|
|
|
|
|
|
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
|
Québec, Aguanish/Natashquan, Baie-Comeau, Baie-Johan-Beetz, Beauceville, Blanc-Sablon, Cap-Chat, Carleton, Causapscal, Chandler, Cloridorme, Gaspé, Gethsémanie/La Romaine, Grande Vallée, Gros-Morne, Harrington Harbour, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Lac-Etchemin, Lac-Humqui, Lac-Mégantic, L'Anse-à-Valleau, La Tabatière, Latour, Les Méchins, Longue-Pointe, Marsoui, Matane, Mont-Climont, Mont-Louis, Mont-Louis-en-Haut, Murdochville, Old Fort Bay, Percé, Port-Daniel, Rimouski, Rivière-à-Claude, Rivière-au-Renard, Rivière-au-Tonnerre, Rivière-Saint-Paul, Sept-Iles, Saint-Augustin-Saguenay, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Saint-Fabien-de-Panet, Saint-René-de-Matane, Stoneham, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Tewkesbury and Thetford Mines, Quebec - 199711974
|
Licence renewal for CBVT Québec and its transmitters
|
1. Following a Public Hearing in Québec beginning on 27 January 1998, the Commission renews the broadcasting licence for the television programming undertaking CBVT Québec and the transmitters listed in the appendix to this decision, from 1 September 1998 to 31 August 2003, 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.
|
2. Although the licence term granted herein is less than the maximum of seven years permitted by the Broadcasting Act, this does not reflect concern on the part of the Commission regarding the licensee's performance. Rather, it reflects due regard to the rapid pace of change in the television industry in the Province of Quebec and the potential implications for CBVT and other affiliates of the next renewal of the licence for the French-language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which expires 31 August 1999.
|
3. At the Public Hearing, the representatives of the CBC agreed with the Commission that some issues raised at the hearing have such substantial implications that they should be addressed as a group, in the context of the licence renewal for the CBC's French-language television network. These issues include the following:
|
· the scope of collaboration with the network on local programming produced at Québec or elsewhere in the province for network broadcast;
|
· the extent of the flexibility provided by network availabilities to permit affiliates to break away for the broadcast of local programming;
|
· the availability of prime time segments to broadcast local programming in the regions other than news;
|
· programming exchanges between CBVT and the CBC's specialty service Réseau de l'information (RDI);
|
· the special role of CBVT in serving Eastern Quebec;
|
· the implications of regional independent production on the network's production activities;
|
· evaluation of the system put in place by the CBC to consider proposals by independent producers;
|
· the scope of contributions and commitments to, and a report on the development of different methods of, closed captioning for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, including the CBC's commitment to implement live captioning of all regional Ce Soir programs by 2000.
|
4. As discussed at the public hearing, the Commission requests the CBC to submit its views on the above issues in its application for the next licence renewal of its French-language television network. This will allow the Commission to re-examine, within a reasonable period of time, the implications of these issues for the operation of CBVT at the time it considers the next renewal of the station's licence.
|
5. The Commission notes that, during the current licence term, CBVT exceeded its commitments relating to the broadcast of local news programming. For the new term, the CBC committed to broadcast an average of 9 hours per week of local production on CBVT, consisting of 6 hours 10 minutes of news programming and 2 hours 50 minutes of other programming. The Commission expects the licensee to adhere to its Promise of Performance commitment to broadcast, on an annual basis, a minimum weekly average of 6 hours 10 minutes of local news programming during the new licence term. The Commission encourages the CBC to diversify as much as possible the types of local programming broadcast by CBVT.
|
6. The Commission notes that the 2 hours 50 minutes of other programming mentioned above consists mainly of programs produced at Québec for full network broadcast by CBC French-language television. In this regard, the CBC indicated at the hearing that, to utilize the full potential of CBVT and the many resources available in the greater Québec area, CBVT has become the CBC's sole regional facility for producing network programming. Accordingly, regular production of some of the network's basic programming now takes place at Québec, including La Semaine verte, a program about agriculture and agri-food; Second Regard, a program on spiritual themes; and the youth's program Flip Flop as well as several program specials, over the course of the year. The CBC also indicated that approximately 10 hours of programming for RDI are also produced at Québec, bringing the CBC's total weekly television production in Québec to an average of 20 hours per week.
|
7. The Commission notes the CBC's efforts to provide better service to the large region of Eastern Quebec through the regional services plan implemented in 1990. Since September 1995, CBVT has broadcast Québec Ce Soir Est, a news edition aimed specifically at viewers in Eastern Quebec. Also, in September 1997, the program was expanded from 10 minutes to 18 minutes 30 seconds a day Monday to Friday. To facilitate production outside of Québec City, and in Eastern Quebec in particular, the licensee stated at the hearing that it has purchased a mobile unit and a truck with microwave and satellite capability. It also stated that the strategy of the CBC's French-language network is to ensure that production of as many episodes as possible of programs that would normally have been produced in Montréal will be moved to regional centres to provide contact with residents of the regions.
