Rogers’ shift towards access programming good for community TV, CACTUS says

New access programming that will rise from the ashes of Rogers Television’s cancelled news show First Local will ultimately benefit community television, the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) says. “The result should be that their staff resources are employed more efficiently in enabling more production,” Catherine Edwards, a spokeswoman for CACTUS, said in an interview. On Tuesday, Rogers TV, Rogers Cable’s community broadcasting division, announced the cancellation of First Local, its 30-minute local news and information show broadcast on weekdays. The announcement marked the end of the show in Barrie, Mississauga, Brantford, York Region, Durham Region, Stratford and Guelph. The show also had a provincial edition in New Brunswick. The Collingwood, London and Kitchener editions of First Local were previously cancelled in 2009 and 2010. Rogers TV, which operates 34 community stations across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Ontario, is only available to Rogers’ cable customers. Through Rogers TV, community members can approach a local station and work with Rogers’ staff to produce a show. According to Rogers TV’s website, its community stations produced 17,000 hours of local programming in 2010. Julie Henson, Rogers TV’s director of programming, said in an interview the cancellation is a direct result of the CRTC’s new policy on community television, which came out in August. “In 2011, 35 per cent of our programming expenditures must be spent on access programs,” she said. Access programming originates from a volunteer community member not employed by the cable company. Community members also exercise creative control over the show. The CRTC’s policy said that starting in 2014, all community stations would have to increase their community access programming from 30 per cent of a channel’s total programming to 50 per cent. But in September the CRTC amended its policy so the changes would be applied incrementally to give licensees “adequate time” to prepare. Under the new requirements, community stations must broadcast 35 per cent access programming in 2011, 40 per cent in 2012, 45 per cent in 2013 and 50 per cent in 2014. The commission also set out the same percentage requirements on spending for access programming. This means that in the 2011 broadcast year, which spans from Sept. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2012, community stations must spend 35 per cent of their programming expenditures on access programming. Henson said Rogers is currently doing well on the exhibition requirements, but decided to cut First Local to meet the expenditure requirements. “As far of the percentage of access programming, we have tons. We do very well on that front thanks to the active involvement of our communities,” she said. “The targets for access programming are not to blame here, it’s the spending requirement.” Henson said First Local, which doesn’t qualify as access programming, was a “resource hog.” “If you’re reporting news someone has to be held accountable to that, so First Local was absolutely licensee-produced with paid anchors and videographers,” she said. “We have to reallocate the monies that we do have and spend according to the CRTC guidelines.” Henson added that “just a few” jobs were affected by First Local’s cancellation. “Most of our staff has been reassigned because it’s not like we’re doing less, we’re in fact ramping up … there are some new series launching in our markets,” she said. Edwards said the move towards access programming will be positive for community television as a whole because it will promote the creation of more volunteer-created shows. Most of Canada's community television stations are owned and operated by cable companies Rogers, Shaw Communications Inc. and Cogeco Cable Inc. Under the CRTC's policy, cable companies with more than 20,000 customers must pay a broadcast levy towards community television that amounts to two per cent of the revenues collected from subscribers. Edwards said that because professionally produced news shows take up so many of a station’s resources, many community stations rely on content imported from other locations to fill the need for content. Moving towards access programming should show a shift towards locally produced content. Edwards added that decisions to cancel shows like First Local are an expected result of the CRTC’s new policy on spending requirements. “What Rogers and all of the major cable companies have been doing for almost a decade is consolidating their staff resources rather than using the staff they have to work with the public to make shows proposed by the public,” she said. “They’ve been consolidating their resources in these professionally-produced news magazines. First Local is an example. They might have been tying up five or six staff to produce one news program … instead of facilitating under an access model that one staff person would coordinate a volunteer-driven show.” But Edwards cautioned that it remains to be seen where Rogers spends the funds it has freed up by cancelling First Local. The CRTC’s new policy encourages cable companies to negotiate and buy programming from community members who are creating content through their own resources, but cable companies can also spend their access requirement funds on the support framework they provide to the community. “When it says that cable companies have to spend 50 per cent of their programming expenditures on average on access production , it doesn’t say whether that means spending it on their own staff and lighting and studio facilities to facilitate the public to come in,” she said. In an email to viewers, Rogers TV said the cancellation of First Local will allow stations to contribute more of their resources to the community. “The resources previously dedicated to First Local will now be re-assigned, allowing our producers and videographers the opportunity to work with community members on new local programs, event coverage, documentaries and series,” Rogers wrote. Cindy MacDonald, Rogers TV’s regional station manager in Barrie, said in an interview First Local’s cancellation will mean her station will be able to produce more access programming. MacDonald said the station launched several new shows this week, including a fitness show, a cooking show, a politics-focused show, a phone-in show and a talk show. MacDonald added that the change allows the station’s staff to work with more members of the community. “Over the last little while, we’ve been seeing an increase in access to the channels, even in smaller communities. Now we’re able to do more, it’s definitely a positive thing,” she said. kfournier@thewirereport.ca

Rogers’ shift towards access programming good for community TV, CACTUS says

Broadcast | January 7, 2011

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