In August 2024, MaTV Montréal, the community TV channel distributed to Videotron subscribers, will cease operations. Interview with Chantal Bédard, General Manager of CSUR la télé, whose content will be broadcast on TVSO, MaTV's direct partner.

Reached by telephone on Friday, September 1, Chantal Bédard was keen to reassure local residents who tune in to programs produced by CSUR la télé.

"I spoke with a senior executive at Videotron, who assured me that the regulations in place for the mandatory broadcasting of our content would be respected. He reassured me of this. Over the past few days, I've been receiving a lot of calls from people who are worried about seeing their favorite programs like Mass disappear. Added to this concern is Facebook's attitude of blocking journalistic content from its platform. As a result, people can no longer share our reports and content, which is also posted on our website. It's a double challenge in itself, the cherry on the sundae as the saying goes," she analyzes.

CSUR la télé also records and broadcasts several city council meetings. "Every week, we produce four hours of original content. It's essential that citizens have access to local information. It's always a shame to see any media outlet close its doors and cease operations. We're all competitors, but we bring important diversity to the information offered to citizens. Each of us plays an essential role in the community," she explains.

She takes her thoughts a step further. "It's sad if citizens can no longer access local information because of the precariousness of the field or the closure of a media outlet. For some people, it's the only source of local information they consume on a daily basis. I want to reassure everyone: CSUR la télé is here to stay, with or without Facebook."

A unique concept in Quebec

The non-profit community television cooperative was founded in 2010 with the mission of creating, producing and directing television programs for, by and with the citizens of Vaudreuil-Soulanges. To date, CSUR LA TÉLÉ is the first and only non-profit community TV coop in Quebec.

To better understand, for the cable portion, its territory is divided into 2 sectors: the major urban centers (Vaudreuil-Dorion / Ile-Perrot, etc.) are served by Videotron on channel 609HD MATV, via the head-end located in Châteauguay, and the rural areas are served by COGECO via the head-end located in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on channel 555HD NOUStv.