OTTAWA – In its decision released today, the CBSC said that a comedy program broadcast last fall on Quebec-based TV channel V did not violate any broadcast codes, but V did breach part of the CAB’s Violence Code for not classifying the program with a rating icon.
The CSBC concluded that V breached Article 4 of the CAB's Violence Code for failing to classify the program Les Détestables broadcast on September 20, 2012. Under Article 4, television broadcasters are required to display the appropriate classification icon at the beginning of a broadcast.
Les Détestables consists of sketches in which elderly actors (or actors disguised as elderly people) say or do inappropriate things in public and the reactions of bystanders are captured by a hidden camera. A viewer complained about a sketch in which an old lady calls a waitress a [translation] “lazy slut”. Other sketches included one in which an old lady tells a young man that he probably has a small penis, one showing an old man driving a motorized scooter while carrying an inflatable sex doll, and another in which an old woman tells a young woman she will burn in hell because she likely has no hymen.
The CBSC Quebec Regional Panel concluded that the gags did not violate any code provisions because they were innocuous and not abusive or unduly discriminatory against any identifiable groups. It did, however, conclude that this genre of programming does not fall into one of the exempt categories under the rating system, so V should have displayed a classification icon at the beginning of the broadcast.
As part of the CBSC decision, V is required to announce the decision during prime time over the next seven days according to the terms set by the CBSC, as well as provide confirmation of the announcements to the council.
The CBSC currently administers seven codes which deal with ethics, equitable portrayal, violence, news and journalistic independence. Nearly 760 radio stations, satellite radio services, television stations and specialty and pay television services across Canada are members of the Council.
V is owned by Remstar Diffusion, which launched the network after acquiring independent Quebec broadcaster TQS in 2008.
