Distributors disappointed with CTV’s ‘Save Local TV’ CBSC win

Cable companies say they aren’t happy about the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council’s (CBSC) finding that CTVglobemedia Inc. didn’t break the rules during its “Save Local TV” campaign last year. In 2009, when broadcasters argued in favour of fee for carriage, CTV ran news reports and advertisements putting forward its side of the debate. Broadcasters wanted a new regulatory system that would force cable and satellite companies to pay the broadcasters to carry their local, over-the-air channels. The CBSC published its decision this month. Referencing the codes of ethics of the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), the council found that many of the segments were commercials featuring station personalities, such as news anchors and reporters, as spokespeople. But commercials cannot be expected to be “objective, unbiased, detached, or laid back,” the CBSC said. “These spots ... did not violate any broadcast standards,” the council said. Chris Edwards, vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs with the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), said his organization isn’t happy with the decision. “We felt there was an imbalance in the advertising and reporting,” he said. “I don’t think that view has changed, so of course, we’re disappointed in the Broadcast Standards Council’s decision. But ... it’s water under the bridge at this point.” When the fee-for-carriage air war was underway last year, the distributors, including Bell Canada Enterprises Inc., Cogeco Cable Inc., EastLink, Rogers Communications Inc., and Telus Corp., had complained to the CRTC, arguing that CTV ran biased and unbalanced content. “The CTV television network and its member stations across Canada ... have repeatedly incorporated into their local news broadcasts one-sided, unbalanced programming material as a component of the SAVE LOCAL TV public advocacy campaign,” the distributors wrote in a May 22 letter to the commission. But the CRTC forwarded the complaint to the CBSC. CTV declined to comment on the CBSC decision. One broadcasting industry insider told The Wire Report that decision didn’t go far enough. “Where it failed is in not making a distinction between public service announcements and information you want to get out in your commercial breaks, and jamming it into your newscast, using your own news reporters and anchors to deliver your message,” the insider said. “I think there’s a distinction that needs to be made. It weakens the credibility of your newscast when you’re carrying what amounts to propaganda.” Ian Morrison, a spokesman for the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, said he agrees with the CBSC decision. “I just don’t think CTV did anything that went past a certain line,” he said. “CTV was locked in a life and death campaign with the distributors on the other side, and they were deploying all of their resources.” But Morrison said he does not exonerate CTV completely. Broadcasters and distributors were both “stretching the truth” during the fee-for-carriage air war. “I don’t think we’re saying that what CTV did during the dispute was perfect,” he said. “ it wasn’t an egregious abuse of their position, in my opinion.” The CRTC, in a report to cabinet in the spring, made note of “well funded” fee-for-carriage campaigns by both the broadcasters and distributors. For five months last year, the broadcasters ran a campaign through a coalition involving CTV, CBC, Global, A Channel, CHEK News, V, and NTV. Initially launched by CTV and Global as “Save Local TV,” the campaign expanded into “Local TV Matters” with the support of other broadcasters. The distributors countered the broadcasters’ campaign in October 2009 with "Stop the TV Tax,” organized by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, Telus and Rogers. The CRTC said it received 114,890 public comments through the “Local TV Matters” campaign, and 49,693 comments through “Stop the TV Tax.” While the broadcasters’ campaign noted the possibility of closing local television stations, the distributors’ campaign put the threat of a “tax” on the public agenda. Edwards said the CRTC’s subsequent decision to bring broadcasters and distributors to the negotiating table to talk value for signal has put the debate to bed. Earlier this year, the CRTC decided to give broadcasters the power to pull their content from distributors’ systems. The move—if approved by the Federal Court of Appeal—will give broadcasters the opportunity to negotiate carriage fees. A court hearing has been set for Sept. 13 and 14 to determine the CRTC’s jurisdiction over the issue. “Everybody’s going to wait and see what the federal court says about jurisdiction,” Edwards said. news@thewirereport.ca

Distributors disappointed with CTV’s ‘Save Local TV’ CBSC win

Broadcast | June 24, 2010

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