|
8. The Commission also notes the fact that the CBC at Québec has introduced a system designed to foster collaboration with the independent production industry. This mechanism will facilitate evaluation of program proposals submitted by independent producers for regional or network broadcast. The Commission noted the program proposals currently being considered or in development, and encourages the CBC to continue this co-operative involvement with the independent production industry.
|
9. It is a condition of licence that the CBC adhere to its current self-regulatory guidelines on violence in television programming and, as a minimum, to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB) Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programming, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.
|
10. It is a condition of licence that the CBC adhere to its Revised CBC Guidelines on Sex-Role Portrayal dated 12 August 1991 as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission and, as a minimum, to the CAB's Sex-Role Portrayal Code for Television and Radio Programming, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.
|
11. It is a condition of licence that the CBC adhere to the standards for children's advertising set out in the Corporation's Advertising Standards Policy C-5 dated 9 May 1990 and entitled Advertising Directed to Children Under 12 Years of Age, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission, provided that the policy meets, as a minimum, the standards set out in the CAB's Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.
|
12. In addition, it is a condition of licence that the CBC not broadcast any commercial message during any child-directed programming nor any child-directed commercial message between programs directed to children of pre-school age. For the purpose of this condition, programs directed to children and scheduled before 12:00 noon during school-day morning hours will be deemed to be programs directed to children of pre-school age.
|
13. In addition to the 12 minutes of advertising material permitted by subsection 11(1) of the Television Broadcasting Regulations, 1987, the licensee may, by condition of licence, broadcast infomercials as defined in Public Notice CRTC 1994-139 and in accordance with the criteria contained in that public notice, as amended.
|
14. With regard to the closed captioning of programs, the CBC committed to provide full captioning by 2000 of the local news and public affairs program Québec Ce Soir, broadcast daily from Monday to Friday by CBVT. Pursuant to the commitment by the CBC, and as agreed at the public hearing, it is a condition of licence that CBVT's local newscast be fully captioned by 2000, including live inserts. The Commission encourages the CBC to make every effort to implement its new captioning service before the target date of 2000. As indicated at the beginning of this decision, the Commission intends to re-examine the issue of closed captioning at the next licence renewal for the CBC's French-language television network.
|
15. The Commission notes that this licensee is subject to the Employment Equity Act that came into effect on 24 October 1996 (1996 EEA), and therefore files reports concerning employment equity with Human Resources Development Canada. As a result of a consequential amendment to the Broadcasting Act, the Commission no longer has the authority to apply its employment equity policy to any undertaking that is subject to the 1996 EEA.
|
16. The Commission acknowledges the active participation at this public hearing by several interveners from Québec and the surrounding area who are involved in socio-economic issues. The Commission notes their concerns relating to television production in Québec and the progress made with respect to regional coordination following the audiovisual industry forum held at Québec in March 1997.
|
This decision is to be appended to the licence.
|
Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General
|
This document is available in alternative format upon request.
|
|
|
CBST-7 Aguanish/Natashquan
CBST-19 Baie-Comeau
CBST-8 Baie-Johan-Beetz
CBVT-6 Beauceville
CBST-17 Blanc-Sablon
CBGAT-6 Cap-Chat
CBGAT-14 Carleton
CBGAT-5 Causapscal
CBGAT-15 Chandler
CBGAT-16 Cloridorme
CBGAT-17 Gaspé
CBST-9 Gethsémanie/La Romaine
CBGAT-3 Grande Vallée
CBGAT-9 Gros-Morne
CBST-11 Harrington Harbour
CBST-1 Havre-Saint-Pierre
CBVT-4 Lac-Etchemin
CBGAT-19 Lac-Humqui
CBVT-3 Lac-Mégantic
CBGAT-18 L'Anse-à-Valleau
CBST-13 La Tabatière
CJBR-TV-1 Latour
CBGAT-23 Les Méchins
CBST-18 Longue-Pointe
CBGAT-8 Marsoui
CBGAT Matane
CBGAT-1 Mont-Climont
CBGAT-4 Mont-Louis
CBGAT-10 Mont-Louis-en-Haut
CBGAT-2 Murdochville
CBST-15 Old Fort Bay
CBGAT-20 Percé
CBGAT-21 Port-Daniel
CJBR-TV Rimouski
CBGAT-13 Rivière-à-Claude
CBGAT-22 Rivière-au-Renard
CBST-6 Rivière-au-Tonnerre
CBST-16 Rivière-Saint-Paul
CBST Sept-Iles
CBST-14 Saint-Augustin-Saguenay
CBGAT-11 Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
CBVT-5 Saint-Fabien-de-Panet
CBGAT-7 Saint-René-de-Matane
CBVT-8 Stoneham
CBST-12 Tête-à-la-Baleine
CBVT-7 Tewkesbury
CBVT-9 Thetford Mines
|