OTTAWA – The Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) must not only be preserved, it must be strengthened, according to CBC/Radio-Canada.
Appearing Tuesday at the hearing into the future of the fund, the national broadcaster called the LPIF a “tremendous success” that has helped to stabilize local television stations as well as boost local programming in the country’s smaller markets.
"We've increased the local news in our LPIF-eligible markets by almost 30 percent”, said Kirstine Stewart, VP of English Services. “Our supper hour news shows have been bumped up from one to one and a half hours in seven of eight eligible markets. And we've added new late-night newscasts in all eligible markets and enhanced statutory holiday newscasts in seven out of eight markets."
"This year, our twelve LPIF-eligible stations will broadcast a combined total of more than 5,000 hours of local programming – that's 23% more than pre-LPIF levels”, added Louis Lalande, EVP of French Services. “We've increased local news programming from five to seven days a week in most markets, and increased supper hour news shows by 30 minutes in three markets, bringing one-hour newscast to all of our stations."
CBC/Radio-Canada also made two recommendations to the Commission regarding the future of the fund: modify the eligibility criteria so that in order to have access to the fund, a local station must broadcast more local programming per week than is required by its conditions of licence; and modify the allocation formula so that one quarter of funding be allocated equally among eligible stations – instead of the current one third – and that the remainder of funds continue to be allocated according to local programming expenditures.
