ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 95-111

Decision

Ottawa, 24 March 1995

Decision CRTC 95-111

Great Pacific Industries Inc.

Kamloops, Merritt, Clinton, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Chase, Quesnel, Nicola and Pritchard,British Columbia - 940891500

Licence renewal for CFJC-TV Kamloops and its transmitters

Following a Public Hearing held in Vancouver beginning on 1 November 1994, the Commission renews the broadcasting licence for the television programming undertaking consisting of CFJC-TV Kamloops and its transmitters CFJC-TV-3 Merritt, CFJC-TV-4 Clinton, CFJC-TV-5 Williams Lake, CFJC-TV-6 100 Mile House, CFJC-TV-8 Chase, CFJC-TV-11 Quesnel, CFJC-TV-12 Nicola and CFJC-TV-19 Pritchard, from 1 September 1995 to 31 August 2002, subject to the conditions in effect under the current licence term and to those specified in the appendix to this decision and in the licence to be issued.

CFJC-TV is an affiliate of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Great Pacific Industries Inc. is wholly-owned by Jim Pattison Ltd., which in turn is wholly-owned by Jim Pattison of West Vancouver.

Local reflection

In Public Notice CRTC 1995-48 of today's date introducing the decisions renewing this and other privately-owned English-language television stations, the Commission reiterated the importance of the principle of local reflection and reminded television licensees that they have a special responsibility to serve the public within the particular geographic areas they are licenced to serve.

The Commission notes that, during the current licence term, CFJC-TV produced 16 hours 15 minutes of local programming weekly, including news, information and human interest programming.

(i) Local news

The Commission commends the licensee on its performance in the production of local news during the current licence term. According to the Commission's monitoring of CFJC-TV's programming logs, the licensee, over the current licence term, fulfilled the commitment made at the time of the station's last licence renewal, approved in Decision CRTC 89-107 dated 6 April 1989, to broadcast a minimum average of 11 hours 25 minutes of original local news each week. The Commission's monitoring also revealed that CFJC-TV achieved an average of 13 hours 36 minutes of original local news each week in the 1992-1993 broadcast year, and an average of 13 hours 32 minutes of original local news in the 1993-1994 broadcast year.

The Commission expects the licensee to adhere to the commitment made in its renewal application to broadcast a minimum weekly average of 15 hours of original local news during the new licence term, including "live" half-hour supper-time newscasts on Saturday and Sunday.

(ii) Other local programming

The Commission notes that, over the past two broadcast years, CFJC-TV's programming has featured over 650 local individuals and groups. In addition, the Commission is pleased to note the success, during the current licence term, of "Midday", CFJC-TV's current affairs program broadcast Monday to Friday. The licensee plans to continue to broadcast this program over the new licence term. As well, the licensee will continue to co-produce two weekly half-hour programs, namely "Inside Trax", a music showcase, and "Plus Generation", a program targeted to seniors.

(iii) Service to Native people

During the current licence term, the licensee provided airtime on "Midday" to various native groups in CFJC-TV's coverage area to promote their meetings and special events. In addition, the licensee produced three-to-five minute videos featuring activities related to Kamloops' annual pow-wow for broadcast as vignettes between children's programs.

Currently, the licensee is working with the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society to produce two, fifteen-minute programs presenting the views of the Shuswap Tribal Nations on land claims. The licensee plans to broadcast these programs in conjunction with a panel discussion of all sides of this issue. The Commission encourages the licensee to explore the production of similar programs in the future.

Expenditures on Canadian programming

In Public Notice CRTC 1989-27 dated 6 April 1989, the Commission stated that licensees of private, English-language television stations earning $10 million or less in total advertising revenues and network payments annually would be expected to adhere to their projected first-year expenditures for Canadian programming, at a minimum, and adjust such expenditures in subsequent years in accordance with the prescribed formula linked to the station's advertising revenues.

As stated today in Public Notice CRTC 1995-48, the Commission shall continue to expect such licensees to expend on Canadian programming in accordance with the formula. The Commission will continue to apply this expectation in a seamless fashion moving from the current into the new licence term. All policies pertaining to the formula as set out in Public Notices CRTC 1989-27, 1992-28, 1992-89, 1993-93 and 1993-174 will continue to apply, with the clarification that licensees will not be permitted to credit any overexpenditure made in the previous licence term towards Canadian programming expenditures in any year or years of the upcoming licence term.

Accordingly, inasmuch as the licensee's advertising revenues and network payments in the broadcast year ending 31 August 1994 were less than $10 million, the Commission expects the licensee to expend, in the first year of the new licence term, at a minimum, the amount it was expected to expend in the 1994-1995 broadcast year, before consideration of any overexpenditures or underexpenditures from prior years, increased or decreased in accordance with the prescribed formula linked to the station's advertising revenues and network payments. In each subsequent year of the licence term, the Commission expects the licensee's Canadian programming expenditures to be adjusted in accordance with the Commission's prescribed formula.

The Commission notes that the licensee has elected to average the percentage increase in total advertising revenues and network payments over a period of three years. In accordance with the provisions contained in Public Notice CRTC 1995-48, the Commission expects the licensee to adhere to this same three-year averaging mechanism throughout the new licence term.

Program development

The Commission reminds the licensee of the Commission's expectations set out in Public Notice CRTC 1989-27 dated 6 April 1989 and entitled "Overview: Local Television for the 1990s" regarding the important role that local television stations play in program development.

Service to the deaf and hard of hearing

In Decision CRTC 90-107, the Commission encouraged CFJC-TV to continue its efforts to provide, at a minimum, its deaf and hearing-impaired viewers with access to local news headlines through captions (open or closed) or signing. The Commission notes that CFJC-TV did not provide captioning of its programming or signing during the current licence term.

Consistent with its policy approach for closed captioning announced in Public Notice CRTC 1995-48, the Commission encourages the licensee, by the end of the licence term, to caption all local news programming, including live segments, using either real-time captioning or another method capable of captioning live programming.

The Commission also encourages the licensee to close caption at least 90% of all programming during the broadcast day by the end of the licence term.

Employment equity

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. The Commission recognizes the licensee's involvement in various employment equity initiatives including its support of women in broadcasting. The Commission encourages the licensee to continue its efforts in relation to visible minorities, people with disabilities and aboriginal people.

The Commission acknowledges and has considered the many interventions submitted regarding the application for CFJC-TV's licence renewal.

Allan J. Darling
Secretary General

APPENDIX / ANNEXE

Conditions of Licence for CFJC-TV Kamloops and its transmitters CFJC-TV-3 Merritt, CFJC-TV-4 Clinton, CFJC-TV-5 Williams Lake, CFJC-TV-6 100 Mile House, CFJC-TV-8 Chase, CFJC-TV-11 Quesnel, CFJC-TV-12 Nicola and CFJC-TV-19 Pritchard

1. The licensee shall operate this broadcasting undertaking as an affiliate of the English-language television network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

2. The licensee shall adhere to the guidelines on gender portrayal set out in the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB) "Sex-Role Portrayal Code for Television and Radio Programming", as amended from time to time and accepted by the Commission. The application of the foregoing condition of licence will be suspended as long as the licensee remains a member in good standing of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).

3. The licensee shall adhere to the guidelines on the depiction of violence in television programming set out in the CAB's "Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programming", as amended from time to time and accepted by the Commission. The application of the foregoing condition of licence will be suspended as long as the licensee remains a member in good standing of the CBSC.

4. The licensee shall adhere to the provisions of the CAB's "Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children", as amended from time to time and accepted by the Commission.