ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Commission Letter addressed to George Tsourgrianis (MyLocalTV.ca)

Ottawa, 23 December 2015

BY E-MAIL

George Tsougrianis
MyLocalTV.ca
1711B Chaplin Street East
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
S9H 1K9

contactus@southwesttvnews.com
contactus@mylocaltv.ca

Invitation to the 25 January 2016 public hearing on local and community television programming 

On 14 September 2015, the Commission formally launched a review of the policy framework for local and community television programming (the Hearing) through Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2015-421 (the Notice). In the Notice, the Commission stated that it would be examining the overall state and funding of locally relevant and locally reflective television programming, including community access programming.

As described in the notice, section 3(1)(i) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act) serves as a guide for this review.  This section of the Act sets policy goals, amongst others, related to the provision of information programming within Canada’s broadcasting system.  Canadians perceive value in this programming such that a poll conducted as a part of the Commission’s Let’s Talk TV policy process 81% of all respondents considered local news programming to be important.  Moreover, local evening newscasts garner an approximate 20% share in some markets. 

 The Commission is also guided by section 3(1)(b) of the Act that recognizes community as one of the three elements of the Canadian broadcasting system.  The opportunities available to Canadians within the broadcasting system to participate and produce programming is important and allows for additional distinctive voices and perspectives to be added to the diversity of voices already available in the system.

Traditional local stations must continue to play an important public service role in producing local news and information programming as well as facilitating the access of Canadians to the broadcasting system.  However, these broadcasters operate as a part of a much larger ecosystem that includes specialty services and many new and emerging contributors operating on any number of platforms.

The MyLocalTV.ca service appears to play a unique role in this larger ecosystem.  While news is often only retransmitted onto the internet,  MyLocalTV.ca appears be rooted in an online platform, serving multiple smaller communities in southwest Saskatchewan with original news and information that may not be readily available in the traditional broadcasting system.  It also appears that this service has carved a sustainable space for itself in Canada’s news and information ecosystem.  As such, you appear to be well positioned to provide the Commission with additional background, comment and analysis on the lessons learned from a small organization that occupies a space in the unlicensed broadcasting system.  You are therefore invited to appear at the Hearing being held at the Conference Centre, Phase IV, Outaouais Room, 140 Promenade du Portage, in Gatineau, Quebec on 26 January 2016. The hearing commences on 25 January 2016 at 9:00 a.m. and is expected to last eight (8) days.  Please see the Appendix for a discussion about hearing procedures and for the current Agenda. 

Among other potential areas for discussion, the Commission would be interested in your views on the evolution of news and information programming in the Canadian context as well as the challenges faced by smaller organizations, particularly those rooted in smaller communities, in the production of in-depth and investigative journalistic content.  In so doing, the Commission may choose to focus, but not necessarily limit its discussion to the following topic areas:

• Tools, such as part-time employment, press agencies and news releases to supplement news and information gathering and the assembly of programming;
• The discoverability of news and information programming, particularly in the online space;
• The monetization of news and information programming, particularly in the online space;

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Craig at 819-997-9394 or by e-mail at michael.craig@crtc.gc.ca .  A copy of this letter will be placed on the public record of the above noted proceeding.

Yours truly,

Scott Hutton
Executive Director,
Broadcasting.

Appendix 1 - Procedural matters and Agenda
Please confirm your presence to the Hearing Secretary (jade.roy@crtc.gc.ca) by no later than 5 January 2016.  At that time, please indicate the following:

• Whether you will appear at the hearing location in Gatineau, by SKYPE or by videoconference from a CRTC regional office (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/offices.htm);

• Your full name, mobile telephone number and email address (or your representative’s information) to be used to contact you immediately preceding and during the hearing, if necessary, to obtain information or to inform you of matters relating to the hearing;
• The names and titles of any representatives who will appear with you at the hearing. Upon arrival at the hearing, please confirm these names with the Hearing Secretary;

• The language in which you intend to make your presentation

The order and estimated date of appearance for participants at the Hearing are set out in the agenda below.  Please monitor the progress of the hearing.  Please note that an audio link will be made available during the Hearing on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca .

You are encouraged to file written material for the public record.  If you wish to do so, your written material should be filed by no later than 11 January 2016.  These submissions will be placed on the Commission’s website and form a part of the public record of the Hearing.  At the hearing, you will be given 10 minutes for your presentation to the Commission following which the Commission may wish to ask questions.
We must be advised in advance of any audio-visual presentation and you will be required to make arrangements to rent technical equipment if necessary. To facilitate the interpretation of these audio-visual presentations, the Commission requests that you provide a transcript (2 copies) for the interpreters at the hearing. Please note that this transcript will not be added to the public record, it is solely for the use of the interpreters.
For ease of translation and transcription, and to assist the Commission panel members and Commission staff, participants are requested to bring 40 copies of:

• your oral presentation as well as any tables, etc., which you intend to use; and
• the seating plan of your presentation panel (view from CRTC panel) .Participants are requested to provide an electronic version of their prepared remarks to the Hearing Secretary and the stenographer prior to their oral presentation.

