Tonight may be the last night Yukoners are able to watch timely proceedings in the legislative assembly on television.

The territory's question period is currently aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) at 9:30 p.m. while the house is sitting.

However, in October, the network announced changes to its prime time schedule that will see the proceedings pushed to a midnight time slot.

The network has also bumped the cost of the one-hour time slot from $300 an hour to $1,000, said Floyd McCormick, deputy clerk of the legislative assembly.

The changes are currently unacceptable to the Yukon legislative assembly and right now the Yukon is not scheduled to be on APTN's winter schedule, he said.

'(APTN's) approach was really not to negotiate,' said McCormick. 'We were basically told Here's the time and here's what we will charge.''

The legislative assembly has sent a letter to the network asking it to reconsider the changes, said McCormick. But there has not yet been a response from the APTN, he said.

'APTN might not be all that interested in resolving this,' he said.

According to APTN, the changes to its northern schedule have been made with public consultation and are directed at meeting the interests of the audience and licence requirements under the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission.

The changes mean the schedule will be more focused on long-form documentary, comedy, drama and variety shows that include music and dance.

The survey, conducted in 2004, found 68 per cent of aboriginal respondents and 53 per cent of non-aboriginal respondents stated they wanted to see more movies during the 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. prime time slots.

The survey also found respondents wanted more programming in aboriginal languages during the evenings.

'Believe it or not, this program is quite popular with Yukoners, especially those in rural communities,' Gary McRobb, the NDP MLA for Kluane, told the assembly last week.

'Each member of this assembly has no doubt heard from people who rely on the program to keep informed of the proceedings of this legislature.'

McRobb told the Star that 'it's amazing' how many people watch the telecast every night.

But Jean LaRose, APTN's chief executive officer, said that in the survey, less than eight per cent of the respondents indicated watching the legislative proceedings was a priority in their television viewing.

'We are giving priority to our audience,' he said in an interview this morning. 'What people are looking for is prime time entertainment in the evenings.'

LaRose said letters have been sent to all three legislative assemblies in the North, which he expects they will be receiving today.

He added they have been offered a time slot that is earlier than midnight. APTN has gone so far as to offer bumping out its 11 p.m. news telecast to allow the legislative proceedings to be aired at that time, he said.

'We are willing to try to meet them more than halfway.'

The changes in the charge is related to APTN's past subsidization program, said LaRose.

'Not every legislature was being charged the same amount.'

Previously, APTN was subsidizing the cost of distribution for the legislative proceedings, but LaRose said it now 'makes no sense to subsidize one or two legislatures at the expense of others.'

The change in the time slot fee reflects what it actually costs to bring the legislative programming to the North, he said.

'We hope the legislatures will recognize that we are trying hard to accommodate them, but we have to stay true to the audience,' said LaRose.

The network is finalizing its winter schedule, which has already been delayed from its usual Nov. 30 deadline, he said.

The network has been having meetings and attempting to find a solution to suit the assemblies in the North, he said, but by the end of this week, the option of including the proceedings in the schedule will no longer be there.

'We are already very late in releasing what our programming will be,' he said. 'We'd like to hear back (from the Yukon legislature) by the end of the week and come to an agreement by the end of the week.'

There has not yet been a confirmation from any of the legislatures on whether they will be renewing their contracts with the network, he said.

The territory that contacts the network first will have the opportunity to select the 'best time slot' APTN is willing to offer, he said.

After this week is through, the network won't be able to negotiate a time slot again until into the spring schedule at the earliest, he said.

McCormick said the issue has been overshadowed by other issues in the assembly, but once the fall sitting concludes this afternoon, there will likely be more discussion on it.

McRobb said if airing the assembly's proceedings on APTN is no longer an option, he would like to see the government work to develop a community channel to telecast the house's affairs.

A system could likely be set up in all the Yukon communities for approximately $500,000, he said.