Montreal: Tele-Quebec announced personnel changes in its programming and production departments, with new emphasis on development and management functions in the production and acquisition sectors, says Mario Clement, who took over as director general of programming at the public network last fall.

Former youth and family program director Cecile Bellemare has been named director of program development. A new unit, institutional development, dealing with government, school boards and other organizations, will be directed by Jacques Lagace.

Former head of the culture and drama section Claire Chalouh is the new director of acquisitions, which includes documentaries and feature films.

Former Coscient Productions executive Vincent Turgeon is the network’s new director of production. Turgeon’s unit handles private-sector suppliers who currently produce most of Tele-Quebec’s programming.

The network’s market share of the primetime Montreal franco market slipped to an unprecedented 1.5 low during the fall sweeps.

Tele-Quebec’s strategic shift to independent production (called ‘coproductions’ in the network’s parlance) is clearly evident in the network’s recently released annual report for the 12-month period ending March 31, 1997.

Investment in 55 original productions acquired from private-sector producers during the period rose $5 million to $15 million or 475 hours, a 57% increase over the previous year, while original in-house production declined to $3 million from $8 million.

The total cost of programming broadcast by the network (both new programs and repeats) in ’96/97 was $44.8 million including $15.7 in internal production, a sharp drop from the $31.5 million in ’95/96, and $29.1 million in independent production and acquisitions. Another $11.6 million was spent on distribution-related activities, including on-air and sales and marketing costs.

Tele-Quebec received a Quebec government appropriation of $54.1 million in ’96/97 and had autonomous revenues, made up of commercial airtime and program sales, of $11.6 million. Total revenues for Tele-Quebec in ’96/97 were $65.7 million.

The network spent $2 million on regional capitalization costs in addition to $3.3 million in reorganization costs, down from $24.6 million last year, for a net loss in the period of just over $2 million.

In the past two years, staff at Tele-Quebec has been reduced by almost half to 329. The network also has 88 full-time contractual employees.