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Public Notice
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Ottawa, 11 June 1984
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Public Notice CRTC 1984-138
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CALL FOR COMMENTS CONCERNING THE PROVISION OF A PROGRAM SERVICE FOR CANADIAN YOUTH
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Note: For the purposes of this Notice "youth programming" means programs designed specifically for young audiences, and includes programs for children of 2 to 11 years of age, and programs for teens 12 to 17 years of age. These two age groups are regularly reported in BBM surveys.
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Background
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On numerous occasions over the past decade, the Commission has voiced concern regarding the inadequate quantity and quality of programming for youth in the schedules of Canadian television stations and has urged its licensees to commit significantly greater financial and human resources to the development of such programming.
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While the Commission has also identified other types of programming as being under-represented on television, the need to address the current deficiency of high-quality programming for youth is particularly timely.
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During most of the 1960's and into the 1970's, programming for young audiences was a relatively strong and healthy component of the service provided by Canadian television networks. However, legislation aimed at limiting the quantity and nature of commercials in children's programs to avoid commercial exploitation of children, and policies developed by the television industry and endorsed by the Commission in 1973, appear to have led to an unintended and undesirable reduction in the number of such programs broadcast in hours when young audiences are largest.
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Developments in satellite and cable technology now make it possible to distribute, nation-wide, a variety of programming services responding to the interests of distinct segments of the population. Attractive non-Canadian services directed to young audiences are already available on satellite. The need for distinct Canadian services for young Canadians has been forcefully brought to the Commission's attention.
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At the 24 January 1984 Public Hearing in Hull, Quebec, the Commission considered various issues related to the introduction of specialty programming services in Canada. On the hearing's agenda was an application by Roger Price for a specialty service designed to serve young Canadians. While this proposal was subsequently adjourned at the request of the applicant due to insufficient funding, Mr. Price spoke eloquently of the need for the Commission to encourage the development and distribution of programming for Canadian youth.
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These views were shared by TV Ontario which, in its special representation at the hearing, expressed frustration regarding the financial difficulties that it has encountered during the past few years in marketing its Galaxie children's service to Canadian cable television licensees. TV Ontario also stated its conviction, derived from its own studies and experience, that the distribution of a specialty service for Canadian youth, based on the subscriber-discretionary model prescribed by the Commission, would not generate revenues sufficient to render the service financially viable.
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In its subsequent notice announcing the regulatory framework for the introduction of specialty programming services in Canada (Public Notice CRTC 1984-81 dated 2 April 1984), the Commission acknowledged the concerns expressed by Mr. Price and TV Ontario with respect to the limited availability of children's programming, and the desirability of developing a quality Canadian service which would "provide Canadian youth with a reflection of their own society and culture." The Commission also announced its intention to make an early call for proposals to establish a Canadian program service of high quality "that will attract and challenge young cable audiences across the country."
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Prior to issuing a call, however, the Commission now seeks public comment on the various policy considerations underlying the development and distribution of a programming service for Canadian youth.
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An Assessment of the Availability of Youth Programming in Canada
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In order to assess the need for a national youth programming service, the Commission has examined the schedules of the national television networks in Canada (the English-language services of the CBC and CTV, the French-language services of the CBC and TVA networks) and the four U.S. television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and the non-commercial PBS network). The programming of each of these networks is currently widely available to Canadians over-the-air or on cable.
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This assessment, however, does not generally include the youth programming broadcast by provincially-funded educational services such as Radio Quebec, TV Ontario and Access Alberta, or by network affiliates, independent stations and pay television licensees.
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A. The Canadian Services
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a) English-language
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The CBC television network's 1983/84 Fall-Winter schedule provides a variety of youth programming totalling roughly 18 hours per week and broadcast in the early morning, late afternoon, and early evening time periods. Approximately 81/2 hours of this programming is designed for preschool audiences and is broadcast weekday mornings, with five hours for school-age youth broadcast between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. weekdays. The remainder is broadcast in early evening time periods and is essentially oriented to the whole family.
