YNOT – A new Canadian pay-TV channel that will broadcast pornography 24-7 in Ottawa has sparked outrage among the local religious community. The channel, called Vanessa, is set to debut its first English-language programming Oct. 28.Montreal-based Sex-Shop Television licensed the airwaves in 2007, intending to launch a nationwide pay TV service. The channel got off the ground in Quebec this month, charging $14.95 monthly for programming in French. An English-language version is expected to blanket the country in late 2011.
What has upset the Christians — in addition to easy, reasonably inexpensive to porn? One group, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, objects to the appearance of governmental sponsorship of adult entertainment. According to Vanessa’s contract with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 20 percent of the channel’s content must have been produced by Canadians in Canada.
“We have an official government body saying that a pornography industry must exist in Canada,” Don Hutchinson, director of law and public policy for the fellowship, told Canwest News Service.
The Vanessa flap isn’t the first time the fellowship has objected to porn on TV. In 2008, the group opposed the licensing of regional porn channel Northern Peaks, which airs in Alberta and operates under similar contract terms. In addition to upholding a Canadian porn quota, the two broadcasters also must “follow industry codes on violence and provide ‘equitable portrayals’ of the sexes,” according to Canwest.
That doesn’t satisfy the fellowship.
“Studies have shown that there are various levels of corruption, from organized crime to engagement in human trafficking and prostitution, that are all affiliated directly with the pornography industry,” Hutchinson told Canwest. “The types of violent and explicitly sexual portrayals that are displayed in pornography reduce people to objects.”
Vanessa promises original programming in addition to standard fare. On the proposed lineup are dramas, reality shows, documentaries, variety shows and “news magazines,” all with an erotic edge.
Hutchinson said his group will work to discourage viewership both before and after the Ottawa launch.
“If [Vanessa] goes on air and it doesn’t have enough subscribers, then the channel will die of a natural death,” he said.
