Montreal: In the oversubscribed world of the Canadian Television Fund, all questions on policy lead to review, and answers have to wait until new guidelines are released Dec. 10.

That was the overall sense to emerge as fund managers from ctf, Telefilm Canada, the Independent Production Fund/Cogeco and the Shaw Children’s Production Fund fielded a swirl of questions from worried delegates at the annual Alliance for Children and Television Conference, held in Montreal Nov. 6-7

At a seminar session on the evolving shift in funding, act delegates were told the ctf harmonization exercise would consist of ‘more discretionary’ criteria in the Licence Fee Program process and more ‘transparency’ in the selective Telefilm-managed Equity Investment Program process.

If wider issues like the impact of merger and consolidation on the definition of a producer went unanswered, many producers still seem to think big companies need to be capped. The delegates raised several ‘review’ issues with the following panel commentary:

* At the act session, ctf administrator Beverly Bettons said the fund ‘is looking at exceptions’ to each of its four ‘branding’ guidelines, the all-Canada rules on content, production, copyright and development, and story or ‘theme.’

‘The processing of applications would be done early this year,’ she said.

* Asked about the ‘the mismatch between eip and lfp’ on coproductions, Bettons said the ctf has received producer input, and coproductions are also under review.

* As well as being ‘opposed to disguised locations,’ ctf manager Mikale-Andree Joli said ctf had met ‘with the bigger producers,’ and in view of its branding criteria, said ctf will not support ‘the more industrial projects.’

* Both Cinar Films executive Marie-Josee Corbeil and Telefilm manager Joelle Levie raised the issue of recoupment policy, at least in the children’s program sector, contrasting the significant investment in ‘local’ shows against the higher financial demands on ‘exports’ and richer producers.

* Levie told the delegates ‘Telefilm will maintain its investment analysis’ as the lfp and eip processes are ‘harmonized and simplified.’

* All sides seem to be anticipating the buildup to another massive oversubscription for ’99/2000. ‘No doubt this will happen again this year,’ said Levie.

* Joli said ctf will introduce ‘quality comparatives’ for lfp funding and ‘timelines will be joined’ in terms of disbursements. What those comparatives will be and how they might be applied – in part or in whole, in all or any of the program categories – was not specified, but Joli said broadcasters have been told not to issue letters before the guidelines are out.

* On issues facing Telefilm, Levie said there were a number of (current) ‘lfp projects accepted which were only half financed,’ adding, ‘Telefilm has had to put its recoupment program aside for the past two years.’

* When asked about the possibility of de facto ‘broadcaster envelopes’ in view of the broadcaster-picks-one criteria used in the limited September round, Joly said there are ‘no plans to take this direction.’