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Public Notice
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Ottawa, 7 May 1987
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Public Notice CRTC 1987-124
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Report from the CBC concerning Local Programming at CBNLT Labrador City and its rebroadcaster CBNLT-1 Churchill Falls
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Related Documents: Public Notice CRTC 1986-72 dated 24 March 1986 and Decision CRTC 86-997 dated 8 October 1986.
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At a Public Hearing in Wabush, Newfoundland on 18 November 1985 the Commission considered an application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to amend the licences for the above-noted television undertakings by deleting the condition of licence requiring the programs broadcast by these stations to be received from studios located at Labrador City and by replacing it with a condition of licence stipulating that the programs be received from CBNT St. John's, Newfoundland.
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In Public Notice CRTC 1986-72, the Commission expressed concern that the CBC, as a cost-cutting measure, had terminated the 75 minutes per week of local live television production as of 31 March 1985, without prior consultation with the community or authorization from the Commission.
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The Commission further indicated that:
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before contemplating the elimination of local television service in isolated communities, it is incumbent upon the CBC to assess very carefully all the implications of such a decision in consultation with the communities involved.
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The notice also emphasized that "a communications strategy must be developed to determine how best to meet the immediate and future communication needs of the residents". To this end, Commissioner James Robson was appointed to consult with the CBC and the Mayors of Wabush and Labrador City to arrive at a satisfactory solution.
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In Decision CRTC 86-997, the Commission acknowledged the measures that the CBC had implemented since the November 1985 hearing in order to improve its service to Labrador City and Wabush. The decision described the positions of the parties involved and the matters discussed at the consultation which took place on 26 June 1986. The decision also expressed concern that the elimination of local television service was a serious deprivation for these communities. Nevertheless, the Commission considered that it would be unreasonable to expect the CBC to reinstate completely the former level of local origination on CBNLT Labrador City, given the budget cuts the Corporation had sustained.
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The CBC was required to submit a report within 60 days on the measures that it would implement in order to reinstate the production of a reasonable amount of local television programming.
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On 5 December 1986 the CBC filed its report which has been placed on the public examination file. The report notes that three representatives of the Corporation met with representatives of the two communities (Labrador City and Wabush) on 12 November 1986 in an effort to reach agreement on "a programming package" that would be acceptable to all sides.
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To this end, the Corporation indicated that it was proposing the addition of a regular four-minute local news summary to be broadcast immediately prior to the regional supper hour program "Here and Now", Monday to Friday between 17:56 and 18:00. It also indicated that it would continue to provide the two minutes of local public service announcements between 18:58 and 19:00 on weekdays by means of a character generator; and that it would maintain local radio input from Labrador City and Wabush on its Goose Bay station as well as ensuring provision for emergency broadcasting. The CBC also committed to maintain a journalist and camera person in the Wabush/Labrador City area who would be responsible for providing regular news coverage of the area for inclusion in the provincial early evening news program produced at CBNT St. John's.
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The report also summarized the community representatives' request that full local service be restored, including the reinstatement of a half-hour weekday morning interview program, the provision of eight minutes per day of local news and assurance of "a weekend presence at the station for weather and other emergencies".
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The Corporation regretted that, despite intense discussion, it was not possible to arrive at an acceptable compromise.
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The report further stated:
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While the Corporation is deeply sympathetic to the concern Wabush and Labrador City area residents have continued to express for the maintenance of a local television programming service, the Corporation's desire to provide programming on a level that is satisfactory to these communities remains frustrated by our continuing budgetary problems.
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The CBC reiterated that its proposal represented "the maximum level of service we can regularly provide Wabush/Labrador City residents on the basis of existing resources".
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In letters to the Commission dated 6 and 18 February 1987, the Mayors of Labrador City and Wabush, respectively, expressed their disappointment at the outcome of the 12 November meeting, reiterated the areas of contention and outlined the minimal amount of local service that would be acceptable to the communities. This would include the reinstatement of eight minutes of local news and sports features on the regional supper-hour newscast, continuation of the present level of character-generated community notices and provision for adequate weekend updates of local weather forecasts, emergency access measures and "a reasonable amount of coverage of local special events".
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The Commission reaffirms the view expressed in Decision CRTC 86-997, that progress towards an amicable resolution of this matter could be aided greatly by the establishment of a community liaison group in Labrador City/Wabush whose members would maintain ongoing communication with the Corporation, with a view to developing and maintaining relevant local programming on CBNLT. It is expected that, on the basis of its experience, the Corporation should initiate the establishment of such a group and advise the Commission of any developments.
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The Commission considers the Corporation's intention to provide a regular four-minute local news summary Monday to Friday to be a positive initiative in terms of the provision of local television programming at CBNLT. In this respect, it requires the Corporation to file a report within 30 days of the date of this notice with an implementation schedule for the local television programming service it proposes to make available to the Labrador City/Wabush area.
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The Commission will review this matter with the Corporation at the time of the renewal of the licence of CBNLT, which expires on 31 August 1988, and intends to hear this and other CBC renewal applications for the Atlantic region early in the fall of this year.
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Fernand Bélisle Secretary General
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