The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.
 

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Etienne Dumont, a 26-year-old radio host and producer currently working at CHLT 630 Estrie in eastern Quebec, has provided the first stakeholder comment on the CRTC’s Commercial Radio Policy review process. We kindly thank Mr. Dumont for the English translation of his intervention, which is excerpted below.

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Kirstine Layfield has been appointed executive director of English-language programming at the CBC, ending a five-month search for the right candidate for the job at the public broadcaster that started when Slawko Klymkiw vacated the position to take up the top spot at the Canadian Film Centre.

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CRTC rules on drama development commitments
After its 2004 call for comments on a new English-language television drama production regime (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-81), the CRTC has ruled on a formula it believes will increase funding for such productions as well as airtime and viewership. The commission wants to see Canadian broadcasters spend 6% of their gross annual revenues on TV drama production five years from now, while the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, understandably, wanted broadcasters to hit that target sooner – three years from now, to be precise. As for viewership, the commission ruled that separate targets should be set for conventional channels and specialty channels: the former will aim for Canadian drama viewing to account for 16.5% of its total drama audience five years from now, which specialty properties are instead instructed to target a 7.5% increase (1.5% each year) from their current levels – which range from 1% to 44% – over the next five years. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) noted that for conventional broadcasters, the 16.5% target represents a considerable jump from the 2003-2004 average expenditure on English-language Canadian drama of 9.2%. The commission concurred, but pointed to the variety of production funding incentives available as a possible means of achieving the goal. The CAB approved the commission’s 7.5%-over-five-years target for specialty broadcasters, but opined that those at the lower end of the 1%-to-44% range might find achieving such an increase more difficult.

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