GATINEAU – Quebecor Media renewed its assault on CBC/Radio-Canada’s access to information practices during the corporation’s licence renewal hearing on Monday by requesting the CBC include access to information data in transparency and accountability reports to the Commission.
CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais, however, wondered if it’s wise to have a parallel system regarding access to information.
“We’re not asking for the CRTC to impose sanctions on CBC/Radio-Canada with respect to access to information like the Information Commissioner can. What we’re asking for is in the reports that are submitted to the CRTC, which allow the Commission to verify how the licence holder is acting within the legal framework, a report on access to information,” said Serge Sasseville, executive VP of corporate affairs at QMI.
Asked if that’s within the legislative authority of the CRTC, Sasseville said yes. The CRTC already requires transparency and accountability from CBC/Radio-Canada and access to information is part of that, he added.
QMI wasn’t appearing in its capacity as a broadcast distributor or as a broadcaster (which competes mightily with Radio-Canada in Quebec). “We’re only here as Sun Media and our newspaper business,” Sasseville said in response to a question from vice-chair of broadcasting Tom Pentefountas. (Ed note: This paragraph was altered from an earlier version of the story to reflect the transcript of the proceeding.)
Back to regularly scheduled programming
THE SCREENWRITERS, ACTORS and directors called on the CRTC to ensure that greater flexibility for CBC/Radio-Canada doesn’t mean a reduction in Canadian-made programming.
“If more flexibility in the CBC's licence requirements leads to less of this type of essential programming, it would be a bad thing for Canadian screenwriters and Canadian consumers. We therefore look to the CRTC to create a regulatory framework that will ensure sufficient choice of Canadian programming on our public broadcaster, consistent with their legislated mandate,” said Maureen Parker, executive director of the Writers Guild of Canada (WCG) in her opening remarks.
Minority co-productions are a big concern for the Writers particularly those where Canadian talent is only involved in post-production. The association says that the CBC is relying too much on minority co-productions and believes the commission needs to keep an eye on this.
“These co-productions often have only 20% Canadian involvement, typically at the postproduction stage, but count as 100% Canadian for regulatory purposes. Programs such as The Tudors, Pillars of the Earth and Camelot are credited as Canadian drama, when clearly they are not and these shows take up a prime time slot that should be used to tell Canadian stories,” said Parker.
The WCG proposed an exclusion for minority co-productions as part of programs of national interest (PNI), but under questioning softened its stance. The Writers and Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) both suggested that in addition exhibition requirements of 10 hours per week of PNI, the Commission should impose spending requirements.
“In order to ensure that the PNI hours are not dominated by repeat programming, the DGC recommends the Commission set a dollar floor for this programming, set at the average of the last three years’ spending on drama, documentary and award shows,” said Gerry Barr, national executive director and CEO of the DGC.
Terms of trade was raised again as an issue that needs to be solved, too. ACTRA argued that signing a terms of trade agreement is of paramount importance. “Without clear, fair terms of trade, and a mature business relationship with the industry, the CBC risks undermining the very industry that they have helped nurture over so many years,” argued Stephen Waddell, executive director of ACTRA, said in his opening remarks.
Asked for ACTRA’s view on why an agreement hasn’t been signed, Waddell was succinct. “Management intransigence,” he said.
Individuals have their say, too
IT’S NOT ONLY BROADCAST industry stakeholders that are concerned about some of the CBC’s licence renewal proposals. Kady Denton from the I Love CBC-Peterborough group argued that allowing national advertising on Radio 2 would be nothing short of its end. “Radio 2 leads us beside still waters and into green pastures, it’s a comfort through the long solitary hours and a support for the necessary focus. Commercials break concentration. Ads would end Radio 2,” she said.
Michael Vormittag expressed considerable concern about the CBC’s decision to kill analog over the air (OTA) transmitters and leave a large number of Canadians without CBC OTA services. He suggested a plan that would see regions such as London (an area that encompasses about 600,000 people) and Saskatoon (about 300,000 people) get their OTA back. The solution lies in using multicasting technology, said Vormittag, where a single transmitter can broadcast more than one channel, even in HD.
“Multicasting could be used to meet many of the requirements of my proposal, and supply French TV service outside Quebec and English TV service within Quebec. Only a handful of new transmitters would be needed to service areas where there is neither a CBC nor SRC presence at the moment,” explained Vormittag.
The hearing continues through this week.
