News Releases

June 23, 1999

CBC to Appeal CRTC Decision on French Specialty Channels

Guylaine Saucier, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, announced today that the CBC's Board decided at its meeting in Ottawa yesterday to appeal the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) May 21 decision regarding French-language specialty channels.

"The specialty services that we were proposing, most notably the Réseau des arts, was perfectly in line with Canada's cultural policies, including the Broadcasting Act. This project, which was developed in partnership with the prestigious La Sept ARTE, would have given Canadians throughout the country greater access to francophone arts and culture, and would have permitted Canadian artists and creators to become better known on an international level" stated Guylaine Saucier.

The CBC's application for the Réseau des arts received more than 500 supportive interventions from individuals and from cultural organizations across Canada, including many representing francophone living in minority situations. The CBC still strongly believes that this is an important and relevant project which is entirely consistent with its cultural mission.

The CBC will submit its petition to the Governor-in-Council by the July 5 deadline.

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