ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-390
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| Route reference: 2009-300 | |
| Ottawa, 29 June 2009 | |
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Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. Across Canada |
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| Application 2009-0613-3, received 16 April 2009 | |
Licence amendment for CPAC – Addition of program categories |
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| The Commission approves an application by Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. to amend the broadcasting licences for its English- and French-language satellite-to-cable programming undertakings, by adding to the list of program categories from which it may draw programming so that it may provide music and dance, variety and general interest programming each year on Canada Day. | |
Introduction |
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1. |
The Commission received an application by Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. to amend the broadcasting licences for its English- and French-language satellite-to-cable programming undertakings known as the Canadian Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), in order to add to the list of program categories from which the licensee may draw its programming. The program categories are set out in section 6 of Schedule I to the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990, as amended from time to time. The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application. |
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2. |
The current condition of licence number 1(a) for each undertaking, which relates to its nature of service, reads as follows:
1. (a) The licensee shall provide a national public affairs programming service complementary to the exempt service it operates in accordance with Parliamentary and Provincial or Territorial Legislature Proceedings Exemption Order, appended to Public Notice CRTC 2002-73, 19 November 2002, as may be amended from time to time, consisting exclusively of long-form programming or programming focusing on local, regional, national and international civic affairs, including the process and debates that underpin the operations of democratic government and the development of public policy. All such programming shall be drawn exclusively from the categories: 2a (Analysis and interpretation); 2b (Long-form documentary); 3 (Reporting and actualities); 5b (Informal education/Recreation and leisure, but excluding recreation and leisure); 12 (Interstitials); and 13 (Public service announcements).1 |
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3. |
The licensee proposed to add to this condition of licence program categories 8(a) Music and dance other than music video programs or clips, 9 Variety and 11 General interest and human interest. The licensee specified that it would draw programming from these new program categories only on Canada Day (1 July) of each year. |
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4. |
The licensee noted that the addition of these program categories fits naturally with the services' overall mandate to provide long-form, intensive coverage of the day-to-day life of Canada's Parliament. The licensee also stated that live, day-long coverage of Canada Day events is not found on any other broadcast service in Canada and argued that, in order to provide complete Canada Day coverage, it requires authorization to draw programming from the above-noted program categories. |
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5. |
In light of the above, the Commission approves the application by Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. to amend the broadcasting licences for its English- and French-language satellite-to-cable programming undertakings known as the Canadian Public Affairs Channel, by adding to the list of program categories from which the licensee may draw its programming so that it may broadcast music and dance, variety and general interest programming each year on Canada Day. Further, only on Canada Day of each year will the licensee be authorized to draw programming from the additional program categories, and, as a consequence, only on that day will the licensee be authorized not to adhere to the requirement that the programming broadcast on the services consist exclusively of long-form programming or programming focusing on local, regional, national and international civic affairs, including the process and debates that underpin the operations of democratic government and the development of public policy. |
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6. |
Accordingly, the amended condition of licence number 1(a) relating to CPAC's nature of service shall now read as follows:
1. (a) The licensee shall provide a national public affairs programming service complementary to the exempt service it operates in accordance with Parliamentary and Provincial or Territorial Legislature Proceedings Exemption Order, appended to Public Notice CRTC 2002-73, 19 November 2002, as may be amended from time to time, consisting exclusively of long-form programming or programming focusing on local, regional, national and international civic affairs, including the process and debates that underpin the operations of democratic government and the development of public policy. All such programming shall be drawn exclusively from the following categories set out in item 6 of Schedule I to the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990, as amended from time to time: 2 (a) Analysis and interpretation (b) Long-form documentary 3 Reporting and actualities 5 (b) Informal education/Recreation and leisure, but excluding Recreation and leisure 8 (a) Music and dance other than music video programs or clips 9 Variety 11 General interest and human interest 12 Interstitials 13 Public service announcements. Only on Canada Day (1 July) of each year may the licensee draw programming from program categories 8(a), 9 and 11, and only on Canada Day may the programming not consist exclusively of long-form programming or programming focusing on local, regional, national and international civic affairs, including the process and debates that underpin the operations of democratic government and the development of public policy. |
| Secretary General | |
| This decision is to be appended to each licence. It is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca. |
Footnote:
1 See Licence amendments for CPAC – addition of a program category, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2004-351, 17 August 2004.
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