ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 95-112

Decision

Ottawa, 24 March 1995

Decision CRTC 95-112

CKPG Television Limited

Prince George, Hixon, Mackenzie and Quesnel, British Columbia - 941003600

Licence renewal for CKPG-TV Prince George 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 CKPG-TV Prince George and its transmitters CKPG-TV-1 Hixon, CKPG-TV-4 Mackenzie and CKPG-TV-5 Quesnel, from 1 September 1995 to 31 August 2002, subject to the conditions in effect under the current licence and to those conditions specified in the appendix to this decision and in the licence to be issued.

The licensee operates as an affiliate of the CBC's English-language television network.

CKPG-TV Television Limited is wholly-owned by Monarch Broadcasting Ltd. which, in turn, is wholly-owned by Monarch Communications Inc. For its part, Monarch Communications Inc. is ultimately controlled by Willard H. Yuill.

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 area they are licensed to serve.

(i) Local news

At the time of CKPG-TV's last licence renewal, approved in Decision CRTC 89-108 dated 6 April 1989, the licensee made a commitment to broadcast 9 hours 6 minutes of original local news each week. According to the Commission's monitoring of CKPG-TV's programming logs, the station achieved 9 hours 58 minutes of original local news each week in the 1991-1992 broadcast year, but dropped to only 6 hours 30 minutes per week in the 1992-1993 broadcast year.

When asked to explain the shortfall occurring in 1992-1993, the licensee stated that, beginning in June 1992, it reduced CKPG-TV's local, weekday supper-time newscast from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. The licensee stated that a decrease in local advertising revenues during the current licence term affected the station's capacity to maintain an hour-long supper-time newscast. Nevertheless, the licensee maintained that CKPG-TV's thirty-minute, local newscast actually provides more local news because it offers in-depth coverage of local stories, whereas the previous hour-long broadcast had contained only 20 minutes of local news and sports with the remainder of the program consisting of national and provincial stories. The licensee further stated that it did not reduce its budget for local news during the current licence term and noted that it is projecting to increase its expenditures on local news beginning in the fourth year of the new licence term. The Commission is satisfied that the licensee has provided a reasonable explanation.

In its renewal application, the licensee stated that, during the new licence term, it will increase its local news coverage to include reflection of communities outside Prince George, such as Mackenzie, Quesnel and Vanderhoof.

The Commission expects the licensee to adhere to the commitment made in its licence renewal application to broadcast, at a minimum, an average of 6 hours 12 minutes of original local news each week during the new licence term.

The Commission encourages the licensee to expand its local news coverage currently available on the weekends.

(ii) Other local programming

During the new licence term, the licensee will continue to produce other local programs such as "Toon Raiders", a series of locally-produced vignettes combining entertainment, music, variety and educational programming aimed at children. The licensee will also continue to produce local specials about events that affect its viewing public in the music, drama and documentary categories.

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. The Commission notes that the licensee will continue to contribute $6,000 annually to program development.

Service to the deaf and hard of hearing

The Commission notes that, during the current licence term, the licensee installed closed-captioning equipment in its newsroom.

Consistent with its policy approach for closed captioning announced in Public Notice 1995-48, the Commission encourages the licensee, by the end of the new 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 interventions submitted regarding the application for CKPG-TV's licence renewal.

Allan J. Darling
Secretary General

APPENDIX / ANNEXE

Conditions of licence for CKPG-TV Prince George and its transmitters CKPG-TV-1 Hixon, CKPG-TV-4 Mackenzie and CKPG-TV-5 Quesnel

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.