TV group addresses new media concerns about Canadian Media Fund

Facing criticism from new media organizations, the president of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) says her organization is doing all it can to ensure the new Canadian Media Fund (CMF) meets the needs of both new media and the television companies. “I don’t think the new media community or the television broadcast and production community need to be overly concerned anybody will be left out of the process,” says Valerie Creighton. The CTF held a virtual town hall last week to collect input from a variety of CMF stakeholders and help formulate fund policies. Due to come into effect next April, the CMF combines the CTF, which supports Canadian TV programs, and the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF), for interactive digital projects. Tech Media Reports received word last week that some new media organizations hadn’t been invited to the town hall. New media industry representatives wondered if the CTF was keeping interactive organizations out of the loop – an ongoing concern for the digital industry. “The stakeholders involved have really been…the television producers,” said Ron Thiele, former Digital Alberta president and head of Calgary-based e-learning company Xpan Interactive Ltd. “Unfortunately the new media side has not been as much involved in the decision making.” This could impact the fund’s effectiveness for new media ventures, he says. “Although it’s greater access to funds and a greater pool of funds, the way it’s working for new media is unfortunate. We don’t have the same access anymore .” New media representatives expressed similar concerns earlier this year when the CMF board was announced. None of the board members were from the new media or digital-interactive industries. But the CTF says it did everything it could to get the message out about the town hall. The group distributed a press release about it on a national newswire and its own web site. The CTF also distributed a follow-up message on July 31, all the while inviting people to visit its web site to sign up for the distribution list, which would receive town hall updates directly. “It was a public process,” Creighton says. “There was no screening of people who wanted to attend.... If we’ve been deficient in that regard, we’d certainly be happy to fix that.” Still, everyone didn’t get the message. Groups like Digital Alberta, Interactive Ontario, and the Interactive Media Alliance of PEI didn’t receive it from the distribution list. “I think it’s inevitable that we will have a seat at that table, but unfortunately right now the keys are locked in the castle,” Thiele said. Creighton says the CTF has updated its distribution list as much as possible. “Part of the problem is there are privacy laws,” she says. “We can’t just get the full contact lists from the Canada New Media Fund. But we are obtaining e-mail lists so we can speed up the process of creating the contact list.” Regarding the CMF board, Creighton says new media industry representatives are expressing concerns similar to those she’s heard from TV industry representatives. “Believe me, the concerns about who is on the board and the fact that there aren’t people who are active in the programming of television was also a concern for traditional television producers and broadcasters. I think the industry has to do a bit of a re-think. In the new governance structure that was announced by Canadian Heritage, it was made very clear that the board is not an industry or programming board. They’re a governance board. They’re very focused on the fiduciary responsibility of managing the $300 million-plus, ensuring that all our accountability and controls are in place, ensuring that all the reporting mechanisms are properly followed, and ensuring that the consultation process...is fulfilled.” The consultation process is far from over, she says. “We’re wishing to seek advice from the industry on how they see the process after April 1, 2010 unfolding. We want to make sure the permanent ongoing consultation process meets the needs of the industry. I don’t see an issue about how the program from the new media side of the equation is going to be deficient, because there isn’t somebody on the board who’s an expert in new media.” Despite the controversy, the town hall went well, Creighton says. “There were just under 500 participants in the English language market and about 100 in the French language market. Those are pretty good numbers given that we’re in the middle of the holiday season.” Next, the CTF plans to hold provincial, territorial, and national focus groups in English, French, and Aboriginal languages, based on the market. The organization says the focus groups will provide an opportunity to discuss ideas, questions, and concerns. A recording of the town hall is available on the CTF’s Web site: www.ctf-fct.ca – see the “Latest News” section on the home page. To join the organization’s distribution list, click the “subscribe” button in the top-right corner of the home page.

TV group addresses new media concerns about Canadian Media Fund

News | 08/11/2009 1:41 pm EDT

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