The Globe and Mail reports in is Tuesday edition that against a backdrop of intense pressure on the finances of local television, the CRTC is holding a public hearing on the future of local news and asking for input on new ways to channel funding to the industry. The Globe's Christine Dobby writes that the broadcast regulator carved the issues of local and community television out of its broader "Let's Talk TV" review of the television system, which it concluded last year. CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais found local TV news to be an area that needs attention. Eight days of hearings began Monday in Gatineau, Que. As the "pick-and-pay" rules begin to roll out this year, the future of niche specialty television channels that rely heavily on subscriber fees is uncertain. Meanwhile, television advertising revenue has also fallen sharply in recent years, threatening the financial viability of conventional TV stations that deliver local news and community programming. On Monday, Rogers Media announced plans to lay off 200 employees across its television, radio and publishing divisions. Those job losses follow a wave of cuts across the Canadian broadcasting industry last year, including Shaw and Bell.