QUEBECOR’S LUC LAVOIE SUGGESTS that CBC/Radio-Canada unfairly benefits from the Canadian Television Fund. But it is disingenuous to insist that private cable companies, such as Quebecor’s Videotron, foot the bill for the public broadcaster’s benefit.
In fact, the federal government supplies a full 40% of the CTF, or $100 million per year. And that’s approximately the share that funds productions that air on CBC and Radio-Canada. Let’s not forget that the CTF emerged on the heels of massive cuts to the public broadcaster’s government allocation during the 1990s. So the CTF was effectively funded with money taken away from CBC/Radio-Canada.
And let’s examine the so-called benefits of the CTF for broadcasters such as CBC/Radio-Canada and even Quebecor’s TVA.
The CTF may have boosted Canada’s independent TV production sector, but it has left broadcasters who actually do want to fill their schedules with Canadian programming, including TVA and CBC/Radio-Canada, in a serious bind.
First of all, broadcasters do not qualify for CTF money to produce their own shows. The CTF only finances independent productions whose producers hold the program’s license, which limits a broadcaster’s ability to use the material on other platforms.
Secondly, broadcasters could sometimes produce a show more cost-effectively than an independent producer, but opt not to because they would have to do without CTF support.
For example, the CRTC panel examining its TV policy in the fall heard that a Radio-Canada show, Virginie, was given over to an independent producer mid-run in order to qualify for CTF funding. The show ended up costing more to produce when it left Radio-Canada, and that is not the best use of public spending for Canadian content.
Let’s have a good look at the CTF, and also consider setting up a second fund, one that does support broadcasters who want to create original content for TV and their other platforms. We made such a proposal to the CRTC last fall and, in light of the current debate, we hope it is taken seriously as a means of supporting a vibrant Canadian television sector and ensuring that Canadians get to view homegrown programming on the platforms of their choosing.
Karen Wirsig
Communications Co-ordinator
Canadian Media Guild
