ARCHIVED - Decision CRTC 2000-40
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Decision CRTC 2000-40 |
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Ottawa, 11 February 2000 |
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Vision TV: Canada's Faith Network/Réseau Religieux Canada Across Canada – 199903290 |
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Application processed by Public Notice CRTC 1999-125 dated 3 August 1999 |
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Summary |
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The Commission denies the application by Vision TV: Canada's Faith Network/Réseau Religieux Canada (Vision) to introduce up to 20 hours each week of local programming inserts. These inserts would have been produced locally in various communities and broadcast only in the communities where they were produced. Vision also proposed to insert up to 12 minutes of local advertising during this local programming. |
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The Commission could not fully assess the impact of this application because Vision did not identify the communities where it planned to introduce local programming. Approval of the application, as filed, would have allowed Vision to broadcast local programming in any community in Canada, including those which already have local religious broadcasting services. The Commission is concerned that Vision's proposal might have had a negative impact on those existing services. Further, it might have diminished the prospects of a local religious broadcaster emerging in markets which do not currently have local religious broadcasting services. |
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Vision is the licensee of the national, English-language specialty programming undertaking that provides interfaith religious programming to distribution undertakings across Canada. It is currently authorized to distribute up to 12 minutes of national advertising material during each clock hour. |
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The application |
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Vision requested authority to introduce up to 20 hours each week of different local programming inserts in various communities across Canada. According to Vision's proposal, programming inserts would be produced locally and broadcast only in the communities where they were produced. Local cable companies would introduce this programming on a voluntary basis. These inserts would conform with the same balance guidelines which govern Vision's national programming. |
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To cover the costs for this programming, Vision also sought authority to insert up to 12 minutes of local advertising during local programming.
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Interventions |
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The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Battlefords Community Cablevision, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and West Coast Media Society submitted interventions in support of this application. Among other things, they argued that approval would provide opportunities for small and locally-based community and religious groups as well as independent producers and television craftspeople. |
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Craig Broadcast Systems Inc. (Craig), the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), the Miracle Channel Association (Miracle Channel) and Trinity Television Inc. (Trinity) intervened against the application. Craig and the CAB argued that Vision did not provide enough information to assess the proposal's impact on local conventional radio and television stations. Craig, the CAB and Trinity maintained that approval would create a precedent for other national specialty services which, to date, have been largely restricted to national advertising. The Miracle Channel and Trinity claimed that granting Vision's request would undermine existing religious broadcasters in Lethbridge and Toronto and would impede efforts by future applicants to obtain broadcasting licences to offer religious broadcasting services in other Canadian markets. Trinity maintained that the proposal would limit diversity and competition within the broadcasting system by extending Vision's monopoly on the distribution of Canadian religious programming. |
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While not opposing the application, the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) wished to ensure that inserting local programming would be voluntary for cable licensees and that Vision would be responsible for all costs. The CCTA also argued that participating cable licensees should have the option of carrying Vision's unmodified national signal in addition to the local programming component. |
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Vision responded that its proposal is intended to offer opportunities for local faith and community groups "to communicate with their own communities on television." It further stated that it will not profit financially from this initiative. The licensee also agreed to all of the CCTA's suggestions. |
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The Commission's findings |
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The Commission cannot fully assess the impact of Vision's application because the licensee did not indicate the communities where it plans to introduce local programming. If approved as filed, Vision's proposal would allow the licensee to broadcast local religious programming in any community in Canada, including those which already have local religious broadcasting services. The Commission is concerned that allowing Vision to offer local programming in these communities might have a negative impact on those existing services. Furthermore, approval might diminish the propects of a local religious broadcaster emerging in markets where there currently are no local religious broadcasting services. For these reasons, the Commission denies Vision's application. The Commission would be prepared to consider individual applications by Vision to offer local programming in specific communities on a market-by-market basis. |
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Secretary General |
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| This decision is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be viewed at the following Internet site: www.crtc.gc.ca |
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