Although he’s proven himself to be no lightweight in recent months, CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein doesn’t appear to be prone to fits of gratuitous violence. That was made evident recently at the CRTC’s licence renewal hearings for private over-the-air broadcasters, when CFTPA national EVP and counsel John Barrack suggested the CRTC ‘give everyone a nudge’ – meaning broadcasters, of course – to honestly negotiate on terms of trade.

But if the CFTPA was genuinely hoping the chair would reach for the pointy stick, it was likely disappointed. Von Finckenstein noted to the CFTPA counsel that he wasn’t ‘in the mood to mediate something you could do yourselves,’ suggesting it’s ‘not a useful activity for the commission.’ The chair did agree, however, that broadcasters would probably not come to the table unless somehow motivated.

The unions and guilds spent the first week of May trying to create that motivation, positioning themselves for the renewal hearings – and they brought paperwork.

According to a joint study by the Nordicity Group, released in time for the hearings by the producers association, ACTRA, the DGC and WGC, Canadian programming is not the burden that broadcasters claim. The groups – citing research from Nordicity – argue that large broadcast conglomerates that own both conventional and specialty channels are ‘well-positioned’ to profit from domestic programming.

‘This Nordicity analysis reveals that the broadcasters shouldn’t use Canadian programming as an excuse for gross overspending in Hollywood,’ said ACTRA boss Stephen Waddell in a statement. ‘Canadian programming can pay its own way.’ The study of English-language TV takes aim at arguments often heard this time of year, as broadcasters prepare to buy U.S. programming for fall.

Nordicity notes that Canadian-made shows are often rerun repeatedly, across channels owned by particular networks.

‘We accept the fact that foreign programming is largely more profitable than Canadian programming,’ said Norm Bolen, president and CEO of the CFTPA. ‘But in an environment where broadcasters now receive unlimited plays on multiple channels and platforms while paying minimal licence fees, the suggestion that Canadian content is a financial albatross cannot be taken at face value.’

The unions and guilds followed the report with appearances at the hearings, and equally strong assertions.

‘We agree that the system is out of whack,’ said Maureen Parker, executive director of the WGC, ‘with the ludicrous amounts these companies are spending on American programming, and we want to work with the CRTC to refine the one-to-one model. The last decade tells the tale: without specific regulation, broadcasters will not do local programming, and they most certainly will not make the kind of high-quality Canadian shows that audiences want and deserve.’

The CRTC put the one-to-one model – a requirement that spending on Canadian and non-Canadian programming be equal – on the table last February as one of only a handful of issues it planned to discuss during this round of hearings.

Some are suggesting little will come out of this round of hearings, barring the sides airing their positions, and that the ‘real’ work will get done in 2010. Given the scope and number of media topics up for debate currently, that’s hardly an unrealistic suggestion.

With files from Suzan Ayscough and Sean Davidson