For specific procedural questions relating to your appearance, please contact the Hearing Secretary by e-mail.  If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Craig at 819-997-9394 or by e-mail at michael.craig@crtc.gc.ca .  A copy of this letter will be placed on the public record of the above noted proceeding.

AGENDA
Gatineau, Quebec
Review of the policy framework for local and community television programming

Commencing 25 January 2016 at 9:00 a.m.

Conference Center
Portage IV
140, Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec

Hearing room: Outaouais
Temporary Examination Room: Papineau – 819-953-3168

Monday, 25 January 2016

1. VICE
2. Eastlink (int. #1482)
3. Télévision communautaire Frontenac (int. #1466)
4. Channel Zero Inc. (int. #1319)
5. Allan Sayegh (int. #242)
6. BCE (int. #1321)
7. Craig Melanson (int. #414)
8. Community Media Advocacy Centre (int. #1468)
9. NewWest.tv (int. #1470)
   
   

   Tuesday, 26 January 2016

   
   
10. Groupe V Média, on behalf of its affiliate V Interactions inc. (int. #1274)
11. FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting (int. #1283)
12. Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (int. #1472)
13. English Language Arts Network (int. #1445)
14. Tri-Cities Community Television (int. #1383)
15. MyLocalTV.ca
16. Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia and Public Interest Advocacy Centre (int. #1258)
17. Kirk LaPointe
18. Jennifer Alderson (int. #42)
19. Conseil provincial du secteur des communications du Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (int. #1457)
    

    Wednesday, 27 January 2016

    
    
20. Cogeco Cable Inc. (int. #1478)
21. Small Market Independent Television Stations Coalition (int. #1476)
22. The Chetwynd Communications Society (int. #1487)
23. Michael Balsom (int. #253)
24. Guy Rouleau (int. #292)
25. Independent Community Television (ICTV-MTL) (int. #1432)
26. Healthy Fam (int. #606)
27. Quebec English-Language Production Council (int. #1384)
28. Friends of Public Services (int. #1062)
29. DERYtelecom (int. #612)
30. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists; the Canadian Media Production Association; the Directors Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada (int. #1351)
    
    

    Thursday, 28 January 2016

31. St. Andrews Community Channel Inc. (int. #1469)
32. Rogers Communications Inc. (int. #1318)
33. Unifor (int. #1288)
34. RNC MEDIA INC. and Télé Inter-Rives ltée (int. #1307)
35. Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada (int. #1529)
36. Stephen Hawkins (int. #1089)
37. Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (int. #1365)
38. NAC TV (int. #1174)
39. On Screen Manitoba (int. #1467)
    
    

    Friday, 29 January 2016

40. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (int. #1343)
41. FauxPop Media (int. #9)
42. CSUR LA TÉLÉ (int. #1380)
43. The Kin Club of Halifax (int. #497)
44. Hay River Community Service Society (int. #1531)
45. Québecor Média inc., on behalf of Groupe TVA inc. and Vidéotron s.e.n.c. (int. #1525)
46. Ross Davies (int. #426)
47. Urban Alliance on Race Relations (int. #1502)
48. Canadian Media Guild (int. #1391)
    

    Monday, 1 February 2016

49. Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (int. #1399)
50. Toronto Community Network/Independent Community Television Toronto (int. #1522)
51. Hunter van Leeuwen (int. #384)
52. MTS Allstream (int. #1479)
53. Fédération nationale des communications (int. #1486)
54. William Brown (int. #772)
55. The Community Media Policy Working Group (int. #1464)
56. Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre (int. #1461)
57. Ontario Library Association (int. #1237)
58. Les Productions 4 Éléments (int. #604)
59. Wawatay Native Communications Society (int. #1462)
60. Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (int. #1473)
    

    Tuesday, 2 February 2016

61. Shaw Communications Inc. (int. #1350)
62. Daniel Vanderlans (int. #301)
63. CIMC TV - Telile (int. #1164)
64. Le Regroupement des TCA de la couronne de Montréal (int. #1159)
65. Kevin Campbell Electric (int. #354)
66. TELUS (int. #1345)
67. Southshore Broadcasting Inc. (int. #520)
68. Dwayne Robicheau (int. #120)
69. Community Media Education Society (int. #1334)
70. Metro Vancouver (int. #1423)
71. The Media Co-op (int. #1109)
    

    Wednesday, 3 February 2016

72. Independent Web Series Creators of Canada (int. #1415)
73. Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (int. #1265)
74. Canadian Olympic Committee (int. #1349)
75. The National Campus and Community Radio Association (int. #1238)
76. Access Communications Co-operative (int. #1290)
77. FirstTel Communications Corporation (int. #1207)
78. Derek Forgie (int. #1228)
79. Making Media Public and the Communications Policy Working Group (int. #1441)
80. Association québécoise de la production médiatique (int. #1201)
81. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (int. #1458)
82. Paul Gallien (int. #106)
83. CableAxion (int. #676)

Date modified:

2015-12-23