OTTAWA and TORONTO – The CRTC has turned down CTV’s request to extend “interim regulatory flexibility” to it’s financially challenged /A stations.
In a decision on Thursday, the Commission told CTV that it could not cherry pick aspects of the group-based approach to the licensing of private television services policy “on a piecemeal basis, for example by approving a reduction in Canadian programming without imposing expenditure requirements”, or similarly, “eliminate requirements for priority programming without imposing requirements for programming of national interest”.
The Commission continued that it would be “unfair” to implement certain aspects for some licensees, but not its competitors. It also expressed concern about revising CTV’s described video requirements, which it said would not only run counter to the CRTC’s accessibility policy, but “would reduce the access of the visually impaired to described Canadian programming”.
Paul Sparkes, EVP of corporate affairs at CTVglobemedia, called the Commission’s decision “disappointing”.
“The licence amendments proposed for CTV and /A are essential to the stations’ operations”, he said in an email to Cartt.ca. “They are consistent with the new policy framework already put forward by the CRTC, but the policy doesn’t take effect until Fiscal 2012. The /A stations continue to lose significant amounts of money and CTVglobemedia is not in a position to continue to underwrite these losses. They require urgent regulatory relief now – not later.”
As Cartt.ca has reported, CTV asked the Commission in June for permission to reduce the overall minimum level of Canadian programming that must be broadcast by the /A stations from 60% to 55%; to eliminate exhibition requirements relating to priority programming; and to amend requirements related to the provision of described video.
CTV said in its application that CIVI-TV Victoria, CHWI-TV Windsor, CFPL-TV London, CKVR-TV Barrie, CHRO-TV Pembroke and CHRO-TV-43 Ottawa have lost almost $98 million and “continue to lose tens of millions of dollars annually”, despite improved ratings and an investment of approximately $240 million in programming over the last three years.
