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Link: Nobody will watch TV out of patriotism

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From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Nobody will watch TV out of patriotism
Now, it’s fair to say that the funding of Canadian TV is an enormously complex business. An army of lawyers and accountants earn a good living interpreting all the rules. I’ve heard from several experts and the upshot of the feedback is that there has been a false alarm. One expert told me, “The CRTC simply decided to align the funding rules for the CIPFs (Certified Independent Productions Funds) with its “normal” rules for a Canadian program and with CAVCO’s (Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office) “normal” rules (which are in the Income Tax Act of Canada) for the Canadian film or video production film tax credit – that is, a minimum of six out of 10 Canadian points.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Global National to expand to four more stations

From a media release:

Global News is pleased to announce that its flagship newscast, Global National is expanding to four additional television stations. Starting today, Global National will air on CKSA, a Newcap-owned television station in Lloydminster. Beginning Tuesday, September 6, the show will also run on three additional Corus-owned stations: CKWS Kingston, CHEX Peterborough and Channel 12 Durham. The program will be broadcast at 5:30 p.m. local time in each city.

Global News is also delighted to unveil new local versions of the network morning program, The Morning Show. Launching on Monday, October 17 on CKWS Kingston and on Monday, October 24 on CHEX Peterborough, the show will air from 6-9 a.m. With these programs, CKWS and CHEX will deliver local morning news to their respective viewers for the first time in history. The Morning Show will feature local news and community interviews with network cut-ins from Global’s national team in both markets.

Global National with anchor Dawna Friesen is Canada’s only early-evening national newscast. The multiple award-winning program offers a distinctive voice and approach to the day’s top stories.

With bureaus and correspondents in every major Canadian city, Washington, London and around the world, the Global National team provides Canadians with in-depth analysis and perspective on important national and international events, connecting with audiences coast-to-coast and bringing clarity to the issues and news of the day.

CKWS-TV is Southeastern Ontario’s news leader with videographers covering stories throughout the region. The on-air team, which began broadcasting in 1954, brings experience, commitment and insight to the coverage of news, sports, weather and special events.

Since 1955, CHEX Television has been serving the Kawartha Lakes and east-central Ontario from its studios in Peterborough. CHEX is available on 52 cable systems throughout the province and across the country.

Channel 12 has been serving the Durham Region in Ontario since 1993. Channel 12 is the only local, conventional television station in the region and has taken on a leadership role in promoting and covering hundreds of events each year.

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Industry News

CRTC gets the facts wrong

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From a media release:

Mistakes get made, but most are not newsworthy. This one is.

The CRTC’s recent decision regarding “Certified Independent Production Funds” (CIPFs) includes a significant factual error. It claims that the Canada Media Fund (CMF) argued in favour of reducing the points needed for Canadian productions to receive funding from the CIPFs. The CRTC stated:

“The CMF argued that this amendment would give producers creative flexibility in the development of Canadian productions, which would lead to international market appeal and the potential for international investment. This, in turn, would lead to better recoupment for CIPF-funded programs and would therefore provide more money for CIPFs to invest back into Canadian projects.”

In fact, the CMF didn’t say any of that. Documents on the public record of this proceeding, submitted by the CMF and available on the CRTC’s website, show that the CMF never made these arguments, nor did it even address the issue in any substantive way.

The CMF is a well-established and respected funding body, whose views on the subject would presumably carry significant weight in a proceeding such as this. This makes the misattribution particularly concerning, and the WGC believes the error calls into question the rigour of this CRTC process.

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Industry News

DGC disappointed with CRTC’s decisions to reduce Canadian participation in CIPF-funded productions

From a media release:

CRTC’s Epiphany: Canada will win on the world stage by becoming America

The DGC is profoundly dismayed by the CRTC’s decision to reduce the participation of Canadian talent in productions supported by the Certified Independent Production Funds.

Last year with the Let’s Talk TV decisions and now with revisions to the policy that governs Certified Independent Production Funds like Shaw Rocket Fund, Harold Greenberg Fund, Rogers Fund, Canadian talent continues to be a vanishing species. The Commission’s approach for creating a robust, successful domestic production sector is to divert Canadian citizen’s money to pay American writers, directors and actors to make generic programming which tells the world nothing about who we are as a nation or as a people. Once again Canada misses a chance to shine at home and on the world stage by proposing to eliminate all that is unique in what we make.

There is no evidence that reducing Canadian creative involvement will make these shows more successful.  In the current Canadian landscape of risk adverse decision makers the DGC has time after time sought the resources necessary for Canada’s storytellers to create innovative, original compelling content. Instead, the Commission once again proposes the elimination of Canadian writers, directors and performers – the very elements which make niche television from countries outside the USA so compelling to audiences everywhere.

The CRTC’s decisions reflect an outdated approach that is a legacy from the former Harper government.  Success in the Golden Age of Television rests on distinctiveness and originality. In a word: voice.

It is time to change the channel; the path to a greater diversity of high quality made-in-Canada content begins with promoting, not diminishing, opportunities for Canadian talent.

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Industry News

Link: CRTC’s Canadian content changes are terrible, but no one cares

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: CRTC’s Canadian content changes are terrible, but no one cares
A portion of the Canadian TV racket is in an uproar. An important question is this: Will anyone care?

Last week, a significant CRTC decision released with some stealth – a Thursday in late August, for heaven’s sake – notably rejigged the notorious “point system” for what defines the Canadian-ness of a TV project. Previously, eight points out of 10, determined by using Canadian writers and actors, mainly, opened up funding. Now, it will be six points out of 10. Continue reading.

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