Greetings,
Unifor
encourages everyone to participate in the online debate on “the future of
conventional television” hosted by the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Our
broadcasting sector employs over 40,000 Canadians, most of them good jobs held
by members of Unifor and a host of other unions. The national, regional and
local programming that our members produce is fundamental to a distinct
Canadian voice and our democratic life.
Like
many Canadian industries threatened by American domination, Canadian
broadcasting is a regulated endeavor. Canadian media companies like Bell,
Rogers, Shaw Global, and Québecor are sheltered from overwhelming competition
or hostile take-overs from American media goliaths like Comcast. In exchange,
these Canadian companies profit from Canadian rights to American shows and then
are expected to sponsor Canadian content and local programming with a lower-profit
margin. It’s a deal that works. The companies make money, consumers still get
access to American and international programming they really can’t do without, and
Canadian content gets created and broadcast.
Living
in the shadow of the American broadcasting giant, the federal Broadcasting Act
gives Canadian culture and politics a communication platform that would be
wiped out without the regulatory framework of the Broadcasting Act. This is no
exaggeration.
Of
great concern is that CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais has opened up a debate on
the “future of conventional television” which may or may not deregulate broadcasting
and open the floodgates to American programming. Appointed by the federal
conservatives, and avowedly “consumerist” in the Harper mode, M.Blais certainly
has an agenda in his own head. We just don’t know exactly how far it goes.
M.Blais has posted an
online questionnaire for open participation. We encourage you to go online at http://letstalktv.hkstrategies.ca/ to participate and speak
out for Canadian broadcasting.
The
questionnaire asks a variety of questions about what you as a viewer are
willing to pay for.
Unifor
has the following recommendations for responding to the questionnaire. Feel
free to print out this message as a guideline to your responses.
Question 1 – Supporting aboriginal,
francophone and accessible programming on basic cable. Unifor agrees with Doreen, Jeaninne and Sierra / Comment
– Broadcasters are not likely to spend money on accessible television unless
it’s profitable or mandated.
Without regulation these services would likely disappear.
Question 2 - Local news on basic
cable. This is a crucial question affecting thousands of broadcasting jobs. Unifor
agrees with Andrew & Mary /
Comment – Local news & local programming is important to all of Canada’s
unique communities. There are many
options to access global programming, but there are few local programming
options. It is important that the
major broadcasters provide local news and local programming that reflect our
communities and our culture.
Question 3 – Do you want “pick and
play” only your favourite channels?
Unifor recommends either “status
quo” or “other packages w/ options” /
Comments – “Pick and play” is a marketing illusion. Currently, broadcasters
bundle packages so they can offer more programming and spread out their
overhead costs. Take that away, and you may see a number of important Canadian
specialty stations like TSN2 go off the air and lose the unique Canadian shows
that come with it.
Question 4 – Major sporting events,
free or pay? Unifor agrees with Ethan
/ Comments – Major Canadian sporting events should be made available on over
the air television. Ratings for
these events go up when more viewers have access to these programs. It’s a
broadcasting strategy that works for everyone.
Question 5 – Next is a series of
five questions about gaining access to a lot more American channels. Mario understands the economics of
Canadian broadcasting. American programming is far more profitable because of
the size of their market: they can undercut Canadian content at a loss just to
grab market share north of the border.
So
in response to the next five questions, Unifor recommends:
Do
you want more direct access to American channels? – NO
Question 6 – Do you want more direct
access to international channels (non-US)? – YES or NO
Question 7 – Would you want more
American & international channels if it meant paying more? – Yes or No
Question 8 – Would you want more
American & international channels if it meant some Canadian made shows and
channels (and the associated jobs) may no longer be available? – NO . Comment – there is plenty of
American television available already.
The example of ESPN & TSN is right on; TSN may not exist if ESPN was
allowed unfettered access to our country’s airwaves. When TSN lost the rights to hockey many years ago they focused
their attention on the CFL. TSN
made the CFL cool and viable in this country again. Allowing American networks in this country would lessen or
eliminate Canadian programming, reduce or shared cultural experiences and
radically alter our broadcasting job market, where many good broadcasting jobs
would simply be lost.
Question 9 – If you could get direct
access to International Channels, but only in a package with certain Canadian
channels, would you be willing to pay for that? YES or NO
Question 10- Blocking American ads
(“signal substitution”). Which of these approaches would provide a better
balance between protecting programming rights and giving viewer’s choice? Unifor recommends Signal substitution (what we have now).
The
next questions deal with the threat of Netflix and other unregulated American
online broadcasters to Canadian programming.
Question 11 – Unifor agrees with Jenny.
Question 12 – Unifor recommends Yes we would be willing to pay an extra
50 cents per month
Question 13 – Unifor also recommends Yes - Online services should provide
closed captioning. Comment - closed captioning is an important service for the
hearing impaired. Without
regulation to protect these services, they would be eliminated. Big business will not provide a service
that is not financially supporting.
Many bars or other television shows shown in public spaces show the
closed captioning when audio cannot be played. This also benefits the general
public. Closed captioning is a
service that should be preserved.
Question 14 – Would you be willing to
pay a few cents per month for online closed captioning? Unifor recommends Yes
Question 15 – Paying an extra $5 for
streaming content on-line with no cap. Unifor recommends NO / Comment – It’s a qualified “no.” The $5 “unlimited streaming”
plan is darn appealing and deserves discussion. Will the American media
companies Netflix and Youtube foot the bill? If the Commission is thinking
about making Canadian media companies pay a big part of your data plan (even
for more Canadian content), this requires extremely careful consideration.
Additional Comments? – Without a strong
broadcasting policy and strict regulations we will likely see the end of
Canadian content, quality local programming and local news. With that loss most broadcast jobs will
disappear and all that will be left will be American programming. With a thoughtful and cautious
regulatory approach we can encourage, foster and develop a strong and vibrant
Canadian television landscape that is accessible and relevant to all
Canadians. This will definitely
have a cost associated with it, but that cost should be invested back into
Canadian broadcasting for the benefit of all Canadians.
Enter
your email address and you are done.
Thanks for helping save Canadian content and Canadian broadcast jobs.
In
solidarity,
Randy
Kitt
Media
Industry Chair
Howard
Law
Director
