Canadian Porn Channel Scandal

3/28/01

I did a long interview for this investigative report "The Fifth Estate" which airs tonight in Canada on the CBC at 8PM.

Marc writes: you looked quite slick on "the fifth estate" show--they lit casa ford quite nicely. the report was filled with all the anticipated graphic depictions of bondage and rape scenes, including a girl from slovenia who'd been drafted into such films. lotsa focus on rob black, but you got about two or three minutes of screen time, too. i'll letcha know what emerges on the follow-up news report running at 10 p.m. ...

Peter Mansbridge, CBC news anchor, writes his fans: We're still checking but I certainly can't remember it happening any time in the past--two television channels being pulled off the air in the midst of a controversy... hours after the CRTC demanded an explanation for the programming the channel was airing. Well, it happened today and there are still many unanswered questions. The channel delivers hardcore pornography via satellite to its Canadian audience and it is owned and operated by one of the country's largest companies -- BCE. But BCE would only put out a statement, it wouldn't talk, at least not to the CBC.

Perhaps that's because this issue didn't become public because BCE suddenly decided to pull the channels off the air, and it didn't become public because the CRTC was monitoring the channels.... no it all seems to have happened as a result of a CBC "fifth estate" investigation.

The "fifth" airs its piece tonight -- but last night on the National Hana Gartner gave us the headlines and things seemed to start happening very quickly after that.

Tonight Eric Sorensen picks up the story and looks for the answers to the questions that still linger...how could the channel get on the air with programming that is far beyond what the channel was licenced for; how could the censors not have screened the programming before it aired; and why did it take BCE so long to act or was it even aware of what its own channel was airing?

TORONTO, (Reuters) - Two hard-core porn TV channels were taken off the air Wednesday by a Canadian satellite broadcaster because their programming could violate Canadian regulations.

"We feel it's important to respond promptly, and to investigate any concerns that have been raised with respect to the quality standards of our programming," said David McLennan, president and chief operating officer of Bell ExpressVu.

Bell ExpressVu is a subsidiary of Canadian telecoms giant BCE Inc. , a staid blue chip company whose stock has often been described as a favorite of mothers and orphans.

The company said the two channels, True Blue and Extasy, will be stopped indefinitely while Bell ExpressVu reviews the concerns raised.

A Tuesday news report on CBC-TV, Canada's national public broadcaster, said the channles showed hard-core porn movies that had not been cleared by Canada's provincial censor boards. No movie is allowed to be broadcast in the country without being seen and rated by a provincial film review board.

After viewing some of the programming on True Blue and Extasy that was supplied by the CBC, Bob Warren, chairman of the Ontario Film Review Board, said he would never have approved them. Warren described the censor board's guidelines as follows: "We don't allow coercion. We don't allow degradation, humiliation, dehumanization."

Bell ExpressVu said all the movies running on its channels have been cleared by censors in Quebec and Ontario. It said it maintains an adult programming distribution policy that it believes "ensures compliance with the legal and regulatory standards governing the broadcast of adult programming by pay-per-view licensees in Canada."

Bell ExpressVu added: "Specifically, the policy restricts the broadcast of material depicting sexual degradation, violence, humiliation or dehumanization."

The CBC said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the country's broadcast watchdog, had launched an investigation into Bell ExpressVu's adult services.

Marc writes: someone i know who follows LF.com said they think they saw you on a promo for tonight's episode of "the fifth estate" on the CBC up here. i'll see what i can find out. anyway, the TV report has led to this ...

TORONTO, March 28 /CNW/ - Effective March 27, 2001, Bell ExpressVu LP has stopped broadcast of two adult film channels, True Blue and Extasy. The organization took this step as soon as it became aware of concerns about programming content which have recently been raised through the media. "We feel it's important to respond promptly and to investigate any concerns that have been raised with respect to the quality standards of our programming," says David McLennan, President and COO, Bell ExpressVu.

