ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 86-976

Decision

Ottawa, 30 September 1986

Decision CRTC 86-976

Télé-Capitale Inc.

Quebec City, Quebec - 860945500

Following a Public Hearing in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on 16 June 1986, the Commission approves the application by Télé-Capitale Inc. for a broadcasting licence to carry on a Frenchlanguage television network operation (the Réseau Pathonic) consisting of CFCM-TV Quebec City, CFER-TV Rimouski, CFER-TV-2 Gaspé-Nord, CHLT-TV Sherbrooke, CHEM-TV Trois-Rivières and CIMT-TV Rivière-du-Loup and its rebroadcasting stations.

The Commission will issue a network licence expiring 30 September 1990, which will be subject to the conditions specified in the licence to be issued.

These television stations, which serve a large part of central and eastern Quebec and which broadcast, in addition to their local programs, programs from the TVA network to which these stations are affiliated and a substantial proportion of the programming of CFTM-TV Montreal, will constitute the proposed network.

The licensee stated at the hearing that by pooling the human, technical and financial resources of the stations, it will be able to offer better quality, more appealing regional programming. Télé-Capitale has applied for a network licence because its proposal consists of a significant exchange of programming among various licensees, with the programs to be broadcast simultaneously. The Commission notes, however, that this is essentially a distribution network and that of the approximately 26 hours of original programming per week which will be rebroadcast by the stations affiliated with the Réseau Pathonic about 17 hours will be produced by CFCM-TV Quebec City and about 9 hours by CHLT-TV Sherbrooke. In order to ensure a more regional element, some of these programs will also include inserts from the Trois-Rivières and Rimouski stations. Further, the number of programs originating with CFTM-TV Montreal which are broadcast by the stations that make up the network will not be affected, although some of these programs may be taped in Quebec City for rebroadcast at different times in order to fit in with the Réseau Pathonic schedule.

In conjunction with this proposal, the licensee proposed a combined minimum commitment of 50 hours per week of local programs originating from the stations mentioned below, of which there will be a minimum of 21 hours from CFCM-TV, 13 hours from CHLT-TV, 5 hours from CHEM-TV and 5 hours from CFER-TV, including programs to be broadcast on the network as a whole.

The licensee also proposed 4 hours 15 minutes of co-productions which would qualify as local programming under the provisions of Public Notice CRTC 1985-58 dated 20 March 1985 entitled "Introducing Flexibility into the Concept of Local Television Programming". The Commission notes that these co-productions will be in addition to the combined minimum commitment of 50 hours mentioned above. Further the licensee is required to submit to the Commission for its approval the programs to be considered under this provision before the start of each programming season. The Commission reminds the licensee that it should conform, in this respect, to the criteria and guidelines set out in Public Notice CRTC 1985-58. In particular, these programs should respond to the needs and interests of the audience and each station should spend at least as much money in the aggregate on the co-operative productions as it would have spent on the purely local programs they will replace.

Interventions opposing the present application were presented jointly at the hearing by the Association des réalisateurs de Télé-Capitale Inc., the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Syndicats des employés de CFER Rimouski et de Télé-Capitale and the Syndicat des réalisateurs de Télé-7 Sherbrooke, and by the Association féminine d'éducation et d'action sociale (AFEAS), the Association coopérative d'économie familiale de Québec, the Comité pour la promotion et la défense de la télévision régionale and by Mr. Daniel Pelletier. In addition, the Conseil populaire des communications de l'est du Québec Inc. submitted comments at the hearing and two written interventions were filed by the Canadian Institute of Adult Education and by the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians. In general, the interveners expressed concern about any reduction in local service and the necessity of at least maintaining these services at the current level.

In reply to the inverventions, the licensee undertook to maintain its involvement at the local level, stating: [TRANSLATION] "Nevertheless, the local role that we have played in Sherbrook and Trois-Rivières is what has built us up and we have absolutely no intention of abandoning it, on the contrary...". The licensee also undertook to reallocate the human and technical resources which will thereby be made available in Trois-Rivières and Rimouski in order to improve its local news services by providing more indepth analysis and backgrounding material.

The Commission requires the licensee to meet its commitment to ensure adequate representation of the Rimouski and Trois-Rivières regions in productions for the network that will originate for the most part with CFCM-TV and CHLT-TV. Further, in line with the licensee's commitment, the Commission imposes a condition of licence requiring that CFCM-TV, CHLT-TV, CHEM-TV and CFER-TV meet the combined minimum commitment of 50 hours per week of locally-produced programs, excluding the proposed 4 hours and 15 minutes of co-productions which would also qualify as local programming. The licensee is required to submit a report to the Commission, before the commencement of each fall and winter program season, listing the network and local programs as well as a description of the regional programs to be distributed by the Réseau Pathonic.

At the hearing the licensee emphasized in this regard, its past achievements and stated that it has consistently exceeded its minimum commitments in terms of local production. The Commission encourages the licensee to continue these efforts. It has also taken note of the licensee's plans with respect to international co-productions to be produced through Pathonic International Inc., particularly electronic animation and children's programs. The Commission will want to be assured that the spin-offs of these intiatives benefit French-language television broadcasting in Quebec and in Canada and do not interfere with its commitments to local production.

Fernand Bélisle
Secretary General