Re-Examining Garth’s Ethics

In a recent story, Julie van Dusen referred to Garth Turner as “a millionaire, beholden to no one.” But how did Garth get to be so fabulously wealthy?

Van Dusen could have asked Wendy Mesley. It turns out that Garth and his production company, Millenium Media Television, were featured in a forgotten CBC Disclosure investigative report in 2002. The summary:

This story is an inside look into how some TV business shows are charging companies to appear on their programs. It’s called “pay for play” and often it allows companies to have editorial input during the filming and scripting process. Good coverage can then raise the company’s stock price. It’s a win-win situation for everyone - except the viewers, who are not in on the deals.

Was Millenium in the pay for play business? John Schram:

John Schram, CEO of a healthcare company called We Care Health Services Inc., says “a charming lady” approached him. She “wanted to know if I’d be interested in having our company profiled on her show.”

She told Schram that she was associated with the Board of Trade show and “Garth Turner would be doing a lead in and voice over” for the profile.

“When I’m seeing someone interviewed on a TV program I would expect that it’s done more with a journalistic motive in mind, and it’s done without any payment.”

The woman told Schram she would come by his company and shoot “a short video of me and the company. I guess it was shortly after that, she mentioned a fee attached to this. And that’s when my antenna went up.”

Schram says the fee was in the $6,300 - $6,500 range, and he “didn’t like the aspect that I was going to pay for it.

Fascinating reading on the man who now has the temerity to lecture the rest of us on all things moral and ethical.