Speech
Opening remarks
by Andrée Wylie
Vice-Chairperson, Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission
at the public hearing in Quebec City, Quebec
Quebec City, Quebec
February 16th, 2004
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this public hearing.
My name is Andrée Wylie, and I am the Vice-Chairperson of Broadcasting for the
CRTC. I will be chairing this hearing. Joining me on the panel are my colleagues,
Andrée Noël, Commissioner for Quebec Region, and Jean-Marc Demers.
The Commission team working with us is made up of Francine Laurier-Guy,
Hearing Manager; Peter McCallum and Valérie Dionne, Legal Counsel; and Pierre
LeBel, Hearing Secretary. Please feel free to speak with them if you have any
questions about the procedures of the hearing.
Radio du Golfe Inc.
We will begin by studying the application from Radio du Golfe Inc. to operate
a new FM radio station in Pabos as well as a transmitter in New Carlisle. If the
application is approved, the applicant will seek to amend the licence of CJMC-FM
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts by deleting the transmitter at Pabos Mills.
Television renewals
Next we will consider 17 licence renewal applications for local and regional
French-language television stations in Quebec affiliated with the CBC, TQS and
TVA networks. Among other things, we will look at the proposed programming to
ensure that it reflects the expectations and the reality of the communities being
served, as set out in the Policy Framework for Canadian Television adopted by the
CRTC in 1999.
The Commission will also discuss with representatives of the three networks a
number of issues that were raised in its Notice of Public Hearing, including
these:
- Local programming produced in Quebec City or elsewhere in the province that
is broadcast over the networks
- Agreements with regard to the broadcasting of local programs
- The availability of prime time segments for broadcasting local programs
other than news
- The implications of regional independent production
- Closed captioning
- The reflection of cultural diversity
- Descriptive video
- And finally, violence on television.
We will hear first from the representatives of Groupe TVA, followed by TQS,
the CBC and Radio Nord Communications.
In the context of these transactions, the Commission intends to discuss
certain issues with the applicants. These include:
- The business plan and the recovery plan
- The tangible benefits
- The terms and conditions of agreements
- And finally, the resourcing of news broadcast by Astral Media's FM
stations.
CHOI-FM renewal and amendments
The Commission will then hear the representatives of Genex Communications
(Genex), with regard to the renewal and amendment of conditions of licence of
station CHOI-FM in Quebec City.
In July 2002, the Commission renewed the licence of CHOI-FM for two years
only, in view of numerous failures to comply with the 1986 Radio Regulations
(Regulations) and with one of the conditions of licence, and failure to meet an
objective of the Broadcasting Act.
During the current license term of CHOI-FM, the Commission has received a
number of complaints about the station's spoken-word programming. As stated in
Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC
2003-11, the
Commission noted the apparent failure of the licensee to comply with CHOI-FM's
Code of Ethics, and in particular with sections 2, 3, 6, 17 and 18. Respecting
this code is one of the station's conditions of licence. The Commission also
noted Genex's apparent failure to comply with section 3 of the Regulations.
In the Notice, the Commission stated that the applicant was expected to show
cause at the hearing why the CRTC should not issue an order against it, suspend
or refuse to renew CHOI-FM's licence. This hearing will therefore involve such an
examination pursuant to sections 12, 24 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act.
Withdrawal of the application by André Arthur Communications
The Commission issued a public notice on January 30, 2004 to announce that the
application by André Arthur Communications to obtain a network licence had been
withdrawn at the request of the applicant. In that notice, the Commission
specified that the withdrawal did not constitute a determination on its part that
the network comprising the stations CKNU-FM Donnacona, CIMI-FM Charlesbourg and
CJMS Saint-Constant does not exist. The Commission also stated that it had
received complaints with regard to this network and that it has decided to call
the parties involved to a public hearing at a later date in order to resolve the
issues.
Procedure
This hearing will take one week. We will begin each day at 9:00 a.m. and
adjourn around 5:00 p.m. You will be advised as soon as possible of any changes
to the schedule.
We would ask you to please turn off your cell phones and beepers while you are
in the hearing room. They are an unwelcome distraction for participants and panel
members. We would appreciate your cooperation in this throughout the hearing.
Before we begin, I will ask the Secretary, Mr. Pierre LeBel, to explain the
procedures we will be following. Mr. LeBel .
- 30 -
Media Relations:
MediaRelations@crtc.gc.ca,
Tel: (819) 997-9403, Fax: (819) 997-4245
General Inquiries:
Tel: (819) 997-0313, TDD: (819) 994-0423, Fax: (819) 994-0218
Toll-free # 1-877-249-CRTC (2782), eMail:
info@crtc.gc.ca
TDD - Toll-free # 1-877-909-2782
This document is available in alternative format upon request.
Date Modified: 2004-02-16 |
