News Releases
November 25, 1998
Canadian Television for Canadian Audiences: The CBC's Final Comments to the CRTC's Canadian Content Review
Ottawa —- The CBC today released its final response to the CRTC's Call for Comments on the Canadian Television Policy Review. It positions the CBC as a key provider of Canadian programs now and in the future, and corrects misleading information presented by some intervenors.
"Our presentation to the CRTC proposed important initiatives to increase Canadian audiences to Canadian programs", said CBC President and CEO Perrin Beatty. "We had hoped that all players would also respond to the CRTC's invitation in a positive and constructive way."
In its initial submission, the CBC committed itself to reaching audiences where they are, and in the manner in which they want to be served. The submission proposed, as a model for the future, that CBC become a constellation of high quality, distinctively Canadian content delivery services for Canadian audiences.
"We are mandated by the people of Canada to provide a diverse and wide ranging broadcasting service designed to meet the needs of all Canadians and to be widely available across the country. We are not a niche broadcaster, or a broadcaster of last resort, doing only what the others either cannot do well or will not because it is unprofitable", said Mr. Beatty. "With the massive evolution occurring in the system, we too must be allowed to evolve in order to provide effective and efficient services for Canadian audiences, and to maximize the value of taxpayer dollars that are invested in financing the national public broadcaster, and increasingly, the system as a whole," he added.
CBC AND THE CANADIAN TELEVISION FUND
The CBC has done more than any other player to deliver audiences to CTF-funded Canadian programs. While only 50% of the Fund is available to the CBC, its drama programs created with Fund assistance deliver a proportionally larger share of audiences to Canadian programs. In the case of English Television, CBC delivers 65% of the total audience to Canadian drama programs.
For the 1998-99 season just begun, to date, in terms of Canadian programs drawn from the under-represented categories, CBC programs account for four of the top five Canadian programs on both English and French television. Further, on English television, 15 of the top 20 Canadian programs are on CBC. CTV has five programs in the top 20.
CBC LEADS IN DELIVERING CANADIAN PROGRAMS TO CANADIAN AUDIENCES
The SECOR study on the CBC's efficiency, filed as part of the submission from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is bad research, badly interpreted. The SECOR report claimed to show that the CBC delivers far lower audiences for Canadian drama benefiting from public funding than private broadcasters. However, the report significantly inflated cost per viewing for CBC Television's Canadian drama programs, while not accounting for all of the public funding received by private broadcasters for Canadian drama programs. While the report purported to examine efficiency vis-à-vis public funding sources, it relied on data for viewing to all Canadian dramas regardless of the funding source or of the type and quality of programming. The report included viewing hours to Canadian drama programs on private television which did not receive CTF assistance (public funding) and even a revision to the report misrepresented how much audience CBC generates through its affiliates.
In several other cases, SECOR's numbers were based on inaccurate estimates or wrong data. For instance, in comparing program spending per audience share point, the report uses CBC expenditures for both radio and television to compare to television expenditures for private broadcasters. The analysis also fails to recognize that it costs considerably less to acquire foreign programs than Canadian programs. Since CBC schedules are almost 100% Canadian in prime time, program spending per audience share point for private broadcasters will inevitably be lower.
"We welcome any serious analysis of how efficiently various broadcasters deliver audiences for Canadian programs. But the research should be conducted and interpreted fairly and competently. Poor research, poorly interpreted, serves everyone badly", said Perrin Beatty, CBC's President and CEO.
CBC'S PARTICIPATION IN THE ADVERTISING MARKETPLACE HEALTHY FOR THE WHOLE SYSTEM
Some intervenors suggested that CBC should cut its commercial advertising revenues. One commercial competitor,TVA, claimed CBC French Television's presence "distorts" the marketplace. However, without CBC French Television's presense, there would be significantly less competition in the Quebec market and no competition in French-language markets outside of Quebec.
CBC's French Television service limits what it takes out the commercial marketplace as a matter of policy because it does not sell advertising in a fifth of its schedule.CBC French Television's advertising rates are in line with the private commercial broadcasters. In fact,a recent analysis prepared for CBC by Media Buying Services (MBS) demonstrates that CBC's French Television has maintained advertising rates above the market average over the past 10 years.
"The CBC competes fairly. Advertisers and audiences are the winners in this competition. Ad revenues earned by the English and French television network services are not taken out as profits, but reinvested in programs," said CBC President and CEO, Perrin Beatty.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. CBC/Radio-Canada reaches Canadians through eight national radio and television networks, its full-service Web sites, local/regional stations and affiliates, as well as the digital television channel Country Canada and the continuous music network Galaxie. In addition, CBC/Radio-Canada has forged partnerships with other broadcasters and is a partner in the satellite radio service SIRIUS Canada as well as in the specialty television services ARTV and The Documentary Channel. Through this array of activities, CBC/Radio-Canada brings diverse regional and cultural perspectives into the daily lives of Canadians in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. (2006)
For additional information, please contact:
Katherine Heath-Eves
Media Relations
CBC/Radio-Canada (Ottawa)
Tel: (613) 288-6235
heathevk@cbc.ca
www.cbc.radio-canada.ca
