ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Procedural Letter Addressed to Various Parties

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Ottawa, 21 July 2016

BY EMAIL

Nicole Matiation
Executive Director
On Screen Manitoba
nicole@onscreenmanitoba.com

Chantal Nadeau
Executive Director
Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC)
cnadeau@apfc.info

Kirwan Cox
Executive Director
Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC)
kirwancox@sympatico.ca

Guy Rodgers
Executive Director
English-language Arts Network (ELAN)
guyrodgers@quebec-elan.org

Dear Sir or Madam,

RE: Request for data relating to the Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2016-225

I am in receipt of a letter from On Screen Manitoba, the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC), the Quebec English-Language Production Council (QEPC) and the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) (hereinafter: the Groups) dated 24 June, 2016, relating to the renewal of the television licences held by large English- and French-language ownership groups, as outlined in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2016-225 (BNC 2016-225). In this letter, the Groups request access to certain types of information on the services related to the present renewal.

Clarifications are provided below in accordance with the type of data being sought.

Annual report on the groups’ expenditures on programs of national interest (PNI) for the 2011–2012 to 2014–2015 broadcast years: These reports were posted following the end of each broadcast year on the Commission’s website for each designated group (see: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/bcasting/ann_rep/annualrp.htm). Data relating to PNI expenditures for the latest licence term is also available for each group in Appendix 3, attached to the renewal applications and placed on the public record of BNC 2016-225. The data is divided by the language of broadcast and the region where the programs were produced. The data also includes the following: the total number of hours of PNI produced, the total production budget devoted to PNI (in dollars), PNI expenditures as a percentage of the total production budget, the total licence fees (in dollars), PNI expenditures as a percentage of the total licence fees, and PNI expenditures as a percentage of the total Canadian programming expenditures (CPE). However, it should be noted that the licensees are authorized to not disclose the information on their programming in cases where fewer than three programs are involved.

Data related to tangible benefits: This data is available in the tangible benefits reports that are submitted at the end of every broadcast year by Bell Média inc., Corus Entertainment Inc., and Groupe V Média inc. (Remstar). The reports can be found at this link: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/bcasting/ann_rep/annualrp.htm. For the groups concerned, the report also includes the tangible benefits devoted to PNI.

Breakdown of PNI expenditures between productions made by the licensees and those made by independent producers: This breakdown is included in the annual returns that are submitted each year by the licensees and then posted on the Commission’s website. See the following link: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/industr/ann.htm.

Combined data concerning PNI expenditures outside Quebec, for French-language groups, for each region, and for English-language groups: This data can be calculated based on the information provided in Appendix 3 of the renewal applications submitted by the groups (including the French-language groups). For each broadcast year in the latest licence period, the data provided is broken down by region, i.e.: Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies and British Columbia. The appendices (Excel documents) can be found on the public record of BNC 2016-225 under each group’s application number.

In BNC 2016-225, the Commission invited interested parties to submit their views on the renewal applications in question. If you would like more information from the groups, you may choose to file an intervention as part of this process by stating the concerns put forth in your letter so that licensees can respond directly.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Michael Craig,
A/Senior manager, Televison

c.c.: susan.wheeler@rci.rogers.com, sylvie.courtemanche@corusent.com, Kevin.goldstein@bellmedia.ca, Tabet.Peggy@Quebecor.com serge.bellerose55@gmail.com, dean.shaikh@sjrb.ca et aldo@tlntv.com.

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