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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2003-156
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Ottawa, 15 May 2003
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The Biography Channel (Canada) Corp.
Across Canada
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Application 2002-0666-6
Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2002-70
14 November 2002
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Licence amendment for The Biography Channel - addition of program categories
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The Commission approves an application to amend the licence for The Biography Channel by adding to the list of program categories that may be broadcast by the service.
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The application
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1.
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The Commission received an application by The Biography Channel (Canada) Corp. to amend condition of licence no.1 for The Biography Channel Category 1 speciality service by adding the following program categories to the list of program categories that may be broadcast:
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- 2a Analysis and interpretation
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- 5a Formal education and pre-school
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- 11 General entertainment and human interest.
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2.
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The applicant submitted that approval of the application would not change the overall orientation of The Biography Channel. According to the applicant, program producers classify many programs that focus on aspects of the biography genre in category 2a (Analysis and interpretation) or in category 11 (General entertainment and human interest). The applicant indicated that it would like to broadcast programs from category 5a (Formal education and pre-school) because it plans to develop an educational service that would be offered to schools across the country. It would like to broadcast programs from category 10 (Game show) to provide entertaining and innovative ways for viewers to test their knowledge of people, places and things.
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3.
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The applicant stated that it would accept a limitation on the amount of programming to be drawn from category 5a and category 10, respectively, to no more than 10% of all programming broadcast during the broadcast week, with the exception of programming of a biographical nature.
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Current condition of licence
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4.
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The Biography Channel - a new specialty channel, Decision CRTC 2000-460, 14 December 2000 and Decision CRTC 2000-460-1, 12 December 2001, included the following condition of licence defining the nature of service that The Biography Channel could provide:
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Nature of service
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1. a) The licensee shall provide a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service consisting of fact-based biographical and related programming.
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b) The programming must be drawn exclusively from the following categories, as set out in Schedule I to the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990:
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- 7c Specials, mini-series, made-for-TV feature films
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- 7d Theatrical feature films aired on TV
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- 13 Public service announcements
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- 14 Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos.
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c) No more than 10% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 2b, with the exception of programming of a biographical nature.
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d) No more than 20% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 7d.
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Interventions
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5.
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The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application.
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The Commission's determination
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6.
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The Commission considers that the addition of categories 2a, 5a, 10 and 11 to the list of program categories that The Biography Channel may broadcast, with a limit of 10% on programming drawn from categories 5a and 10, will not fundamentally alter the essence of the service. However, the Commission does not consider that programming of biographical nature should be excluded from the 10% limitation on programming drawn from categories 5a and 10. Accordingly, the Commission approves the application to amend condition of licence no. 1 for The Biography Channel to provide as follows:
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1. a) The licensee shall provide a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service consisting of fact-based biographical and related programming.
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b) The programming must be drawn exclusively from the following categories, as set out in Schedule I to the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990:
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- 2a Analysis and interpretation
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- 5a Formal education and pre-school
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- 7c Specials, mini-series, made-for-TV feature films
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- 7d Theatrical feature films aired on TV
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- 11 General entertainment and human interest
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- 13 Public service announcements
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- 14 Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos.
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c) No more than 10% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 2b, with the exception of programming of a biographical nature.
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d) No more than 20% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 7d.
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e) No more than 10% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 5a.
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f) No more than 10% of all programming broadcast during each broadcast week shall be drawn from category 10.
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7.
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The Commission reminds the applicant that the programming broadcast from categories 2a, 5a, 10 and 11 must be of biographical nature and comply with The Biography Channel's condition of licence no. 1 specifying the nature of its service.
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Secretary General
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This decision is to be appended to the licence. It is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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Date Modified: 2003-05-15