CRTC TO UNDERTAKE A REVIEW OF ISSUES RELATING TO THE DIVERSITY OF VOICES IN CANADA CRTC Release The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will launch a proceeding to review issues relating to the Broadcasting Act’s objective of ensuring that the broadcasting system provides Canadians with a diversity of voices. The scope of this proceeding will be set out in a notice of public hearing to be issued shortly. A public hearing will follow in the fall of 2007.
“The current wave of consolidation in the Canadian broadcasting industry, and the possibility of more major transactions in the future, raises important questions relating to the diversity of voices in Canada,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Chairman of the CRTC. “Holding a public hearing in the fall will allow us to give these issues the thorough and in-depth study they deserve. This exercise will result in clearly articulated policy guidelines that will further the evolution of the Canadian broadcasting system from that point forward.”
The Commission has also decided to withdraw any review of its common ownership policy from the public hearing on the CTVglobemedia Inc./CHUM Limited transaction, which is scheduled to begin on April 30, 2007 (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2007-3-1).
Regarding the major ownership transactions that have been filed or publicly announced as of this date, the Commission is of the view that procedural fairness demands that such applications be heard in a timely manner and pursuant to the rules in force when the transactions were announced.
Therefore, the transactions recently announced by CanWest MediaWorks Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., and Astral Media Inc. and Standard Radio Inc., as well as the CTVglobemedia Inc./CHUM Limited transaction and any divestiture agreements emanating from it, will be assessed in light of the Commission's existing regulations and policies.
The Commission expects to issue its revised policy guidelines with respect to diversity of voices toward the end of 2007. In the meantime, the Commission will deal with routine ownership transactions that do not raise significant diversity of voices issues by following the normal process. |