Usually I stick to news about Canadian TV programs here on TV, Eh?, not the Canadian TV industry, but with the CRTC hearings this week, there’s a lot of discussion that will affect how many Canadian TV programs we’ll have to talk about in the future.
From CBC via Dead Things on Sticks:
Actors, broadcasters and producers are all in Ottawa for hearings this week in front of the CRTC. The broadcasters are looking for more money, more flexibility and the right to air as many commercials as they choose. Meanwhile the artists and people who make the shows say it’s high time the broadcaster started giving Canadian stories or drama, a decent swath of air time! In 1999 the CRTC changed the rules … the broadcasters didn’t have to make Canadian dramas, instead cheap reality-based shows (like ET Canada) flooded the airwaves. The result: broadcasters spend $401 million on US shows, and a paltry $86 million on Canadian. Now maybe if Canadian shows were better they’d spend more … and maybe if they spent some more money the shows would be better. It’s a tricky problem, and to share some inside knowledge we’ve booked guest Denis McGrath, screenwriter and outspoken TV critic.
That will be on various CBC radio shows between 3-6 p.m. ET. See Denis McGrath’s post on 10 Things that Would Make Canadian TV Better for a taste of the “outspoken TV critic.”
More on the CRTC hearings:
- From the Globe and Mail: CRTC cool to Networks’ demand for new fees
- From the Toronto Star: Networks cry poor to CRTC
