Search

Broadcasting - Staff Letter addressed to Peggy Tabet (Québecor Média Inc.)

Gatineau, 6 May 2026

Reference: 2026-0033-7

BY EMAIL
peggy.tabet@quebecor.com

Subject: Request for information regarding the application by Groupe TVA inc. – 2026-0033-7

Peggy Tabet,

The purpose of this letter is to obtain additional information regarding the application by Groupe TVA inc. – 2026-0033-7.

In order to continue the examination of the application, you are requested to respond to the questions set out in Appendix 1 to this letter. These questions relate to the financial situation of Groupe TVA (TVA) and of station CFCM-DT Québec, as well as to the proposed reduction in the number of hours of local programming for the station, the impact on the audience, production locations, and compliance with the conditions of service applicable to Groupe TVA inc.

Responses to the questions included in this letter are due by 20 May 2026. Please repeat the questions before your answers and use the secure service “My CRTC Account” (Partner Log In or GCKey) for these RFI’s.

Once the responses to this request for information have been filed, all parties to the proceeding will have the opportunity to file interventions or comments on the information provided, within timelines to be communicated at a later date.

Confidential information

As set out in section 25.3 of the Broadcasting Act and in Procedures for filing and requesting disclosure of confidential information in Commission proceedings, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961, 23 December 2010, a person may designate certain information as confidential.

A party designating information as confidential must provide a detailed explanation of why the designated information is confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest, including why the specific direct harm likely to result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

Furthermore, a party designating information as confidential must either file an abridged version of the document omitting only the information designated as confidential or provide reasons why an abridged version cannot be filed.

A copy of this letter and related correspondence will be placed on the public record of this proceeding.

If you have any questions, please contact Audrey Aubin, Senior Analyst, French-language Audio-visual Programming, at Audrey.Aubin@crtc.gc.ca.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Julie St-Pierre
Manager, French-language Audio-visual Programming
CRTC

CC: execdir@frpc.net, nblais@scfp.ca

Appendix 1 – Request for information

    Financial situation

  1. In your application to amend conditions of service, including the reduction of local programming for station CFCM-DT Québec, you indicate in section 4 of Form 301 – Television Amendment Applications that the proposed amendment would have no impact on your financial projections and is not necessary for the station’s financial viabilityFootnote 1.

    2. However, in your letter accompanying the application, and more specifically in the section entitled “The financial difficulties of Groupe TVA and CFCM-DT,” staff notes that Groupe TVA indicates the need to reduce the station’s level of production in order to address significant cost increases. Given the apparent inconsistency between the absence of financial impact indicated in Form 301 and the stated need to reduce costs:

    1. Please clarify whether the application will have an impact on your financial projections and whether it is necessary for the financial viability of your station. If so, please file comparative three-year financial projections (revenues and expenses) for station CFCM-DT as well as for all conventional television stations operated by Groupe TVA, taken as a whole.
    2. How would the reduction in hours of local programming translate into cost savings (please provide supporting data)?

    Reduction in hours of local programming

  1. What factors does Groupe TVA rely on in its application to assert that the reduction in hours of local programming and the removal of the requirement to broadcast at least 9 hours of programming specifically reflecting the Québec region will not affect the quality of programming offered by the station, nor the availability of news content?
  2. At paragraph 22, you state: “the least harmful option identified by Groupe TVA involves reducing the station’s level of production in response to the surge in costs, hence the present application to reduce the number of hours of local programming.” What other measures were considered to address this situation, and why was the proposed option selected over the others?

    3. Impact on the audience

  3. At paragraph 31, you state that “this regulatory relief would simply provide station CFCM-DT with greater flexibility to effectively adapt its programming to the expectations of Québec viewers.” On what documents, studies or audience data do you rely on to support the assertion that the proposal meets the expectations of Québec viewers? Please provide these documents.

    4. Production locations

  4. Which programs are produced in Québec City:
    1. For station CFCM-DT?
    2. For another Groupe TVA station?
    3. For the network?
Date modified: