|
Decision
|
|
Ottawa, 6 April 1989
|
|
Decision CRTC 89-105
|
|
Okanagan Valley Television Co. Ltd.
|
|
Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Oliver, Salmon Arm, Enderby, Celesta, Skaha Lake, Canoe, Apex Mountain and Revelstoke, British Columbia -881050900
|
|
Following a Public Hearing in Vancouver commencing 25 October 1988, the Commission renews the broadcasting licences for CHBC-TV Kelowna and its rebroadcasting undertakings from 1 September 1989 to 31 August 1994, subject to the conditions specified in the appendix to this decision and in the licences to be issued.
|
|
Okanagan Valley Television Co. Ltd. (Okanagan), licensee of CHBC-TV, is owned equally by British Columbia Broadcasting Company Ltd. (British Columbia Broadcasting) and Selkirk Communications Limited (Selkirk). British Columbia Broadcasting also owns 100% of British Columbia Television Broadcasting System Ltd., licensee of CHAN-TV Vancouver, and 100% of CHEK-T.V. Limited, licensee of CHEK-TV Victoria. Selkirk is the licensee of a number of Canadian radio and television broadcasting undertakings. The Commission has received applications for the transfer of effective control of Selkirk to Maclean Hunter Limited and for the subsequent transfer of Selkirk's interest in Okanagan to British Columbia Broadcasting which, if approved, would result in the licensee company becoming wholly-owned by British Columbia Broadcasting. The Commission is to consider these applications at a later date.
|
|
CHBC-TV is an affiliate of the CBC English-language Television Network and, together with its rebroadcasters, provides the CBC network service to some 50 communities in the southern Interior region of British Columbia, including Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon.
|
|
Over the course of the current licence term, CHBC-TV has performed very well in terms of its programming commitments and requirements. With respect to local programming, CHBC-TV has increased the level of original hours from 13 hours 30 minutes in 1980/81 to 14 hours 47 minutes per week. Over the same period, the licensee has extended its local production effort from primarily news and documentary programs to include a magazine-style children's series entitled "Rattlebag" and a series on the history and heritage of British Columbia, "Gold Trails and Ghost Towns". This latter program, which is also aired on CFJC-TV Kamloops and CBUT Vancouver, has become part of the curriculum of several school districts in CHBC-TV's coverage area. Recognizing that its market has a significantly high proportion of older residents, CHBC-TV, in co-operation with CFJC-TV Kamloops, also produces a series for seniors, "The Plus Generation".
|
|
In the fall of 1988, CHBC-TV, together with CFJC-TV, CKPG-TV Prince George, CFTK-TV Terrace and CHEK-TV Victoria, began producing "The B.C. Music Project". This series of programs, which is designed to showcase musical talent on a province-wide basis, is co-ordinated by the Victoria station. Each participating station is responsible for producing music videos of local groups and contributing to the production cost of the program. The Commission commends the licensee for its participation in this project.
|
|
Based on the licensee's accomplishments as reviewed at the Vancouver hearing, the Commission is satisfied with CHBC-TV's performance during the current licence term. In particular, the Commission notes the licensee's efforts to increase the amount and type of local programming it provides viewers in the Okanagan Valley and for its active participation in co-operation with other British Columbia broadcasters in special program projects.
|
|
In its renewal application, the licensee stated that the studio and office facilities of CHBC-TV were renovated in 1988 at a capital cost of $1 million, resulting in a 38% expansion in the station's production space. This has enabled CHBC-TV to upgrade its post-production and editing facilities and to computerize its newsroom; as well, provision has been made for a second studio at a future date.
|
|
At the hearing, Okanagan identified its general strategy for the future. With the growing multiplicity of services available to its viewers on cable and via satellite, the licensee has found it necessary to re-evaluate its role in its market. To distinguish itself from the competition, CHBC-TV has opted to place increasing emphasis on the quality of its local programs. At the hearing, the licensee stated its intention to provide more varied and distinctive local productions during the new licence term.
|
|
CHBC-TV's goal is to be regarded as "The Okanagan's Very Own". To this effect, it identified eleven long-term objectives which include offering a well-balanced program schedule with an emphasis on Canadian programs; upgrading its production facilities; producing more co-operative programs; continuing to educate its staff; improving and expanding its local programs; increasing its community involvement; and acquiring closed captioned programming when available.
|
|
Beginning in 1988/89 and continuing in the new licence term, CHBC-TV undertook to increase its amount of local programming to 15 hours 45 minutes per week of original local productions. In addition to continuing to produce the existing local programs noted earlier, CHBC-TV will offer late evening local news programs on weekends, produce music specials featuring local artists, and produce "a minimum of eight half-hour prime time documentaries that are relevant to the Okanagan Valley". CHBC-TV will also continue to contribute to the CBC regional production "This Week in B.C.".
