Production groups square off with broadcasters at OTA television review

There was no shortage of opinion on how Canadian programming and production spending quotas should evolve at the conventional television review earlier this month. Consensus, however, was more scarce. When asked whether they’d favour the reinstatement of spending and additional airtime requirements for Canadian programming – shades of the pre-1999 policy – both Charlotte Bell, VP of regulatory affairs for television and radio at CanWest MediaWorks Inc. and CTV Inc. president Rick Brace said the matter should be taken up with both broadcasters during licence renewals next year, and not in a public policy framework. However, Ira Levy, chair of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, said that Canadian programming should be given "pride of place" and that reimposing minimum expenditures would "be the most effective means of achieving these goals." The CFTPA proposed a production expenditure requirement of 12% of revenues for the largest broadcasters – excluding licence fee top-up amounts from the Canadian Television Fund – ramping up to 15% by the time of their next licence renewal. Additionally, the association suggested that the bonusing-up of airtime credits available for certain kinds of priority programming be removed. Quebec broadcasters took pains to draw distinctions between their market and the rest of Canada during the hearings. TQS Inc. president and CEO René Guimond urged the commission to lift restrictions imposed by priority programming and genre eligibility rules. Reiterating a stance he outlined at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ annual conference last month (CCR, Nov. 22/06), Guimond said the majority of the most-viewed programs in Quebec are Canadian content already. Similarly, Groupe TVA Inc.’s Pierre Dion pressed the commission to abandon the notion of priority programming as it pertains to the Quebec francophone market, and eliminate minimum airtime requirements for Canadian independent productions. Quebecor Inc. president and CEO Pierre-Karl Péladeau told the commission that 90% of TVA’s programming qualifies as Canadian content, and that level wouldn’t change if regulations were lifted. Programming reflecting local interests and diversity was a cornerstone of the submission by the Canadian Media Guild. "You can get the latest from the Middle East on any channel you tune into, but finding out what is happening at your local municipal council, even in a big city like Toronto, is next to impossible," president Lise Lareau told the commission. The guild is pushing for fee-for-carriage from cable subscribers to allow the CBC in particular to bolster its local coverage, as well as the creation of a separate fund for broadcaster and BDU production contributions and a broadening of eligible genres to include news and current affairs programming, children’s shows, and documentaries. For the most part, BDUs appearing at the hearing said that if a fee-for-carriage regime was instituted, their contributions to the Canadian Television Fund should be scaled back or discontinued altogether. "Our view of the CTF is that it is not a very effective organization," Shaw Communications Inc. president and CEO Jim Shaw told the commission. "Our company will pay $56 million this year alone, and yet can’t get a board seat to help make a decision." Chris Frank, Bell ExpressVu’s VP of programming, was somewhat more supportive of the CTF. "We have noticed that there have been a number of reorganizations, new concepts at the CTF which is focusing on streamlining the board and getting more quicker and more effective decision – that, we applaud," he said. However, like Shaw, Bell ExpressVu is "anxious to get a seat on the board," Frank added.

Production groups square off with broadcasters at OTA television review

News | 12/20/2006 5:00 am EST

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