The networks are in a dead heat for last place when it comes to Cancon this fall, according to a tally of the 2009/10 schedules put out by ACTRA. The actors union, in its all-but-traditional response to the unveiling of the fall schedules, puts the A channels in last place, with one hour of Canadian-made shows per week, followed by CTV and Global, tied with two hours each.

‘Despite the so-called financial crisis, Canadian broadcasters’ credit cards are working just fine in Hollywood,’ said newly minted ACTRA national president Ferne Downey in a statement, repeating the union’s criticisms of the networks’ spending habits at the L.A. Screenings.

The E! network, which is in the process of being sold off by troubled parent Canwest, has not unveiled any fall plans.

ACTRA again called on the CRTC to put minimum spending requirements in place for Canadian programming. ‘[The] release of the fall TV schedules demonstrates yet again the private networks have no intention of increasing Canadian programming – unless forced to by the CRTC,’ said national executive director Stephen Waddell.

The commission has raised the possibility of imposing a 1:1 spending ratio, though discussion on this controversial idea was recently put off until next year.

The Writers Guild of Canada took aim at Citytv and its parent, Rogers Communications, in a separate statement, for the five-station group’s simulcast-heavy fall schedule. ‘Now CityTV has joined the choir’ of CTV and Global, said executive director Maureen Parker, ‘taking the deep pockets of Rogers and following the pack to Hollywood. This at the same time as Rogers works to get two CityTV stations out of a condition of licence to air a Canadian movie or two each week.’

City has asked the CRTC to relieve it of a licence condition to air at least 100 hours of Canadian films in primetime each year. The issue – quietly raised by Rogers at the recent licence renewal hearings – is being brought to the forefront by the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters.

‘One of the problems is that not enough attention was being paid to [the matter], because there’s been much larger issues at stake, like the future of over-the-air broadcasting, the financial viability of Canwest Global, and the fee-for-carriage issue,’ says CAFDE president Ted East.

He explains that Rogers, which acquired the station group in 2007, promised it would uphold the condition of licence to support Canadian films. ‘From the minute they were given approval [for the purchase], they pretty much stopped doing it,’ says East, adding that only one distributor, Mongrel Media, has sold a domestic film to City under Rogers’ ownership. The film is the soon-to-be-released drama Cairo Time, from director Ruba Nadda. He also says that new management at City has been telling distributors they’re not buying films anymore.

Rogers did not return calls for comment. The CRTC is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

CAFDE will also push for more support of Canadian films from other broadcasters including CTV, Global and CBC when the CRTC begins its next round of licence renewal hearings. City is currently the only OTA broadcaster that is required by licence to air Canuck films.

For a full rundown and analysis of the new fall skeds and shows, check the July 6 issue of Playback.