CCA Bulletin 32/06
Ottawa,
August 10, 2006
Midsummer
CCA Update (Part Three)
Satellite
radio rides again - CCA files CRTC intervention against Bell
Video Group
On
July 25 the CCA filed an intervention
against Bell Video Group's application to
the CRTC to get authorization to distribute, at its discretion,
either or both of the licensed Satellite subscription services.
This application, which is similar to the one made a few months
ago by Rogers Cable and against which the
CCA intervened, has been followed even
more recently by another one from Telus.
CCA's objection to Bell's application has been co-signed or
supported by a number of organizations: ADISQ, the American
Federation of Musicians (Canada), La Guilde des musiciens
et musiciennes du Québec, the Toronto Musicians' Association,
Our Public Airwaves, the Canadian League of Composers, the
Canadian Music Centre and Talon Books Ltd.
The CCA
intervened against Bell on the grounds that, if granted, such
applications would bring about unfair competition against
the two established Canadian pay audio services, Galaxie (CBC)
and Max Trax (Corus). Through a domino effect with other cable
and satellite delivery systems, this would most likely lead
to their being replaced by the nominally Canadian satellite
radio services, where Canadian artists are mostly confined
to only a very small number of channels.
Requested
under the pretext of increasing consumer choice, the result
of granting the Bell and Rogers application would be just
the opposite. Canadian pay audio services, whose carriage
is equally optional, would be at best marginalized or dropped
entirely in favour of cheaper US channels, without consideration
for Canadian content. The Bell application, like the Rogers
one before and the Telus one after, deliberately glosses over
the fact that consumers cannot "choose" something that is
not available on the menu.
The
CCA has invited other organizations to support its request
that the CRTC submit all such applications to a public hearing
to deal with the fundamental issues they raise concerning
Canadian content regulations.
Notable
business arising from the June 10-11 CCA Board meeting
As
mentioned in CCA Bulletin 31/06, one of the major outputs
of the CCA Board meeting held in Ottawa on June 10-11 was
the formal adoption of the CCA
Policy and Advocacy Priorities for the foreseeable future.
Here are other highlights of the meeting:
1. The CCA
Board launches a review of its Membership and its Governance
structures
The
Board voted to strike two
ad-hoc sub-committees whose work has already begun
over the summer.
The
first, a sub-committee on membership, was created in order
to examine existing CCA membership categories and fee structures
and to recommend new approaches and fee structures to the
CCA Board at its next meeting, currently scheduled for mid-September.
The membership sub-committee is chaired by Governor Lori
Baxter and comprises CCA Vice President Karl Siegler, as
well as Governors Rose Bellosillo and Tim Borlase, with
the support of the Secretariat via the National Director
Alain Pineau.
The Governance Review
Committee is mandated to review the governance structure
of the CCA and, after five years, make a thorough assessment
of the changes brought about in 2001. The mandate of the
committee is broad: to review the Board structure per se,
the Board Committees and their mandates, the Board selection
process, as well as issues related to Board member performance
and the relationship between the National Director and the
Board. The governance committee is chaired by CCA Secretary
Peter Hyde and includes President Robert Spickler, past
President Denise Roy and Governors Peter Gardner and Susan
Wallace. As chair of the Nominating Committee, Rose Bellosillo
will sit as an observer. The committee will consult with
various CCA members throughout its extensive evaluation
process.
2.
Appointment of CCA Treasurer
Peter
Gardner has been re-appointed as CCA Board Treasurer for
a period of two years.
3. Appointment
of Philip Szporer as CCA Governor
Last,
the Board accepted the nomination of Philip Szporer
as new member to the Board, as recommended by
the CCA's Nominating Committee. Mr. Szporer joins the Board
further to the resignation of Mr. Normand Chouinard
earlier this year. The CCA thanks Mr. Chouinard
for his service to the CCA and is pleased to welcome Mr.
Szporer to the organization.
Philip
Szporer is a freelance writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and
international lecturer based in Montreal . Mr. Szporer is
Scholar in Residence at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
and was awarded a Pew Fellowship for the National Dance/Media
Project at the University of California (Los Angeles). He
is also a lecturer in Dance Traditions at Concordia University
. He has worked extensively (1983-present) for CBC -Radio
in the arts, music and public affairs divisions, and was
Canadian correspondent for PRI's The World (1996-2002).
Amongst other media projects, he co-directed and produced,
with filmmaker Marlene Millar, a seven-part documentary
series on emerging Canadian choreographers, Moments
in Motion/Au fil du mouvement, as well as the documentary
Raising The Bar: The Fresh Voices Project.
|
