| Speech
Notes for an address
by Charles Bélanger
Vice-Chairman, Broadcasting
Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission
at the opening of the Quebec City Public Hearing
Quebec City, Quebec
January 27, 1998
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Good day. My name is Charles Bélanger, CRTC Vice-Chairman for
Broadcasting. I am pleased to be with you today and to chair for the first time,
in Quebec City, a broadcasting licence renewal hearing. We will be addressing
matters that I was closely involved with in a former life!
Allow me to introduce the people who will be working with me today: on my left
is Commissioner Gail Scott, and on my right, Commissioner Andrée Wylie. The CRTC
Staff who are assisting us are the Hearing Manager, Lyne Lafrance, and Legal
Counsel, Jean-Pierre Blais. Lucie Audet will be our Hearing Secretary.
Before hearing the applications listed on today's agenda, I would like to say
a few words about the context of this proceeding.
As you all know, last fall the Commission released a paper outlining its
Vision for the next three years. Some of the items addressed in that paper are
relevant to the discussions that we will be engaged in this week. I noted three
points in particular:
- First, the Commission wants to ensure that the programming offered by
broadcasters truly reflects our society and our culture. I think we can
honestly say that Québec broadcasters fully comply with that requirement. I can
only encourage you to continue.
- Second, it is essential that the communications industry remain strong so
they will be able to respond to their audience's expectations. Here again, your
work is commendable. And this is not false flattery. Surveys clearly show that
your work is of a high standard in terms of both quality and relevance.
- And finally, the Commission has opted for a flexible approach to regulation
based on effectiveness, responsibility and mutual trust.
We want to continue to develop content policies that recognize all of our
common goals for our economy, our society, and our culture. This balance must be
achieved if we are to promote a competitive and innovative broadcasting industry.
In that regard, you have certainly shown no lack of ingenuity. Despite
tremendous pressures from the giants of American television, for which
translation into French is so facile, you have succeeded in creating in parallel
a range of original programming that presents an intelligent combination of the
way of life, values and cultural interests of Québec. And you have remained
competitive, with a viewer loyalty rating around 85%. So we are here to support
you and to help you continue your strong performance. Spurred on by your success,
you can only go farther. Although your market lies mainly in Québec, you bear a
broader responsibility under the Broadcasting Act.
You know the facts as well as I do: the global context in which Québec
broadcasters operate has changed enormously in the last 5 or 6 years. That means
we must learn from our experience and try to forecast what will happen in your
new licence term.
Competition has always been a factor in your business. You don't have to tell
me that! With the recent launch of new specialty services and the new
applications filed for them, it is obvious that competition will continue to
intensify. Another factor that cannot be ignored is the influence of the new
technologies on the broadcasting industry in Québec and their impact on viewing
habits.
As the Commission announced in its Vision documentation, the future of
French-language television has been discussed in previous television proceedings,
and these discussions will continue in the proceedings to come:
- Last November the Commission considered whether it is appropriate to create
a new national television network, and at the same time reviewed the structure
of the industry as a whole.
- Throughout 1998, we will review how the existing national networks and the
large broadcasting groups that have taken shape in recent years could
contribute more to the Canadian broadcasting system, in particular, with regard
to Canadian content in both French and English. There are some sizeable
Francophone communities outside Québec, and they must not be forgotten.
- Following that review, we will examine the network renewal applications of
Radio-Canada and TVA.
The world of communications is accelerating into the future, and the
Commission is determined to have the most appropriate and effective means
possible to achieve the objectives of the Broadcasting Act. Our challenge
is to work together to strike a balance that will promote strong, competitive
industries capable of offering choices and services that more closely reflect the
needs and expectations of the communities and individuals they are licensed to
serve.
At this hearing, the Commission of course wants to ensure that all regions of
Québec are accorded an appropriate level of network presence, particularly here
in Quebec City, the second-largest market in the province. But we will examine
other important issues as well.
Where do you stand on independent production? What is needed in terms of
infrastructure to allow interested partners to play a larger role in an even more
dynamic production industry?
Is it possible to be even more effective in reflecting regional diversity?
Where should the emphasis be placed? On local production, or on centralized
production in Quebec City for "export" throughout the province? Where is the
happy medium?
As the defender of the public interest, the Commission is especially concerned
about persons living with hearing impairments. Like the other residents of
Québec, they should have access to television. The Commission expects television
broadcasters to submit proposals to enhance the daily viewing experience for this
group.
- 30 -
Contact: CRTC Communications Branch, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
Tel.:
(819) 997-0313, TDD: (819) 994-0423, Fax: (819) 994-0218
This document is available in alternative format upon request.
Date Modified: 1998-01-27 |