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According to the 1983/84 schedule of the CTV Television Network, the second English-language national service, the network broadcasts approximately 51/2 hours of programming for young audiences in a typical week, with 21/2 hours of pre-school programs broadcast weekday mornings, a further 11/2 hours of programs for young audiences in a Saturday morning time block, and 11/2 hours of programs broadcast in the early evening before 8:00 p.m. All of this programming is Canadian.
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b) French-language
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Approximately half of CBC's 24 hours-per-week of programming for young audiences is designed for children and is broadcast on weekday mornings. The network also provides six hours of weekend morning programs, some of which are original programs while others are dubbed cartoons, both Canadian and non-Canadian.
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It also offers five hours of late-afternoon programs with a similar one-hour block on Saturday. After 6:00 p.m. only one 1/2-hour program either designed specifically for, or featuring young persons, was included in the 1983/84 Fall-Winter schedule.
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While the TVA Network itself does not produce any programming for young audiences, three such programs are produced by the network's affiliate, CFTM-TV Montreal, and are made available to other network members. This represents approximately 41/2 hours of programming per week, including a one-hour popular music program.
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B. The U.S. services
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The three commercial network services (ABC, CBS, NBC), combined, offer a total of approximately 12 hours per week of programming for young audiences, while the non-commercial PBS network provides approximately 15 hours per week. On a network basis, Monday to Friday, between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., no programming for children or teens is offered by any of the commercial networks. Affiliates are permitted to schedule whatever programming they deem appropriate during these hours.
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Network service is provided in the Saturday morning time block, with ABC offering 31/2 hours, CBS 2 hours, and NBC 21/2 hours of programming. Much of this programming consists of cartoon adventure programs, all broadcast before noon. During the evening hours, ABC's January l984 schedule indicates one hour of programming either designed for youth or featuring young performers on a weekly basis; CBS provides one half-hour per week and NBC provides two hours.
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On a daily basis, PBS schedules two programs directed to pre-school children or to children in the very early elementary grades. It frequently broadcasts more than one episode of these programs each day at different hours. One such program, Sesame Street, is produced in many languages and is the most widely-syndicated children's program in the world.
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C. The Viewing Patterns of Young Audiences
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a) Prime Viewing Periods
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The February/March 1984 BBM ratings indicate that there are a number of different time periods when children and young adults watch television in sizeable numbers.
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For children 2 to 11, the largest single viewing period is the four hours between 7:30 and ll:30 on Saturday morning. Weekday viewing is highest between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. but is still sizeable between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. There is a significant drop-off after 8:30 p.m.
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For teens 12 through 17, there are two peak viewing periods each week day. The first is between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and the second between 7:30 p.m. and l0:00 p.m. Saturday morning television also draws a significant audience.
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In the case of both age groups, based on currently available programming, it is apparent that a significant audience exists between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekday afternoons, and between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. each evening, including weekends. If a single period can be identified as being the most significant in terms of viewing preferences, it is the period between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays.
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b) Program Preferences
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The Commission has made a cursory examination of the February/March 1984 BBM ratings for Ottawa-Hull, an area which receives all of the Canadian network services over-the-air, as well as two provincially-funded educational services and one independent service, and where the U.S. services are available to more than 75% of all households via cable. Moreover, the population in this area is divided between French and English-speaking households in a ratio of four to six.
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In the case of programs where children between the ages of 2 and 11 make up more than 60% of the total audience for such programs, it was found that the 15 English-language programs garnering the largest audiences among this group were specifically designed for children. Eleven of these programs were cartoons, 7 of which were broadcast on Saturday morning; for the most part, these were non-Canadian productions. The most popular program was a non-Canadian cartoon broadcast weekday afternoons. Only 3 of the most popular programs were Canadian.
