From Michael Morin of the Huffington Post:
Link: Leaderless CRTC Is Adrift And Without A Mission
Is the CRTC adrift without a mission?
At a time of unprecedented change, cultural industries need to decide on their future investments, not civil servants that see the industry as “the enemy.” The regulator must take technological change into account, show long-term vision and be capable of working with the industry. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Today the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) submitted a joint petition to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, asking her to set aside, or refer back, the CRTC’s Group Licence Renewal decisions for Canada’s large television broadcasters, released last month.
Across the production sector, Canada’s creator community shares deep concerns about the damaging impact of these decisions. An independent analysis commissioned by the CMPA found that the CRTC’s decision to decrease the required amount broadcasters must spend on Canadian Programs of National Interest (PNI) will likely result in a drop of more than $900 million in production volume, causing a cumulative economic reduction of $1.15 billion in GDP over the five-year period during which the broadcasters’ licences will be in place. A backgrounder summarizing these findings is available here.
If these decisions are allowed to stand, the required PNI spend for channels operated by Rogers, Corus and Bell, will fall to just five per cent, having a severe negative impact on the production of Canadian television dramas, comedies, children’s programming, long-form documentaries, variety and performing arts shows,  and on the health and productivity of our sector as a whole.
In addition to greatly reduced PNI spending, the joint petition objects to the CRTC’s decision to remove evening exhibition requirements for the broadcasters’ discretionary services and the negative consequences of the CRTC’s failure to address the erosion of independently-produced programming.
From a media release:
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has filed an appeal to Cabinet about the recent, potentially disastrous CRTC broadcasting decisions 2017-149 and 150. The decisions have created deep concern in the Canadian screenwriting community for good reason: they slash private broadcaster funding to Canadian programs by 40% and could lead to over $200 million in reduced broadcaster spending on Canadian shows over a five-year licence term.
“We appeal to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly to reject these deeply flawed and harmful decisions which deal a massive blow to Canadian culture by drastically cutting Canadian-created production,†says WGC President Jill Golick. “Screen-entertainment is the most popular cultural medium of our time. Canadian screenwriters are committed to creating shows that connect our histories, share our values, enrich our social fabric and strengthen our country. But if these decisions stand, we will be forced to leave our country in search of employment elsewhere.”
This inevitable talent drain is because Canadian screenwriters occupy a unique position in the industry. They do not work on foreign or “service†productions —primarily U.S. shows shot in Canada, not created by Canadians — as do some industry professionals. Canadian screenwriters’ primary role is to create shows that are commissioned for Canada’s private broadcasters and CBC.
Consequently, the CRTC decisions endanger both Canadian storytelling and its storytellers. It’s a particularly short-sighted choice during Canada 150, a time when Canadians should be able to look to a future where Canada’s cultural output will expand, not shrink. Instead, the CRTC has facilitated the latter, by reducing Bell Media and Corus Entertainments’ minimum spending requirements on “programs of national interest,†(PNI) — drama, documentary, children’s programming etc. — to 5%. Status quo PNI spending levels are 8% and 9% of broadcasting revenues for Bell and Corus respectively, but in standardizing PNI at 5% former CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais chose to disregard the method used to calculate PNI contributions.“Blais ignored precedent and turned away from the existing methodology of calculating PNI,†says WGC Executive Director Maureen Parker. “Instead he
“Blais ignored precedent and turned away from the existing methodology of calculating PNI,†says WGC Executive Director Maureen Parker. “Instead he standardized PNI spending using the lowest common denominator. Where in Canada’s Broadcasting Act does it even imply that standardized contributions are a policy objective? Nowhere. What the Act does say is that the broadcasting system should contribute significantly to the creation of Canadian programming, and maximize Canadian creative resources. These CRTC decisions don’t fulfill either crucial cultural objective.â€Heritage Minister Joly’s public, laudable intent has been to bring the best of Canada to the world. The WGC is in complete
Heritage Minister Joly’s public, laudable intent has been to bring the best of Canada to the world. The WGC is in complete agreement, and asks the Liberal government to ensure a place in the Canadian broadcasting system for our own culture: The world needs more, not less, Canada.
From Amanda Parris of CBC Arts:
Link: Why aren’t we all fuming over the CRTC cuts? Because we don’t see ourselves reflected in TV and film
The CRTC was renewing the five year licenses for the big three private broadcasters in Canada who deliver much of the television we all watch: Bell, Corus and Rogers. In the renewal, the CRTC announced that they would be decreasing the minimum financial contributions these broadcasters are required to allocate to Canadian content from 9-10 per cent to just 5 per cent. The Canadian content that is supported through these contributions (a.k.a Programs of National Interest, or PNI’s) includes drama, scripted series, documentaries and Canadian award shows.  Continue reading.Â
From Sean Craig of the National Post:
Link: CBC hired external investigator to probe nepotism complaints after executives’ spouses awarded contracts
The CBC hired an external investigator to probe two top television executives after receiving complaints that at least 13 contracts were handed to production companies owned by their spouses. Although the investigator found no breaches of the public broadcaster’s conflict of interest policy, the legal counsel for one anonymous complainant said the findings are “inconsistent with the facts†and the contracts present the appearance of conflict of interest. Continue reading.
