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Ottawa, 31 August 1993
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Decision CRTC 93-554
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Rogers Cable T.V. Limited
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Calgary (part of) and Crossfield, Alberta - 921788600 - 912303500
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Licence renewal and amendment to condition of licence
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Pursuant to Public Notice CRTC 1993-73 dated 1 June 1993, the Commission renews the Class 1 licence held by Rogers Cable T.V. Limited (Rogers), for the cable distribution undertaking serving the areas noted above, from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999. This term will enable the Commission to consider the renewal of this licence at the same time as that of other cable systems in the area.
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The operation of this undertaking is regulated pursuant to Parts I and II of the Cable Television Regulations, 1986 (the regulations) and the licence will be subject to the conditions in effect under the current licence, as well as to those conditions specified in this decision and in the licence to be issued.
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In another application gazetted prior to its renewal application under Public Notice CRTC 1993-26 dated 30 March 1993, the licensee requested the addition of a condition of licence authorizing the distribution of sponsorship credits on its special programming channel devoted to ethnic multicultural programs. Specifically, the licensee asked that the description of the permissible content of such credits include a sponsor's logo and telephone number, as well as sound and/or visual images, whether moving or fixed. While this application was supported in numerous interventions by various groups, individuals and organizations in the community, it was opposed in interventions filed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Alberta Broadcasters Association. Both of these interveners contended that approval of the licensee's request would siphon advertising revenues away from the licensees of conventional over-the-air broadcasters serving the Calgary market.
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The Commission has considered the interveners' arguments, but is satisfied that the licensee's request should have no undue financial impact on other broadcasters and it is, therefore, approved.
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Accordingly, the licensee is authorized to continue to distribute, at its option, the special programming service consisting of ethnic and multicultural programs.
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It is a condition of licence that the licensee shall not distribute as part of this ethnic special programming service any commercial message other than sponsorship credits combining no more than the logo, name, address, the telephone number and the type of activity or profession of the sponsor. The sponsorship credits may contain sound and/or visual images, whether moving or fixed. The sponsorship credits shall have no purpose other than to acknowledge, in a concise and direct manner, the sponsor's contribution and shall at no time constitute a detailed description or promotional device.
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The Commission reminds the licensee that no paid public service announcements may be distributed as part of this ethnic service, other than those whose content conforms to the above-stated description of a permissible sponsorship credit. The Commission also reminds the licensee that no conventional advertising may be distributed as part of this service. Consistent with Decision CRTC 88-684, in addition to the services required or authorized to be distributed pursuant to the applicable sections of the regulations, the licensee is authorized, by condition of licence, to continue to distribute, on the Crossfield portion of the system, at its option, CFRN-TV-6 Red Deer, received over the air, as part of the basic service.
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The licensee is also authorized to continue to distribute, at its option, as part of the basic service, KSPS-TV (PBS), KHQ-TV (NBC), KXLY-TV (ABC) and KREM-TV (CBS) Spokane, Washington, received via microwave. The licensee is further authorized to continue to distribute, at its option, on audio channels of the undertaking, KMBI-FM, KXLY-FM, KISC-FM, KDRK-FM, KEZE-FM and KZZU Spokane, received via microwave, and the audio signals of The Arts and Entertainment Network and The Nashville Network, received via microwave, as part of the basic service.
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The licensee is also authorized to continue to distribute, at its option, without advertising material, except that contained in programs which are being rebroadcast, replays of Canadian programs broadcast by CICT-TV (formerly CKKX-TV) Calgary.
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The Commission also authorizes the licensee to continue to distribute, at its option, and without advertising material, special programming services consisting of pay television promotional material, children's programming, City of Calgary Information Guide, and religious programs.
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It is a condition of licence that the licensee delete commercial messages from television signals received from broadcasting stations not licensed to serve Canada, and substitute suitable replacement material therefor. The licensee is authorized to continue the level and scope of the current deletion and substitution activities. The licensee is not authorized to increase the scope of such activities in any way.
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In Decision CRTC 88-684, the Commission relieved Rogers, by condition of licence, from the requirement to distribute the priority signal of CITV-TV-1 Red Deer on the Calgary basic system, in view of serious potential program rights issues. In the current application, Rogers has requested continued relief from this requirement.
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Therefore, it is a condition of licence that the licensee need not distribute the signal of CITV-TV-1 Red Deer as part of the basic service on that part of its cable system serving part of Calgary.
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The Commission reaffirms the particular importance it attaches to the development of community programming and has taken note of the annual budgets that will be allocated for this purpose during the new licence term. The Commission expects the licensee to increase its community programming budget during the next term to the 5% bench mark level established by the Commission.
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In Public Notice CRTC 1992-59 dated 1 September 1992 and entitled "Implementation of an Employment Equity Policy", the Commission announced that the employment equity practices of broadcasters would be subject to examination by the Commission. It encourages the licensee to consider employment equity issues in its hiring practices and in all other aspects of its management of human resources.
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The Commission acknowledges the numerous interventions submitted by members of both communities in support of this application.
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Allan J. Darling
Secretary General
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