[kirjtc2]

Ouch. The Times and Transcript's ripping CTV a new one. Here's their editorial:


CTV tries to sabotage AC/DC
Published Thursday March 26th, 2009
D6

Steve Murphy and the CTV network have been reporting Wednesday evening and Thursday that Moncton has definitely signed a deal with Australian rock band AC/DC to play Magnetic Hill this August, stating that this has been "confirmed" by unnamed sources in the music industry: too bad that it is not true. And CTV ought to know it.

It is no secret Moncton has been eyeing the band and talking with its management about the possibility. AC/DC is, after all, in the midst of one of the most successful world tours in the entertainment business this year.

But it is also no secret that no deal has been reached yet.

A simple single phone call to the city's point man in these matters, Ian Fowler, would have produced this fact for Mr. Murphy and the network. It did for us!

Not only has no deal been reached and no contract signed, but city council has not been presented with any deal (for AC/DC or any other act) to ratify it and give staff the go-ahead to sign. Until that happens, everything is unconfirmed speculation. And, of course, despite the CTV report, there is no concert announcement scheduled this week.

We wonder what CTV and Mr. Murphy are up to. Is this a Halifax media attempt to scuttle what could be another great concert in Moncton? It is no secret that negotiations with such top level bands are done in confidence and the promoters and band management insist on keeping everything under wraps until they are ready to make an announcement their way. Nor is it unheard of for premature release of details to cause negotiations to break down. That's the way it is in the industry.

This is not the first time CTV has jumped the gun and reported falsely about concerts in Moncton. Last year it reported the Eagles had been signed, also prematurely and before it was fact. "Signed" and "negotiating with" are not the same.

Is CTV so desperate for a scoop, any scoop, that it'll risk its own credibility to report something that may happen as fact? Or is it in bed with Halifax promoters and politicians who have long bemoaned the fact Moncton has consistently staged bigger and better shows each year than they have? Are they actually trying to scuttle Moncton's best efforts?

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I don't think there's any doubt that CTV's "regional" newscast is ridiculously Halifax-centric, but I think the T&T is just jealous they didn't get the scoop. Par for the course with that paper.