Strategy 2015: Everyone, Every way is our promise to Canadians. A promise to be more Canadian, more digital, more regional. A promise to be there when, where and how Canadians want us to be.
With our plan in place, we're ready for the future. Now, we need a regulatory framework that will enable our progress, not hold it back. Broadcasting is a modern game – we need modern rules.
Broadcasting is evolving fast. We need to be able to operate efficiently and effectively in the fast-changing, multiplatform environment. CBC/Radio-Canada must be able to meet Canadians where they are – not where they used to be. We need a regulatory framework that will enable our progress. And for that, flexibility is key.
CBC/Radio-Canada is now Canada's only national broadcaster not owned by a cable or satellite company. Our broadcasting competitors are the same companies we rely on to distribute our content. We need a supportive environment for our services. We cannot be left to the mercy of vertically integrated distributors, some of whom make no secret of their antipathy for public broadcasting.
We're asking the CRTC to ensure that Canadians have access to our services by requiring mandatory and prominent distribution of those services on all the platforms that Canadians are using, on a reasonable basis. In particular, our specialty television services must have the opportunity to support our distinctive public broadcasting mandate and programming agenda. This can only happen when our specialty services gain better prominence on cable and satellite providers' line-ups.
Stable and predictable funding — through the Canada Media Fund (CMF), our Parliamentary appropriations, and the Local Programing Improvement Fund (LPIF) — is key to the Corporation's ability to fully implement the strategy that it has presented to Canadians. The LPIF — created and administered by the CRTC — is particularly critical to our ability to deliver on the promise we've made to improve and expand local service. Continued access to the LPIF is vital.
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CBC Television is Canada's second most-watched television network. Its lineup of proudly and distinctly Canadian programming succeeded in drawing a regular season prime-time audience share of 9.3 per cent in 2010-2011.
Over the next five years, CBC Television is committed to increasing its level of Canadian programming and relying on fewer foreign programs, to airing a mix of news, information, sports, entertainment, and children's programming, and to balancing programming that reflects a shared national experience with programming that celebrates Canada's regions:
By way of the above, CBC Television will commit substantially to Programs of National Interest (PNI).
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CBC News Network is Canada's number one news network. All of CBC News Network's broadcasts attracted increased audiences this year, with Connect with Mark Kelley, Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, and The Lang & O'Leary Exchange achieving more than 30 per cent audience growth.
CBC News Network is committed to being a leader in diversity, in terms of story selection, of those who produce and tell the stories on the network, and of those who appear as guests, newsmakers and experts.
CBC News Network will provide context to events at home and abroad. Stories will be produced and presented by the people who live and work where the news is happening. The network will lead the way in international news, with sustained coverage for key international stories. The majority of programming on CBC News Network will be original to the service.
CBC News Network is requesting to extend its mandatory distribution order in minority language markets in order to fulfil its mandate to offer high-quality information and news services that serve Canada's English-speaking communities in francophone markets and to be available to every anglophone subscriber in the country.
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CBC Radio continues to break audience records, with an all-time high of 14.7 per cent combined fall audience share. Listeners downloaded 1.6 million CBC Radio podcasts every week. CBC Radio One morning shows achieved top three rankings in 17 out of 17 markets. World Report attracted large audiences, with more than 450,000 listeners on weekdays.
CBC Radio One, which airs news, current affairs, arts, and culture via radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, remains committed to an overwhelmingly Canadian schedule during the broadcast week. As such, it will adhere to its current Canadian content requirements, which exceed the commitments of private radio broadcasters.
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CBC Radio continues to break audience records, with an all-time high of 14.7 per cent combined fall audience share. Listeners downloaded 1.6 million CBC Radio podcasts every week.
CBC Radio 2, which airs classical, jazz and popular music via radio and four online channels, will continue to adhere to its current Canadian content weekly broadcast requirements, exceeding the commitments of private radio broadcasters. The network will adapt to the changing demands of Canadian listeners in terms of content and delivery platforms, and will support the careers of emerging Canadian musicians.
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bold is a specialty television service by subscription that brings audiences the world's best performing arts, intelligent drama and daring comedy, as well as live sporting events.
In the upcoming licence period, bold proposes to adopt standard conditions of licence consistent with Category A specialty services. The network will maintain existing Canadian content and Canadian Programming Expenditures obligations. It proposes the removal of the limitation that no more than 10 per cent of all programming broadcast during each broadcast month may be broadcast on CBC Television during the same broadcast month.
