Speech
Opening remarks
by Charles Dalfen
Chairman, Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission
to the public hearing in Gatineau, Quebec
Gatineau, Quebec
May 15, 2006
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this public hearing in which we will examine Canadian commercial radio.
My name is Charles Dalfen, and I am the Chairman of the CRTC. I will be presiding over this hearing. Joining me on the panel are my colleagues, Michel Arpin, Vice-Chair of Broadcasting; Rita Cugini, Regional Commissioner for Ontario; Andrée Noël, Regional Commissioner for Quebec; and Joan Pennefather, National Commissioner.
The Commission team assisting us includes Hearing Manager Peter Foster, Robert Ramsay, Senior Director, Radio Policy and Applications; Bernard Montigny, General Counsel, Broadcasting; and Anne‑Marie Murphy, Legal Counsel. Chantal Boulet is the Hearing Secretary; please speak with her if you have any questions with regard to hearing procedures.
Review of the Commercial Radio Policy
The Commission is undertaking a review of its commercial radio policy in view of the major transformations which are taking place in this sector. The commercial radio environment has changed a great deal since the current policy was adopted in 1998, largely due to industry consolidation, technological developments and new economic factors that have rapidly come into play. The Commission therefore wishes to ensure that its regulatory policies and processes keep pace with these changes.
Many people are using new technologies for accessing music and listening to it. The Commission will review the potential impact of these new technologies, as it would appear that this trend will continue in the years to come.
This hearing will focus on the elements that will help create new commercial radio policies that are appropriate to the current environment, policies that will support a strong and flourishing radio industry in both official languages while pursuing the objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act (the Act).
For instance, the role played by radio in promoting Canadian artists and their works, including French-language musical selections, is crucial, and we have to find ways to ensure that it can continue and grow.
In addition, our policies must foster commercial radio that offers a greater diversity of musical genres and an appropriate amount of regularly-scheduled locally produced information programming. We will also have the opportunity to review digital transmission and new distribution platforms.
The make-up of Canadian society is also changing. Broadcasters are operating in a society that is increasingly multicultural, multilingual, and multiracial. They therefore have to ensure that their offerings reflect this new reality, as well as the special place of Aboriginal peoples.
As stated in Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2006-1 (the notice of public hearing), our process will also include a review of the effectiveness of the measures implemented in the Commercial Radio Policy 1998.
Process
In the coming week, we will listen carefully to the viewpoints of the many stakeholders who have been scheduled to appear before us. I would like to thank in advance all those who are taking the time to share their views with us. There are important issues facing the Canadian radio sector, and your comments are invaluable in helping us to define them.
If the Commission requests additional documents during the course of this hearing, intervenors will have until May 29 to file them. Furthermore, as mentioned in the notice of public hearing, interested parties will have the opportunity to file brief final written comments following the oral public hearing. These submissions must be no longer than 20 pages, in a 12-point font or larger, and must be filed no later than June 12.
I will now invite the Secretary, Chantal Boulet, to explain the procedures we will be following. Ms. Boulet…
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Date Modified: 2006-05-15
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