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The Canadian revolution!

Comedians force U-turn over radio plans that would have cost them dear

Canadian comedians have forced Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival into a major U-turn over plans that would have robbed them of income.

Last week, the festival announced a new tie-up with satellite radio operator Sirius XM Canada, which would have seen the Canada Laughs channel become Just For Laughs Radio.

However the move would also come with a format change that woking comics said was a  threat to their livelihoods.

Since it launched in 2005, the Canada Laughs channel showcased only Canadian comedians, giving them a platform as well as  royalties that could run into thousands of dollars a year.

But the new channel promised a mix of ‘stand-up recorded at various Just For Laughs festivals and events’ – which the company owns the rights to – along with content from independent comedy albums. And although JFL hosts its biggest event in its Montreal hometown, the programming is dominated by American and international acts.

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