TORONTO – The Directors Guild of Canada filed comments yesterday with the CRTC in support of public disclosure of aggregate financial data for over-the-air television and radio broadcasters.
DGC requested that revenue and expenditure information for media giants such as CTVgm, CanWest and Rogers be made public “in order to evaluate the manner in which CRTC policies are being applied, and the extent to which broadcasters are contributing to the system,” says the Guild’s release.
"This information is critical for analytical purposes. Without this data, industry stakeholders cannot properly participate in the public process," said Brian Anthony, DGC national executive director and CEO. "Disclosure of financial information relating to the over-the-air licenses is essential to the public interest. This is an important tool for assessing the performance of these broadcasters in meeting their regulatory obligations and assessing their contributions to the broadcasting system.”
The DGC says annual disclosure of aggregate financial data of both private broadcasters and the CBC is essential despite broadcaster claims this will put them at a competitive disadvantage.
"The Commission released financial information to the public for CTV, Global and TVA station groups for the 2001 license renewal hearings. This information included annual revenue and expenditures reported in 1997 through to 2000, and I can assure you the world didn’t end nor did it make these organizations vulnerable to their competitors," said Monique Lafontaine, DGC general counsel and director of regulatory affairs.
Specialty and pay services have disclosed this information on an annual basis for many years and have not endangered their competitive position by doing so, noted the DGC submission.
“In the world of drama, with its long germination periods, full and complete disclosure on an annual basis is required in order to track and comment on trends as well as compliance matters that directly affect the overall health and welfare of the industry,” adds the release.
DGC filed comments in conjunction with the CFTPA, ACTRA, WGC and DOC as a coalition of the Canadian English independent production community.
