

CANADA—Here's a quandary we don't see much in the States. Canada's television and radio regulator is upset that there is not more homemade porn on stations owned by Channel Zero, such as AOV Adult Movie Channel, AOV XXX Action Clips and AOV Maleflixxx. By homemade, they simply mean more porn made in country, or as saulstar.com put it, "more naughty Newfoundlanders, Manitoba MILFs and promiscuous prairie girls." The government is now adding pressure to make sure more of that good stuff gets made in, by and for Canadian consumption. Adding a tinge of mystery to the proceedings, the stations know full well what is required of them in terms of percentages, but according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), are simply "not complying with the requirement for 35 percent Canadian content. "What's more," notes the site, "the CRTC alleges Channel Zero is providing less than the required 90 percent closed captioning for its various 'oohs' and 'ahhs.'" Something clearly has to give. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the CRTC is bringing the public into it by letting them weigh in on whether to keep the station on the air, or whether the licenses for Channel Zero's erotic and non-erotic stations should not be renewed. The stakes are that high. Public feedback will be accepted by the regulator through April 4 and a hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 28. What is a little unclear is how Canadians are supposed to tell Canadian porn from the other kind in order to decide whether they will insist on requiring the ... uh, Canadian kind.