Vancouver: In an effort to encourage the broadcast of more Canadian entertainment programming on private television stations, the crtc has introduced a new flexible policy on Cancon requirements.

Under the new system, English-language tv stations earning over $10 million in annual advertising revenues and network payments will be able to choose between two options: continue with a condition of licence to meet minimum levels of annual expenditure on Canadian programming, or adhere to a new condition of licence that requires the licensee to broadcast a specific number of hours per week of Canadian entertainment programming between 6 p.m. and midnight.

Licensees are required to advise the commission of which option they have chosen before Sept. 1, 1995. The option will be in effect throughout their new licence term.

The announcement was made concurrent with the renewal of private English-language tv station licences in b.c., southern Ontario and Quebec last month. While most licences were renewed for the full seven-year term, three broadcasters – ckvu-tv Vancouver, ckws-tv Kingston and ckvr-tv Barrie – were given shorter licence terms.

In a prepared statement announcing the renewals, crtc chairman Keith Spicer said: ‘Since the station licences were last renewed in 1989, the Canadian broadcasting environment has undergone tremendous change. In coming years, local broadcasters will be challenged by an increasing number of viewing options available to consumers.’

Spicer says the new flexible programming policy was introduced to help private English-language broadcasters adapt to these changing circumstances, while still promoting Canadian programming.

The commission emphasized the importance of local stations in announcing the new policy. ‘Local stations are the window through which most Canadians see the world and themselves. While these stations do an admirable job in news and public affairs, Canadian entertainment programming is still significantly under-represented.’

According to the crtc, only 25% of all English-language entertainment programming scheduled in the evening is Canadian.

‘The commission believes that the broadcast of Canadian entertainment programs should be considerably increased,’ says Spicer. ‘It is reasonable that, by the end of their new licence terms, private stations should schedule at least seven hours per week of this essential programming during primetime viewing hours.’

Two licence holders which the commission felt did not fully meet their requirements for ‘local reflection’ – ckvu, which was renewed for only five years, and ckws along with its Brighton and Prescott transmitters, which received a four-year renewal – are expected to broadcast a specified minimum number of hours per week of original local news during their licence terms.

Jim Rusnak, president of CanWest Television, owner of ckvu, says he is pleased with the five-year renewal and recognizes there was a shortfall in the number of required hours of news production. He says the shortfall was largely overcome two years ago when the station switched its 5:30-6:30 evening news to a 6 p.m. slot.

Rusnak says as a result of the crtc’s decision, the station’s expenditures on development of Canadian entertainment programming has increased by $10,000 to $60,000 per annum, with progressive increases planned over the five years of the licence.

However, he says there will be no substantive changes to programming at the station in reaction to the crtc’s comments.

‘Our focus is to be a strong local community station. We are trying to make our news better and better and more competitive all the time. Other than that, it’s business as usual.’

As for the new flexible policy, Rusnak says ckvu is still deciding which approach to choose.

Ontario station ckvr, which recently disaffiliated from the cbc television network, was also given a shorter licence of five years because the commission wants to monitor more closely its performance in maintaining its primary focus on Barrie, Parry Sound and Huntsville audiences.

In light of decreasing closed-captioning costs and the availability of new technologies, the commission also introduced more stringent rules for captioning to service deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.

The crtc now requires local stations earning more than $10 million per year to caption all local news programming, including live segments, as of Sept. 1, 1998. In addition, by the end of their licence terms, these stations most close-caption at least 90% of all programming broadcast.

Smaller stations are also being encouraged to achieve the same goals before the end of their licence terms.