Broadcasters seek programming money by Heather Scoffield
Source : Globe & Mail
Oct 25, 2001
by Heather Scoffield
OTTAWA – The federal government should change its broadcasting rules so that private television networks can have better access to Canadian programming [funds], the president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters says.
"The government needs a Canadian programming strategy that works in and is driven by the marketplace," CAB president Michael McCabe said in a speech to the National Press Club yesterday.
The Canadian Television Fund, which provides $100-million a year to creators of Canadian programming, should be made permanent, Mr. McCabe said. The funding should also be made available to broadcasting companies for programming that they make in-house and own, he said.
And as advertising revenue declines, conventional broadcasters need access to subscription revenue, Mr. McCabe said. New revenue from interactive, digital services should flow into programming, and not just distribution, he added.
As for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which regulates broadcasting, it should stop overcharging broadcasters through regulation fees. Broadcasters paid $80-million too much last year to the CRTC, Mr. McCabe said, and "legal opinion says that's an illegal tax."
Ottawa should also tighten up the copyright regime so that Internet players such as Jump and icravetv can't pick up Canadian broadcasters' signals for a pittance and redistribute them around the world on the Internet, Mr. McCabe said.
"Canadian programming is at risk," he said.
And Ottawa should refocus its financial incentives to target programming that has proven to be an audience success, he said.
Heritage Minister Sheila Copps has asked the House of Commons heritage committee to do a thorough review of broadcasting policy and regulation. The committee will likely take a year before it comes out with recommendations, but these recommendations may advise a complete overhaul of the government's broadcasting regime.
The CAB's presentation yesterday was a summary of what direction the association believes the committee should take.
Generally, Canadian private broadcasters could make a strong business case for carrying more and better Canadian content, if the federal regime is supportive, Mr. McCabe said.
But earlier this week, lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting released a study saying government subsidies are actually supporting a buying spree of Hollywood programming by Canadian broadcasters. The study showed that private broadcasters are increasing their spending on U.S. and foreign programming, while reducing their spending on Canadian shows. Meanwhile, funding from government and the public doubled between 1994 and 2001.
