Broadcasting - Commission Letter addressed to Carmen Lau (Rogers Media Inc.)
Ottawa, 14 October 2021
BY EMAIL
Ms. Carmen Lau
Senior Manager Finance
Rogers Media Inc.
333 Bloor St. E., 6th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1G9
carmen.lau@rci.rogers.com
Re: Audit of Rogers Media Inc.’s (Rogers) Canadian content development contributions
Dear Ms. Lau:
As part of its annual audit of Canadian content development (CCD) contributions, the Commission recently reviewed Rogers’ contributions for the 2015-2016 broadcast year. During this audit, Commission staff identified issues with several expenditures claimed towards meeting Rogers’ basic CCD requirements of several of their stations. A full list of impacted stations can be found in an appendix to this letter.
This letter is to inform you that the Commission finds that certain expenditures made by Rogers in the 2015-2016 broadcast year were in non-compliance with the Commercial Radio Policy, 2006.
The Commission does not necessarily dispute the eligibility of any of the initiatives or CCD recipients below; rather, the non-compliance stems from a lack of supporting documentation and the revenue generated during one of the events which was retained by Rogers without subtracting this amount from the claimed CCD expenditures. This Commission has been clear that all revenues generated and retained by a licensee as part of a sponsored CCD event must be deducted from the CCD expenses claimed. Footnote1
Below is a breakdown of the ineligible expenditures by initiative:
| Initiative | Issue | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wham Bam | Revenues generated from a CCD event must be deducted from any amount claimed and only the resulting net amount can be submitted towards CCD requirements. The ineligible amount relates to the revenue generated and kept by Rogers from this event. | $158,643 |
| Comedy Show* | New spoken word content must be recorded for eventual broadcast in order to be eligible for CCD funding. In this case, Rogers was unable to provide documentation to demonstrate that this event was recorded, thus the entire amount claimed for this event has been deemed ineligible. | $10,000 |
| Total | $168,643 | |
*Note – All CCD expenses related to the Comedy Show were claimed by CFFR.
As a result of these findings, the Commission directs Rogers to pay the total shortfall of $168,643 within 30 days of the date of the letter, as follows:
- $126,482 to FACTOR (75% of the shortfall)
- $42,161 to the Community Radio Fund of Canada (25% of the shortfall)
In addition, the Commission directs Rogers to file proof of payment for the total shortfall ($168,643) with the Commission, within 60 days of the date of this letter.
Further information on CCD contributions and eligible initiatives can be found on the CRTC website: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ENG/GENERAL/ccdparties.htm
The Commission notes that failure to supply sufficient documentation to support the eligibility of Rogers’ contributions for future broadcast years may result in the Commission finding those contributions ineligible and may affect the party’s compliance with regulatory obligations.
Lastly, the Commission notes that the determinations set out in this letter address only the 2015-2016 broadcast year and do not relate to any subsequent broadcast years.
Yours sincerely,
Original signed by Lilia Trombetti for
Claude Doucet
Secretary General
Appendix
The following list outlines the Rogers stations which claimed a portion of the Wham Bam expenditures towards meeting the basic CCD expenditures in the 2015-2016 BY. Rogers Media Inc. is the licensee of all the following stations:
| STATION | City | STATION | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHFI-FM | Toronto, ON | CJOK-FM | Fort McMurray, AB |
| CFTR | Toronto, ON | CKYX-FM | Fort McMurray, AB |
| CJCL | Toronto, ON | CFFR | Calgary, AB |
| CKIS-FM | Toronto, ON | CISS-FM | Calgary, AB |
| CHST-FM | London, ON | CFGP-FM | Grande Prairie, AB |
| CHUR-FM | North Bay, ON | CHBN-FM | Edmonton, AB |
| CKGL | Kitchener, ON | CFAC | Calgary, AB |
| CJRQ-FM | Sudbury, ON | CFRV-FM | Lethbridge, AB |
| CJMX-FM | Sudbury, ON | CKMH-FM | Medicine Hat, AB |
| CHYM-FM | Kitchener, ON | CJRX-FM | Lethbridge, AB |
| CHEZ-FM | Ottawa, ON | CKER-FM | Edmonton, AB |
| CKBY-FM | Smith Falls, ON | CHFM-FM | Calgary, AB |
| CIKZ-FM | Kitchener, ON | CJAQ-FM | Calgary, AB |
| CKGB-FM | Timmins, ON | CHDI-FM | Edmonton, AB |
| CKXC-FM | Kingston, ON | CFUN-FM | Sechelt, BC |
| CHAS-FM | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | CIOC-FM | Victoria, BC |
| CJQM-FM | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | CKSR-FM | Chilliwack, BC |
| CIKR-FM | Kingston, ON | CKWX | Vancouver, BC |
| CFLT-FM | Dartmouth, NS | CJAX-FM | Vancouver, BC |
| CJNI-FM | Halifax, NS | ||
| CKY-FM | Winnipeg, MB | ||
| CITI-FM | Winnipeg, MB |
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