OTTAWA – Calling the CBC the most important outlet for Canadian programming, representatives from the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) urged the government to provide the public broadcaster with long-term stable funding.
Appearing Thursday before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, CFTPA president and CEO Guy Mayson complained though that the CBC was asking for unduly long periods for the rights to programs under the its broadcast licences. He also noted multiple-platform rights were being sought, sometimes indefinitely, without fair compensation.
He added though that the CBC is not the only one seeking these kinds of deals; the private networks are also doing it and the public broadcaster has to follow suit to remain competitive.
Mayson told the committee the CBC is doing a “relatively good job in the face of financial challenges,” but that it should focus more on becoming an outlet for high-quality domestic TV shows, which might not necessarily drive ratings.
“We need a national broadcaster that showcases almost 100% Canadian content across multiple platforms,” said CFTPA senior director of broadcast relations and research Mario Mota. He added the public broadcaster, unlike the private networks, should not focus solely on audience numbers but also concentrate on showcasing quality, distinctly Canadian programming, particularly drama, children’s and youth programming, and performing arts shows.
Under questioning by committee members, Mayson wouldn’t pinpoint a monetary figure he felt would adequately allow the CBC to fulfill its mandate.
“The first stage would be to do an analysis and formal review of the CBC before determining an amount it should be given,” he responded.
This prompted Bloc Quebecois MP Diane Bourgeois to note there was an inconsistency in Mayson’s comments since he had stated the CBC was doing a fairly good job but then was asking for a review.
Mayson responded that the role of the CBC needed to be examined because of a rapidly changing broadcast world. He also pointed out that handing the public broadcaster $60 million in top-up funding on an annual basis was not ideal; it’s important to look at how the CBC is funded and how it can maximize that money in terms of getting to Canadian production.
The committee also expressed concerns over the CBC’s desire to pursue more co-productions with other countries, its tendency to stockpile Canadian shows rather than airing them immediately, and its inability to re-broadcast or put on the Internet shows commissioned years ago.
“From a broadcaster’s perspective, it’s normal to build up inventory,” responded Mayson. “But I think the CBC is too focused on building an audience” so it holds programming as it tries to strategically release it.
He noted that while co-productions may lose some of their distinctly Canadian elements to reach a wider audience, it was one of the few ways to secure larger production budgets.
Mayson admitted negotiations over Internet rights had hit a gridlock, but noted that many of the rights to the older works were not held by independent producers – rather it was a question of getting the approval of the rights holders to the music, etc. featured in the shows.
“The CBC is in a grey zone – fighting for ads and competing with the privates… Maybe the CBC should be more focused on the quality of the programming and less on the audience and be funded properly to do that,” stated Mayson. “I think it comes down to good public policy, and I think CBC’s role is different from the private (networks).”
Norma Reveler is a freelance writer based in Ottawa.