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Among the 2 to 11 age group, the 12 most popular French-language programs within the category described above were all broadcast by the CBC. All were clearly identifiable as children's programs. There also appeared to be a greater diversity in the sources of French-language programming, with only two of the most popular acquired from the U.S., both of which were cartoons, and the remainder from Canada, France and Germany. The most popular program was a 30 minute non-Canadian cartoon broadcast on Sunday morning. Three of the most popular programs were broadcast on Saturday mornings and 4 more were afterschool programs broadcast between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays.
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BBM surveys confirm that youth between the ages of 12 and 17 view a much broader range of programs than children 2 to 11 years of age, including programs which can also be attractive to, and may be designed for, adults. Accordingly, the criterion for determining what constitutes a popular program for this age group was reduced from 60% to 18% (twice the demographic distribution for this age group).
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On this basis, it was found that 13 of the 14 most popular English-language programs were U.S. productions. The most popular was an adult situation comedy broadcast in the late afternoon on weekdays. Six of the most popular programs were broadcast between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; three of these, including a situation comedy and a soap opera, dealt solely with adult themes. Six other programs drew a substantial teenage audience; all of these were U.S. productions and all but two of them were situation comedies.
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Similar viewing patterns emerge for French-language programs. Of the five most popular programs (with an audience made up of more than 18% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17), of which four originated from TVA stations, three were dubbed U.S. situation comedies. Two of these had adult-oriented themes, including the program which tied for first place in popularity with this age group. The one other most popular program was a Canadian comedy series broadcast in a mid-evening time period.
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The Provision of a National Canadian Youth Service
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As is the case with almost every other area of programming, quality programming for young audiences is expensive to produce or acquire and distribution costs are high, especially on a national basis. Thus, the most critical factor in determining whether Canadians will be able to produce and deliver a suitable, high-quality programming service for young Canadians is the matter of funding. It seems unlikely that a viable national Canadian youth service can be developed until this question is resolved.
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Related to this concern is the need for the Commission, the relevant industries and the public, to determine whether the need, and the benefits to Canadian society, of establishing such a national service warrants a modification to the Commission's policies with respect to the carriage of specialty programming services. The Commission would welcome comments on this topic.
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The Commission also invites all interested parties to present their views on the funding, programming distribution and marketing of such a national service. Without wishing to limit the scope of the comments, the Commission particularly seeks responses to the following questions:
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1. What role should conventional broadcasters play in supplying their young audiences with suitable programming? Should this reponsibility continue notwithstanding the establishment of a national youth programming service?
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2. What should the programming requirements be for such a service? Should there be an educational component?
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3. Which age groups should the programming be designed to serve? Is the need greater in the case of any one particular age group?
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4. What provisions should be made to accommodate the need for programming in each of the official languages? Should there be a single, bilingual, national youth service or should there be two separate services, in French and English? If distinct services are to be provided, should the French-language service be oriented to a national or to a regional audience?
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5. What should be the minimum requirement for Canadian programming on the service?
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6. Should the service be profit-oriented, or should it be operated as a non-profit undertaking?
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7. What form of funding would be most appropriate? Should cable licensees absorb part of the cost for such a service, or should all costs be passed on to the subscriber? Should other funding alternatives be considered, such as advertising, sponsorship, or a combination of these?
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8. How should the service be delivered? Satellite-to-cable or by other means? With or without the potential for local/regional input?
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9. Should carriage of the service be optional to cable licensees and mandatory to subscribers? Further, once licensees elect to carry the service, should it be mandatory that it be distributed on an unimpaired channel of the basic service tier? Would such optional carriage ensure the distribution of the service on a basis broad enough to guarantee its viability?
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10. Should the service be distributed singly on a stand-alone basis, or combined with one or more Canadian services?
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Furthermore, the Commission would be interested in receiving any relevant studies or surveys on the adequacy of youth programming services available in the different regions of Canada, in terms of the quality, quantity and types of programming offered.
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Comments should be submitted on or before 6 July 1984 to Fernand Bélisle, Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2.
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Fernand Bélisle Secretary General
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