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documentary is a specialty channel that showcases the best documentaries from Canada and around the world, placing a special emphasis on feature-length and one-hour films. The network is committed to 75 per cent Canadian content, and will commission and acquire a substantial amount of its programming from the independent production sector.
documentary is also committed to original first-run Canadian programming within the limits of its resources. The network will exceed its current condition of licence with respect to independent production and will spend at least 50 per cent of its acquisition budget on Canadian independent productions.
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The fragmentation of the French-language television landscape has not diminished our popularity with Canadians: Radio-Canada captures one-fifth of the total French-speaking viewing audience. Our goal is to continue delivering original, innovative and high-quality programs within a well-balanced schedule.
Our drama and comedy series break new ground by exploring diverse milieux that appeal to wide-ranging audiences. We continue to support feature films and documentaries, assigning them top time slots in our schedules.
We are committed to producing and promoting at least 10 Radio-Canada signature events each year – events such as the Gémeaux and Jutras awards galas, or the Une heure sur terre special on the concert by Ken Nagano and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra in memory of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. Simulcast across multiple platforms, these special signature events bring Canadians together while celebrating homegrown creative excellence.
In news and current affairs, Radio-Canada continues to emphasise credible, independent journalism available in formats that meet the needs of audiences wanting to stay informed 24—7.
Finally, the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) has allowed us to enhance our local offering at the vast majority of our regional stations, while providing newscasts seven days a week in most of the markets served. We plan to expand our regional efforts even further in the coming years.
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As Canada's sole public French-language all-news channel, Réseau de l'information de Radio-Canada (RDI) relies on a large network of correspondents at home and abroad. It now has a presence in 11 urban centres across the country.
In addition to news, RDI airs panel and discussion shows, making regular use of the Web and social networks to encourage audience participation. It provides continuous updates of major stories every hour and brief headlines every 15 minutes during the day. RDI can also quickly shift into special broadcast mode to keep pace with events: the recent natural catastrophes in Haiti and Japan were among the top newsmakers in recent months.
RDI is committed to providing more frequent continuous news updates during the night, and to ensuring that at least a third of its original content comes from regional centres both in and outside of Quebec. The network intends to to maintain its carriage on cable and satellite basic service across the country.
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Focused primarily on news, current affairs and the arts, Première Chaîne is Radio-Canada's talk radio network. Its popular local weekday morning shows capture an approximately 20% market share in the 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. time slot.
Première Chaîne is a powerful vehicle for broadening and strengthening ties among French-speaking Canadians across the country. At least 85% of the music with vocals that it airs is by francophone artists. We are committed to more closely integrating the network with digital platforms so that audiences can better interact and share their views.
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Launched in 2004, Espace musique fills a unique niche on the Canadian radio landscape: the diverse range of genres and performers it airs, as well as the prominent place it gives French-language song, make it a showcase for the best in Canadian music.
The network undertook a bold regionalisation initiative in 2010. Its programming now includes six hours of regional hosting per day, five days a week, in the 12 major regional markets, which now enjoy a total of 30 hours of regional programming each week.
Radio-Canada is committed to strengthening its regional presence by leveraging local partnerships and increasing the amount of information about cultural events put on by the country's various French-speaking communities.
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ARTV is a national French-language specialty channel devoted primarily to Canadian arts and entertainment, while also providing access to high-calibre artistic programming from around the world. ARTV programming reflects the uniqueness of Quebec culture, as well as the different needs and circumstances of French-speaking communities across Canada. Radio-Canada, which now holds an 85% stake in the channel, plans to increase the presence of cultural diversity. We also want to expand ARTV's role as an artistic showcase by scheduling more programs in cultural fields like design, photography and literature.
ARTV is an outstanding vehicle for promoting the best on the homegrown and international arts scene. Radio-Canada is asking the CRTC to ensure that ARTV remains accessible in all parts of the country.
Visit WebsiteAnyone wanting to broadcast on radio or television in Canada needs a licence from the CRTC to do so. With that licence come terms and conditions to broadcast particular types of programming, with minimum amounts of Canadian content, and stipulations about when and where broadcast content can be used, etc.
Licences are typically valid for seven years. They must then be renewed, at which point the CRTC has the opportunity to reviews terms and conditions. It's been not seven but rather 12 years since CBC/Radio-Canada's licences were last renewed. During this time, broadcasting technology and consumer demand and expectation have exponentially changed. At the same time, significant vertical integration has occurred in the Canadian broadcasting industry, making the stakes for public broadcasting in Canada very high this time around.
Learn more about 2015: Everyone. Every way.
