MONTRÉAL, Feb. 24, 2020 /CNW
Telbec/ - Quebecor filed with the Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) its intervention regarding
the renewal of the licences of the English- and French-language
services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / Société
Radio-Canada (CBC / Radio-Canada). Quebecor's submission agrees
with the Yale report,
Canada's Communications
Future, that CBC /Radio-Canada should be "animated by a public
purpose not a commercial one."
With public hearings on the licence renewals set to open on
May 25, questions about the
complementary roles of public and private broadcasting and the
place CBC / Radio-Canada should occupy need to be on the table. Is
it desirable for the public broadcaster to be driven by a culture
of performance and financial return rather than a public service
culture? How does carrying foreign content such as US blockbusters
and television series fulfil CBC / Radio-Canada's mandate? Is it
fair to ask taxpayers to pay for a Tou.tv Extra subscription to
access content they have already paid for with their taxes? The
answers to these questions will be critical to the viability of
Canada's broadcasting system.
"CBC / Radio-Canada must once again become a strong public
broadcaster with a mandate that revolves more around supporting the
development of Québec and Canadian culture, and the work of our
artists and creators," said Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO
of Quebecor. "At a time when the television industry is struggling,
forcing the private sector to compete with a broadcaster that has
guaranteed revenues from public funds is clearly unfair. The
equilibrium of our television broadcasting system is at stake. Many
of us in the broadcasting community have been complaining for years
that the public broadcaster has gone astray. The CRTC and the
government are in a position to take action."
"Given that it receives substantial parliamentary
appropriations, CBC / Radio-Canada should not be subject to
commercial performance requirements," said France Lauzière,
President and CEO of TVA Group and Chief Content Officer of
Quebecor Content. "We therefore believe the public broadcaster's
role should be clarified and reformulated to promote more
programming in certain categories and put greater emphasis on areas
such as international news coverage, investigative reporting, and
supporting and showcasing talented Canadian artists instead of
buying foreign formats. That would make the public and private
broadcasters truly complementary and provide viewers with a
compelling, relevant and much more complete range of television
programming."
About Quebecor
Quebecor, a Canadian leader in
telecommunications, entertainment, news media and culture, is one
of the best-performing integrated communications companies in the
industry. Driven by their determination to deliver the best
possible customer experience, all of Quebecor's subsidiaries and
brands are differentiated by their high-quality, multiplatform,
convergent products and services.
Québec-based Quebecor (TSX: QBR.A, QBR.B) employs more than
10,000 people in Canada.
A family business founded in 1950, Quebecor is strongly
committed to the community. Every year, it actively supports more
than 400 organizations in the vital fields of culture, health,
education, the environment and entrepreneurship.
Visit our website: www.quebecor.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Quebecor
SOURCE Quebecor