The close to $200 million in Canadian Television and Cable Production Fund money injected into primetime Canadian programming triggered a major boom in production across the country, generating cumulative production and services valued at $625 million in 1996/97, according to the fund’s recently released Annual Activity Report.

While demand far exceeded available funding for both the Licence Fee and Equity Investment Programs, ctcpf money during the period fueled 2,221 hours of programming, including 724 hours of children’s programming (33%), a major hike over the previous period, 543 hours of documentary production (25%), 614 hours of drama (28%), 73 hours of performing arts programs (3%), 239 hours of variety shows (11%) and 14 feature film productions, nine in English and five in French, with combined budgets of $50.2 million.

However, the real issue is not fund operations or even policy, although many hope that will happen, but whether ctcpf will continue to exist in any meaningful way as of next spring when the $100-million contribution from Canadian Heritage could be reduced to $50 million.

‘The fund has worked very well and we’re getting very positive signals from ministers, but the renewal of the fund is by no means assured,’ says Peter Miller, senior vp and counsel with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

‘And we shouldn’t in any way take for granted that it is going to be renewed,’ says Miller, noting the February budget process moves into high gear in November as cabinet ministers ‘prepare the visions for their departments’ and attempt to sort out ‘many competing priorities.’

Industry lobbying efforts – from the cbc and cab to the cftpa and the professional guilds – in support of a renewal at current levels are unprecedented.

In the event ctcpf funding is not renewed at ’97/98 levels, Miller says the shakedown may look like this: ‘We [broadcasters] would have serious difficulty meeting the commitments that we made to the crtc and what is expected of us [in terms] of airing first-run independent production, drama and the like.’

Miller says ‘less tangible’ issues like program quality are also at stake in a cutback scenario and broadcasters are decidedly upbeat with the growing ratings for Canadian drama series like Traders and Due South.

The Annual Activity Report states the ctcpf distributed 28.3% of its funding to projects originating outside Montreal and Toronto.

A data analysis section on broadcaster commitment reports 50% of the ctcpf money went to programs licensed by cbc and Radio-Canada while provincial broadcasters triggered 5% of the funding.

The balance, just over 45%, went to productions licensed by private broadcasters, 28% triggered by conventional networks, and 18% by specialty channels. During the period, broadcasters contributed $182 million in total licences.

The $107.5 million eip envelope is administered by Telefilm Canada and executive director Francois Macerola. The $94.8-million lfp envelope (with $44.8 million from cable companies) is administered by ctcpf lfp executive director Garry Toth. Peter Herrndorf is interim ctcpf chairman.