OTTAWA – The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage passed a motion at an in-camera (i.e.: not public) meeting late Wednesday afternoon to study the impact of the economic crisis on Canadian television, with a focus on local programming.
The first witnesses the committee plans to call before it – on March 25 – are CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, CRTC vice-chair of broadcasting Michel Arpin, and CRTC director general of television policy and applications Peter Foster.
A committee clerk told Cartt.ca they have not yet been told if the briefing will be open to the public, but that further information will be available by mid-next week.
The committee, in particular, plans to question the CRTC officials on the upcoming transition to digital, the financial pressures on local and Canadian programming, the need to maintain diversity of voices in media markets across Canada, and the effectiveness of cultural development funds on ensuring Canadian voices are able to compete in a challenged television landscape.
In light of the recent economic crisis and technological innovations, the Standing Committee also plans to ask the CRTC about its upcoming public hearing on licence renewals for private conventional television stations, as outlined in its Broadcasting Public Notice of Consultation 2009-113.
After its investigation, the Standing Committee said it will report its findings to the House of Commons.
The resolution was passed after an open meeting with Canadian Heritage officials on another matter – the committee’s strategic review of arts and culture program expenditures.
Members present at the meeting were Standing Committee chair Gary Schellenberg, Charlie Angus, Rod Bruinooge, Dean Del Mastro, Ruby Dhalla, Shelly Glover, Nina Grewal, Carole Lavallee, Roger Pomerleau, Pablo Rodriguez, Scott Simms and Tim Uppal.
– Norma Reveler