Bell ExpressVu has developed and maintains an Adult Programming Distribution Policy and associated practices that we believe ensures compliance with the legal and regulatory standards governing the broadcast of adult programming by pay-per-view licensees in Canada. Specifically, the Policy restricts the broadcast of material depicting sexual degradation, violence, humiliation or dehumanization. Both channels were comprised of programming provided by a supplier who is contractually obligated to Bell ExpressVu to comply with all applicable Canadian laws and programming standards which meet the requirements of our Distribution Policy. These two channels will be stopped indefinitely while Bell ExpressVu reviews the concerns raised to ensure compliance with our Distribution Policy and practices.

From the Toronto Star (TheStar.com): Pay-per-blue: You'd be amazed at what you can see on digital and satellite TV. Even the CRTC was surprised to learn that explicit, degrading and sometimes violent pornography is readily available - from Bell, for example, who, for an immodest monthly fee, will pump the stuff into your home straight and uncensored from a Colorado-based hardcore distributor. Believe the content warnings for tonight's fifth estate (8 p.m. on CBC) - this stuff is not for the squeamish. This despite Bell's erroneous on-air assertion that the material had been vetted by provincial censors. An official investigation is underway.

Luke Gets Extasy, True Blue Porn Channels Kicked Out Of Canada

Toronto Dave writes: Luke, just to let you know your comments on the canadian program CBC's Fifth estate has resulted in Extasy and TrueBlue television being kicked out of Canada. It has also resulted in Playboy TV etc. being investigated. It looks like you have set porn back 30 years in Canada with your comments. (Whose side are you on anyway?) By the way I seen Ashlyn Gere in Toronto last week she is still very hot!

Beater writes: Toronto Dave if you believe that Lukes comments got Extasy and TrueBlue kicked of Canada you need to have your head checked? last time I checked Luke had no power with the Canadian government and if you watched the Fifth Estate and know what current laws in this country dealing with porn you would know Luke had zero to with it. You also say, "It looks like you have set porn back 30 years in Canada with your comments." sorry but our laws are way behind the Americans and always have been it looks, like you are looking scapegoat and you have decided it is Luke.

MDL writes Luke: I don't really care that you got these channels canceled. However, you flat out lied to do it. Did no one from the program ask for the names and the details of these girls with the broken jaws and internal injuries?

I've been around here for a couple of years and other than a a little bleeding from some foreign girls ass you've never mentioned anything like this.

And did no one check your credentials? Did none of them read the site and realize you are a mentally ill pseudo-Jew clinging to the edge of the scene by your fingernails. Are you allowed to lie in the pursuit of God's will?

Oh well, life is funny. Until I watched you tell a pack of porkpies I actually respected the Fifth Estate, believed they did stellar work.

It wasn't a total loss though. You looked very pretty.

Luke says: I've talked about these problems before. See my profiles on Rocco Siffredi, Jon Dough, Max Hardcore and Rough Sex for more details. I stand by the truth of what I said. Porn sex is frequently a full contact sport and people get hurt. Yes, even broken jaws and internal injuries. More important, many people's souls get severely bruised, resulting in self destructive behavior that includes suicide. Porn has left a long line of body bags. And let's not forget about AIDS. Over 150 performers in homosexual porn have died from AIDS.

ThoughKrime writes on RAME: This tv show in Canada found a few B&D scenes in the videos that Bell Express Vue sattelite service have been showing. They built a porn expose around these scenes as they go against provincial film guidelines, eg no coercion etc. Bell has now pulled the 2 porn channels in question.

Luke F-rd was interviewed, calls all those involved in porn scum of the earth. tells the interviewer that acctresses routinely go to the hospital with broken jaws, internal bleeding, bleeding from every orrifice, etc.He comes across as an idiot spouting hyperbole; who in porn would actually talk to this guy??

Rob Black was also given a fair amount of airtime and a few nc scenes were shown from his films. Not sure why he was included, his films weren't the ones in question. The whole show was just an excuse to show some "shocking" stuff on TV with no real focus.

Robert Lombard must respond to 'Toronto Dave'..The story regarding Canada and Erotic Network broke a day later in HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. KUDOS to Luke for being on top of IMPORTANT SOLID Adult News that could effect ALL legitimate Adult content providers.