|
|
The Commission expects the licensee to adhere to its commitment to broadcast, at a minimum, 15 hours 45 minutes per week of original local productions and encourages the licensee to continue to pursue programming projects in co-operation with other broadcasters so as to enhance the quality of its local programs.
|
|
According to its financial projections, CHBC-TV will expend $1,434,000 on Canadian programming in the first year of the new licence term. As stated in the Public Notice introducing this and other television renewal decisions issued today, the Commission expects licensees of television stations that earned less than $10 million in total advertising revenues in 1987/88 to adhere to their minimum projected first-year expenditures for Canadian programming, at a minimum, and to adjust such expenditures in subsequent years in accordance with the prescribed formula, which is linked to station advertising revenues. The Commission is satisfied that this approach offers a reasonable and fair means of ensuring that the Canadian program expenditures of each station keep pace with changes in its revenues. Accordingly, inasmuch as CHBC-TV's advertising revenues in 1987/88 were less than $10 million, this expectation applies in respect of this station.
|
|
The Commission notes that over the past few years CHBC-TV has been actively involved with the Okanagan's native learning resource centre, the En'owkin Centre, in Penticton. The Commission notes further that the licensee has committed $10,000 in cash and an equal value in indirect expenditures to develop scripts from the Centre into half-hour docudramas for each of the next four to six years.
|
|
The Commission commends the licensee for its initiatives with respect to the matter of sex-role stereotyping. These include airing public service announcements and establishing a staff committee that pre-screens programs and commercials. The Commission also notes that CHBC-TV plans to conduct seminars for staff and to broadcast an open-line public forum program with a Mediawatch representative as an invited guest to discuss sex-role stereotyping issues and guidelines.
|
|
CHBC-TV projects that it will expend $2.6 million on technical improvements during the new licence term, including the development of microwave delivery to its two primary rebroadcasters at Penticton and Vernon and the acquisition of new cameras and a complete post-production facility.
|
In renewing these licences, the Commission authorizes the licensee to make use of the Vertical Blanking Interval. The Commission expects the licensee to adhere to the guidelines set out in Appendix A to Public Notice CRTC 1989-23 dated 23 March 1989 entitled "Services Using the Vertical Blanking Interval (Television) or Subsidiary Communications Multiplex Operation (FM)".
|
|
At present, the licensee does not provide closed captioning of its local programming. It stated at the hearing, however, that it has budgeted to purchase a closed captioning unit this year with which it intends to experiment in order to determine whether and to what extent it will be able to caption local programs. The licensee also stated that it has held discussions on the matter of closed captioning with the Okanagan Neurological Association, the Okanagan Club of the Deaf and the Kelowna Club for the Hearing Impaired.
|
|
In the Commission's opinion, the licensee possesses the financial capability to initiate concrete steps that will address the local program needs of its deaf and hearing-impaired viewers. Subject to the licensee's discussions with the above-noted organizations, these steps may include, at the outset, the captioning of local news headlines. The Commission expects the licensee to file a report with the Commission by 1 July 1989 outlining its progress to date and its plans concerning the closed captioning of its local programming.
|
|
The Commission also expects CHBC-TV to obtain a telephone device for the deaf (TDD) during the first year of the new licence term and to install it wherever is most appropriate, such as in the master control room, to ensure access by deaf and hearing-impaired viewers over the entire broadcast day.
|
|
Overall, taking into account the licensee's commitments to contribute to the production of high quality Canadian programs over the next five years, particularly in terms of local programs, the Commission is satisfied that the licences for CHBC-TV and its rebroadcasters should be renewed for a full term.
|
|
Interventions in response to CHBC-TV's renewal application were submitted by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). Matters raised in these interventions have been addressed in the Public Notice introducing this and other television renewal decisions issued today.
|
|
Fernand Bélisle
Secretary General
|
|
APPENDIX
|
|
Conditions of licence for CHBC-TV Kelowna, and its rebroadcasting undertakings: CHBC-TV-1 Penticton, CHBC-TV-2 Vernon, CHBC-TV-3 Oliver, CHBC-TV-4 Salmon Arm, CHBC-TV-5 Enderby, CHBC-TV-6 Celesta, CHBC-TV-7 Skaha Lake, CHBC-TV-8 Canoe, CHBC-TV-9 Apex Mountain and CHRP-TV-2 Revelstoke, British Columbia
|
|
1. The licensee shall operate this broadcasting undertaking as part of the English-language television network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
|
|
2. The licensee shall adhere to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' self-regulatory guidelines on sex-role stereotyping, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.
|
|
3. The licensee shall adhere to the provisions of the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children published by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.
|
|
|