OTTAWA — The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) shot back at Canada’s English-language private broadcasters today after Bell Media, Corus Entertainment and Rogers Media released an open letter to the CRTC yesterday in which they asked the Commission to maintain status quo on recent broadcasting decisions.
In their letter, the big three broadcasters urged the Commission to stand firm on its recent decisions regarding reduced minimum spending requirements on programs of national interest (PNI) as part of the CRTC’s group licence renewal decision in May.
Bell, Corus and Rogers were responding yesterday to a joint open letter released on July 24 by a coalition of 19 groups representing Canada’s screen-based media industry. This coalition letter was co-signed by the CMPA and called on Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly and the federal cabinet to overturn the CRTC decisions that reduced the amount these broadcasters must spend on the commissioning of PNI programming, such as Canadian dramas, comedies, documentaries and award shows.
In response to the three broadcasters’ open letter to the CRTC yesterday, the CMPA’s president and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, issued the following statement:
The broadcasters dismiss CRTC regulations that have helped build a thriving domestic industry as “protectionist measures” of the past. But the truth is that the broadcasters’ near-complete dominance over Canada’s television market comes from them having enjoyed decades of regulatory protection. Their business model also continues to depend on government rules that benefit them. And now, notwithstanding having been allowed by the CRTC to achieve unprecedented levels of consolidation, they are seeking to reduce their contributions to our domestic industry to the lowest common denominator. This is the very definition of having your cake and eating it too.
The broadcasters also claim that the CRTC decisions enable them to focus on the promotion, marketing and export of Canadian content. This claim is belied by what they tell advertisers, and by the broadcasters’ marketing strategies and schedules, where the overwhelming focus is squarely on foreign content.
And yet, they say to Minister Joly and the federal cabinet: “trust us.” Unfortunately, history has taught us that vague, unenforceable commitments are no substitute for mandated contributions — contributions that have helped build an industry that is a magnet for young creative talent and is a national jobs machine.
We are seeking to overturn the CRTC decisions in order to keep both our youth and our talent in Canada — rather than them becoming our industry’s biggest export.
Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO, CMPA
