Canadian Drama Matters

Canadian broadcasters have joined hands to tell us that Local TV matters. We agree, it does.

They want cable companies to pay for it. We agree, they should.

But we also believe that having Canadian programming on 'local TV' also matters.

It's time to end the free ride for both broadcasters and big cable and make them give something back for the money they earn from Canadian consumers.

To us, the most important conversation - the one that isn't being heard - is about content. The rules say you should be getting a good selection of Canadian programming from your cable companies and broadcasters - including drama and local news. But for years we haven't been getting what we're paying for with our cable fees or our taxes.

What good are Canadian broadcasters if they're only going to air American programming?

Private broadcasters want you to think the only thing at stake is local programming - namely news. That's because they don't want to talk about the crisis in Canadian drama and the fact that Canadians can't see our own scripted series on our conventional TV networks.

So why is that? Canadian English-language drama has been a rarity on prime time since 1999 - the year that the CRTC relaxed the rules for private broadcasters. Since then, private broadcasters have been filling Canada's prime time schedules with U.S. shows. Last year they spent $740 million on U.S. and foreign programming and just $54 million on Canadian English-language drama.

Being able to tune into Canadian TV drama is critical to the cultural health of our country. How do we know what it is to be Canadian if we can't see and share our experiences, our own lives, our communities, our heroes, our history on TV, the most popular and pervasive cultural medium in history?

That's why ACTRA is telling the CRTC to make broadcasters do their part in exchange for getting their licenses to operate. Having a TV broadcasting licence is not a right - it's a privilege, a privilege the Canadian public gives them. A private broadcaster's obligation in exchange for this privilege is to contribute to our cultural identity by supporting, promoting, airing and celebrating fully Canadian stories.

So what do we want? We want them to have to spend a percentage of their revenues on Canadian programming and drama. And we want them to air two hours of drama in prime time each week. We don't think that's too much to ask.

When it comes down to it, our 'local' includes drama. If Canadian broadcasters don't make space for Canadian TV no one else will. And if they don't - then why do we need them?

End the free ride for cable

Cable companies pay specialty channels a fee in order to be able to offer their services as part of their cable packages. Over-the-air broadcasters argue that they too should be getting money from the cable companies. Obviously, cable companies aren't keen to start paying for something they've been getting for free so they are fighting back. Bell launched a complaint against the CRTC in Federal Court, but then retreated when the CRTC agreed to have a fulsome discussion of fee-for-carriage at the upcoming fall hearings on broadcasting policy.

The broadcasters have recently received a new form of revenue - the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). The CRTC ordered the cable companies to pay 1.5% of their gross revenues to the LPIF to help support the broadcasters in producing local programming. This is good. Unfortunately cable companies have chosen to pass that buck on to you. That is bad. Now they are threatening to do the same thing again. They're fighting the broadcasters' calls for fee-for-carriage. And promising that if they're forced to pay - YOU will pay. That is really bad.

Cable companies are making buckets of money - especially since cable rates were deregulated. Since 2002 Rogers has increased their basic cable rates an average of 85% (in Ottawa West rates shot up by 109%) while Shaw customers are paying an average 68% more (90% for those in Winnipeg East). The result is that cable companies made over $8 billion in revenues last year which is a 16% increase - an impressive return particularly during a global economic downturn.

We believe that compensation for use-of-signal is not only a question of fairness, but is critical to the future health and growth of Canada's independent broadcasting system.

However, we would add three caveats:

• Revenues from fee-for-carriage must be seen on the screen in the form of new, original local and dramatic programming - broadcasters can't be handed a bag of money to take on their L.A. Shopping sprees.
• Cable giants must not be allowed to pass the buck on to Canadian consumers as they so outrageously have done for the new LPIF. The CRTC should direct them to pay from their own overflowing coffers, again, the cost of doing business. With $10 billion in revenues, big cable can afford it.
• Our public broadcaster needs support - the CBC must be included in any new monies being put into the conventional system.

When it comes down to it, our 'local TV' includes drama.

We need more Canadian content and both private broadcasters and cable companies need to do more to support it. At this fall's CRTC policy hearings, we're telling the regulator to end the free ride for big cable and broadcasters and make them earn the money Canadian consumers give them, by giving something back.

And to do it without foisting the bill on to Canadians.

You can tell them the same thing by:

• Say NO to your cable company
• Commenting on the broadcasters' localtvmatters blog
• Send a letter to the CRTC
  Snail mail makes the biggest impact!
  And please don't forget to CC ACTRA! info@actra.ca

Want to learn more about the Canadian TV drama campaign?

InterACTRA Feature Article: "Campaign for Canadian Drama; Stay Tuned...Again" (June 2009), ACTRA Backgrounder: The Crisis in Canadian TV Drama

TV Drama Campaign Update

-- back to top --