Public Notice CRTC 2001-5

See also: 2001-5-1

Ottawa, 8 January 2001

Call for comments: contents of the public file for upcoming TV ownership group renewal hearings

Background

1.

Television renewal applications are scheduled for consideration at two upcoming public hearings. Applications to renew the network and Montréal licences held by the TVA television group will be heard at a public hearing to be held in March 2001. Renewal applications for the licences held by the CTV and Global television groups will be heard at a public hearing to be held in April 2001.

2.

In order to foster open and informed public discussion, the Commission considers that it may be appropriate to place certain information concerning each of these television groups on the public files for these hearings. This additional information would include details that the Commission has not generally made publicly available in the past. The Commission did, however, place similar information on the public file pertaining to Public Notice CRTC 1998-44 dated 6 May 1998 entitled Canadian Television Policy Review - Call for Comments.

3.

The Commission invites interested parties to comment on the proposal outlined below.

The proposal

4.

Information to be placed on the public files for the upcoming proceedings for the three television ownership groups would include:

· the total revenues for each group for each of the years 1997 to 2000.

· current data regarding the actual and potential audience reach of each television group.

Call for comments

5.

The Commission invites interested parties to submit written comments on the proposal outlined above, including any issues relating to confidentiality. Other suggestions that would provide for a more open and better-informed discussion are also welcome. The Commission will accept comments that it receives on or before 29 January 2001.

6.

The Commission will not formally acknowledge comments. It will, however, fully consider all comments and they will form part of the public record of the proceeding, provided that the procedures for filing set out below have been followed.

Procedures for filing comments

7.

Interested parties can file their comments on paper or electronically. Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary.

8.

Parties wishing to file their comments on paper should send them to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, K1A 0N2.

9.

Parties wishing to file electronic versions of their comments can do so by email or on diskette. The Commission email address is procedure@crtc.gc.ca 

10.

Electronic submissions should be in the HTML format. As an alternative, those making submissions may use "Microsoft Word" for text and "Microsoft Excel" for spreadsheets.

11.

Please number each paragraph of your submission. In addition, please enter the line ***End of document*** following the last paragraph. This will help the Commission verify that the document has not been damaged during transmission.

12.

The Commission will make comments filed in electronic form available on its web site at www.crtc.gc.ca in the official language and format in which they are submitted. This will make it easier for members of the public to consult the documents.

13.

The Commission also encourages interested parties to monitor the public examination file (and/or the Commission's web site) for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their comments.

Examination of public comments and related documents at the following Commission offices during normal business hours

Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage, Room G-5
Hull, Quebec K1A 0N2
Tel: (819) 997-2429 - TDD: 994-0423
Fax: (819) 994-0218

Bank of Commerce Building
1809 Barrington Street
Suite 1007
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3K8
Tel: (902) 426-7997 - TDD: 426-6997
Fax: (902) 426-2721

405 de Maisonneuve Blvd. East
2^nd Floor, Suite B2300
Montréal, Quebec H2L 4J5
Tel: (514) 283-6607 - TDD: 283-8316
Fax: (514) 283-3689

55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2
Tel: (416) 952-9096
Fax: (416) 954-6343

Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B3
Tel: (204) 983-6306 - TDD: 983-8274
Fax: (204) 983-6317

Cornwall Professional Building
2125 - 11^th Avenue
Room 103
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3X3
Tel: (306) 780-3422
Fax: (306) 780-3319

10405 Jasper Avenue
Suite 520
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3N4
Tel: (780) 495-3224
Fax: (780) 495-3214

530-580 Hornby Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3B6
Tel: (604) 666-2111 - TDD: 666-0778
Fax: (604) 666-8322

Secretary General

This document is available in alternate format upon request and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca