Proceedings of a Two-Day Conference Held at the University of Guelph, (April 30-May 2, ,972)
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TITLE Proceedings:Cable Broadcasting in the Community. April 30-May2, 1972. INSTITUTION Guelph Univ.(Ontario). Office of Continuing Education. PUB DATE Feb 73 NOTE 80p.; Proceedings of a two-day conference held at the University of Guelph, (April 30-May 2, ,972)
EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$4.43 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Audiovisual Communication; Broadcast Industry; Broadcast Television; *Cable Television; Commercial Television; Conference Reports; Educational Alternatives; *Educational Television; Foreign Countries IDENTIFIERS Canada
ABSTRACT The proceedings contain transcripts of speeches, panel discussions, and plenary sessions dealing with various aspects of cable broadcasting. The speeches include: Community Television--Future Potential, John deMercado; Reaction to Dr. deNercado's speech, Diane Abbey Livingston; The Guelph Communications Project, William Foss; An Outline for the Plans Under Discussion for the Ryerson Open College, Margaret Norquay; CableTV and Credit Courses, R. F. G. Campbell; The Political Dimension, Richard Gwyn; Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Transmission, David Williams; and Getting and Keeping People Involved, Philip Lynd. The plenary sessions included: Community Programing--Costs and Sources of Support, with Douglas Waterston and Ted Jarmain; The Political Dimension, with Duane Tulloch and David Williams; Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Transmission, with Glen Warlow and David Williams; and Citizen Involvement and Education in Cable, TV, with Weldon Findlay and David Williams. Technical Aspects of Cable Broadcasting, were discussed by I. Switzer, J. D. Livingston and Ian Easterbrook. Senator Keith Davey's address Federal-Provincial Issues in Cable Broadcasting in the Community is also included. (JR) Proceedings
Cable Broadcasting in the Community April 30-May 2
(.1 Proceedings of a two day conference held at the University of Guelph, April 30 - May 2, 1972.
Sponsored by: The Office of Continuing Education in conjunction with extension oriented faculty members of the School of Agricultural Economics and Extension Education, University of Guelph,
@ University of Guelph February, 1973
3 9. Plenary Sessions based on group discussions.33 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chairman: Mr. Douglas Waterston Director of Information University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario
1. Introduction to the Seminar 5 a. Community Programming Costs and Dr. Mark Waldron, Director Sources of Support 37 Off:-:e of Continuing Education Mr. Douglas Waterston University of Guelph Mr. Ted Jarmain Guelph, Ontario b. The Political Dimension 41 2. Community Television Future Potential 6 Prof. Duane Tulloch Dr. John deMercado, Director Mr. Richard Gwyn Communications Systems Planning Department of Communications c. Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Ottawa, Canada Transmission 43 Prof. Glen Warlow 3. Reaction to Community Television Mr. David Williams Future Potential 12 Mrs. Diane Abbey Livingston d. Citizen Involvement and Education Project Consultant in Cable TV 50 Ontario Educational Communications Authority Prof. Weldon Findlay Toronto, Ontario Mr. David Williams
10. Getting and Keeping People Involved. 4. The Guelph Communications Project. 15 . 53 Mr. William Foss Mr. Philip Lind Guelph, Ontario Rogers Cable TV Limited Toronto, Ontario 5. Education and Cable Ryerson Open College 16 11. Technical Aspects of Cable Broadcasting. 57 Mrs. Margaret Norquay Moderator: Mr. George S. Atkins Ryerson Open College Senior Commentator Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Agriculture & Resources Toronto, Ontario Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 6. Cable TV and Credit Courses 21 Toronto, Ontario Dr. R.F.G. Campbell Superintendent Programming Panel Members: University, College, Adult Section Mr. I. Switzer 58 Ontario Educational Communications Authority Chief Engineer Toronto, Ontario MacLean-Hunter Cable TV Rexdale, Ontario 7. The Political Dimension 26 Mr. Richard Gwyn Mr. J. D. Livingston 62 RCA Corporate Staff Director General, Socio-Economic Planning Department of Communications Consumer Information Systems Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec Ottawa, Canada 8. Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Mr. Ian Easterbrook 65 Audio Visual Services Transmission 29 Mr. David Williams, Executive Vice- University of Guelph President 12.Speaker: Senator Keith Davey 66 Canadian Cable Systems Federal-Provincial Issues in Toronto, Ontario Cable Broadcasting in the Community
4 PREFACE
These proceedings deal with a fascinating and seminar in order to get the true value of what rapidly changing aspect of communications in went on. These proceedings then cover the formal Canada, that of cable broadcasting. During the presentations of the seminar and provide you with two day seminar held at the University of Guelph a reminder and possibly a further insight into major in the Spring of 1972, cable broadcasting was issues facing cable broadcasting in Canadian com- examined from a number of different points of munities. view citizen involvement in programming, legal Several seminar participants have asked to have aspects, financial considerations, program possi- a second seminar dealing with the more applied bilities and technical developments and limitations. aspects of citizen programming on cable.If you Senator Keith Davey summarized many of the consider this important and needed, or if you have seminar discussions in his address titled, "Federal- other ideas for future seminars dealing with cable Provincial Issues in Cable Broadcasting in the broadcasting, then please feel free to contact me. Community." Several individuals made major contributions to The intent of the seminar was to bring together the success of this seminar. My sincere thanks to those with an interest in cable broadcasting in the the many resource people who presented papers, community as well as to have them meet and to the Extension Education faculty members in the discuss common concerns with some of the major School of Agricultural Economics and Extension stakeholders in the industry. The franl. discussions Education and to the staff of the University that arose from this meeting and the id as Information Office. generated in an informal way could never be I hope that these proceedings will provide a captured by a proceedings. Most of t le formal background for further discussions and decisions presentations are included in this publication. dealing with the important impact that cable broad- Several were presented visually and could only be casting is having on Canadian communities. distributed using videotape. In other cases, the discussion was of such a nature that a printed pro- Mark Waldron, Ph.D. ceedings would only lead to confusion. In other Director words, you would have had to participate in the Office of Continuing Education
S Papers and Group Discussions Concurrent Sessions University of Guelph Community Programming Costs and Sources of Cable Broadcasting in the Community Support April 30 May 2, 1972 Mr. Ted Jarmain Chairman of the Board Canadian Cable Television Association PROGRAM Jarmain Teleservices Limited London, Ontario This two day seminar will explore the present and potential uses of community cable broadcasting in Cable TV and Credit Courses Canada. The focus will be on the relationship of Dr. R.F.G. Campbell community cable systems to adult education and Superintendent Programming citizen involvement. University, College, Adult Section OECA Sunday, April 30 Toronto, Ontario
Registration The Political Dimension Dr. Alan Thorru. Monday, May 1 Introduction to Seminar Chairman, Dek.rtment of Adult Education Ontario institute for Studies in Education Chairman:Dr. Mark Waldron, Director Toronto, Ontario Office of Continuing Education University of Guelph Mr. Richard Gwyn Director General, Socio-Economic Planning Community Television Future Potential Department of Communications Dr. John deMercado, Director Ottawa, Canada Communications Systems Planning Department of Communications Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Transmission Ottawa, Canada Mr. David Williams Executive Vice-President Reaction: Mrs. Diane Abbey Livingston Canadian Cable Systems Project Consultant Toronto, Ontario OECA, Toronto Citizen Involvement and Education in Cable TV Case Studies in Community TV Mr. Philip Lind Guelph Communications Project Rogers Cable TV Limited Mr. William Foss Toronto, Ontario Guelph, Ontario Plenary Sessions based on group discussions Education and Cable Ryerson Open College Chairman: Mr. Douglas Waterston Mrs. Margaret Norquay Director of Information Ryerson Open College University of Guelph Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto, Ontario A.Citizen Involvement in Cable TV B. Operating Aspects of Cable TV Spotlight on University of Guelph Mr. D. L. Waterston Tuesday, May 2 Director of Information University of Guelph Programming and Technical Aspects in Community Broadcasting Communications Into the Home Chairman:Professor Duane Tulloch Mr. David Ferguson School of Agricultural Economics Cable TV Limited and Extension Education Montreal, Quebec University of Guelph 6 3 The Best of the Present in Programming Wasteland or Not?
Mr. Udo Salewsky, General Manager Grand River Cable System TV Limited Kitchener, Ontario
Mr. Jake Milligan Fergus-Elora Cable TV Fergus, Ontario
Mr. Lorne McFadden Jarmain Cable TV Limited Brantford, Ontario Getting and Keeping People Involved Mr. Philip Lind Rogers Cable TV Limited Toronto, Ontario
Technical Aspects of Cable Broadcasting
Moderator: Mr. George S. Atkins Agriculture and Resources Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Toronto, Ontario
Panel Members:
Mr. I. Switzer Chief Engineer MacLean-Hunter Cable TV Rexdale, Ontario
Mr. Bert Pitcher Project Consultant OECA Toronto, Ontario
Mr. J. D. Livingston RCA Corporate Staff Consumer Information Systems Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec
Mr. Ian Easterbrook Audio Visual Services University of Guelph
Speaker: Senator Keith Davey Federal-Provincial Issues in Cable Broadcasting in The Community
4 this whole field on this campus. The Guelph corn- . Introduction to the Seminar munity has a great deal of citizen involvement, Chairman: Dr. Mark Waldron we'll be hearing more about it later in the Guelpr Communications Project. An ad hoc committee has planned this confer- ence. Mr. Ian Easterbrook from the Audio Visual Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I would like Services, in charge of the television production unit to welcome you to the University of Guelph. We on this campus; Dr. Weldon Findlay from the Depart- want to keep this conference informal; we would ment of Extension Education, Professor Duane like you discuss among yourselves some of the Tulloch from Extension Education. Professor Glen questions, concerns and issues involved in cable Warlow, who is Acting Chairman of Extension broadcasting in the community. We want to give Education and Mr. Douglas Waterston who is lots of opportunity for discussion because, while Director of Information. Doug, will you stand? we have an agenda, I suspect that the hidden agenda Doug will be presenting latt.i some of his activity is even more important than the one that will take in using cable television here in Guelph. These place in the formal sessions. people have been involved-in working with me, We want to find out what is being done in cable developing the program and making contact with broadcasting in the community; we want to find the speakers. out what is being done well, we want to find out I have some program announcements before we how to improve. We want to look at the future get to the first speaker. Mr. David Ferguson of potential for cable broadcasting, especially as it Cable TV in Montreal is unable to attend but he relates to citizen partici2ation and adult education has sent me a statement and I will be contacting and we want to learn how to use and how to make him this morning by phone to see if it is satisfactory more use of this very powerful device, how it can for me to present this statement to you. Mr. Estey become a more integral part of our community has been called to testify in Court and will not be lives. We refer to "Canadian" in the program and able to be here this afternoon. He is being replaced. while we c c not have that many people involved by another person from-the same company. in the formal program from oiltside the Province The noon lunch is wherever you can find it, of Ontario, we refer to Canadian because we have there are several restaurants on campus.I would people from all parts of Canada participating in suggest one called Der Keller which is in Johnston this conference. Each of you, regardless of whether Hall, near the Faculty Club. you are from Ontario or Quebec, the Maritimes or We have a concert this evening for those of you "the West, should feel free to participate in the who would like to attend. We managed to obtain discussion and that way, give it the real Canadian some more tickets late last week when we saw it content, a word that seems to plague this whole was quite popular. We have held nine of these industry. tickets till today so if anybody would like to go You probably wonder why the University of to the concert this evening, we have these nine Guelph is involved in this sort of thing? The City tickets and I would suggest that you pick them up of Guelph has, if not the first, among the first, cable at the coffee break. Those of you who are not system in the country which came into being even going to the concert this evening, there is going to before television broadcasting started in Can'ada, be, following the buffet dinner, an open bar in the back in 1952. The University is involved because Faculty Club. There is also a film festival that the for scme years, there has been a program on the students are presenting tonight.It starts at 7:00. local cable system called "Spotlight on the Tomorrow we will be meeting in Room 107, the University of Guelph". We have several courses Music Room in the Arts Building on the Mall.If in the area of communications and the entire you refer to the map, you will have no trouble in area of cable broadcasting seems to come up so finding it.All the general sessions are going to be often in these courses. We have a program in videotaped by Cable 8 television here in Guelph. Extension Education at the graduate level, giving The videotapes will be available for the cost of the Masters degree, and in addition have several the tape for any of you who would like to have courses at the undergraduate level, we have an them to look at or to show them on your systems. enthusiastic television section of the Audio Visual In additicn, audiotapes will be available and we Services and generally, a great deal of interest in will print proceedings.
5 8 Monday, May 1, 1972 hundred and fifty years ago, the industrial revolu- Community Television Future Potential tion began and Adam Smith wrote about the Dr. John deMercado wealth of nations and its relation to and reliance on mechanical (industrial) power. Here for the first time we began to see how mechanical move- ment (horsepower) produced wealth. One hundred I approach the task that has been set me with some years ago the communications revolution began trepidation.I am not a particularly good represen- and man entered into new relationships with tative of the community, and I have never produced himself and his environment. The significance of a broadcast program. The theme of the meeting is this revolution will be far greater than any of the however of special relevance and importance, it is previous ones. The promises and challenges of this very timely, and Dr. Waldron and his colleagues are revolution are what the future potential of electronic to be commended for choosing it as a subject of communications is all about. this conference. It IQ always easy to speak about In looking at the future it is impossible for the future because only time can prove you wrong, reasons that will be readily appreciated to state and if you go sufficiently far ahead then hopefully apriori and with probability, the set of all the death will come before being proven wrong. cost-benefits, and what they will mean to us in the This conference deals with adult education, community. That they will affect and shape our citizen involvement and the role that various types lives is certain and what is even more certain, is of communication systems could play in enhancing that we can't afford not to try and find out how these processes. Many possible systems and appli- and why. Many "wise" people have speculated on cations which will be investigated ill the next few how communications systems will affect us and dais by eminently qualified people and undoubtedly what opportunities they offer for the good life.In you will delve in depth into the possible uses of fact it is the "in thing" today to be a "communica- cable television systems, to provide support for tions social-psychologist." However, in my opinion, educational, entertainment and various community the useful efforts of this group can just about be services.I also see from the program that the equated to one gigantic zero. important problems. access, liability, ownership This question of opportunities and how to make and control are all on the agenda. use of them reminds me of a story that l just read In my talk I will briefly explore the present com- a few days ago in a circular that OISE puts out: munication systems that serve communities, then The story is about a travelling salesman named sketch a future scenario indicating some of the Neuf, from one of our eastern provinces. In the problems associated with the transition from the story, Neuf is driving in the west and his car breaks present to this ideal future. down late one evening near a farm. Unable to Let me begin by saving that I don't really have rectify the matter he is forced to consult with the too many answers but I have lots of questions and farmer who is an elderly gentleman, married to a thoughts about the future and fo, what they're beautiful young woman called Marge. They find worth,111 try and share them with you. There is that the car can't be fixed and the farmer says no doubt in my mind that telecommunication "You are welcome to spend the evening with us, systems are and will continue to be,the revolution have supper and sleep but we only have one bed that propels Canada into the post mechanical so you'll have to sleep with Marge and myself." society of the twenty-first century. There have No problem here for Neuf. They have supper which been lots of other revolutions before. Three consists of a great big meal of pork and beans and thousand years ago, those of you who watched the Neuf has several servings; though not filled he says television program "Chariots of the Gods", will "Thank you very much for everything, I really recall the construction of temples and pyramids can't eat any more." The rest of the beans are signifying the beginning of human clustering by then stored in the refrigerator and they retire to means we don't even understand today. Five bed. The old farmer and Neuf both fall asleep hundred years ago the printed book arrived on the immediately and Marge lays awake between them scene, creating a revolution that caused a rebirth of contemplating how she is going to get in contact learning, arid all sorts of problems between churches with Neuf. After about two hours, she hears a and state. Things haven't been the same since. One little noise coming from the chicken coop and
6 nudges her husband saying "Wake up, it sounds CATV systems as they are called, se!- re somr. like someone is trying to steal the chickens; and 1,250,000 urban homes, oui of a possible maximum while you're out there, milk the cows ar. :I get some of 4 million urban homes. This penetration has fresh milk for breakfast." The old fellow gets up, taken place over only about 20 years!In fact CATV doesn't know what time it is, and vanishes. She systems now pass within 80% of all urban homes turns to Neuf saying "Wake up, here's your and in some cities like Vancouver 60% of the homes chance, take it but hurry before he gets back." are now connected. At this Neuf gets up, runs downstairs and eats the The capital cost of building a typical CATV rest of the beans in the refrigerator. The moral of system is, in my estimation, between $90 and $150 this story, if there is one, is that opportunities per subscriber, varying in this range primarily as a offered by situations will undoubtedly be take.--) function of the amount of subscribers connected advantage of in different ways by different people. per mile to the system and the type of terrain on Without anticipating government policy, I will which the system is constructed. When you com- try to look into the future, not only on the basis pare this with an average annual rate of return from of what can be inferred from the present, but also subscription for each subscriber for about $60, what I believe that rational man in a society such with a system life of about 10 years, there is little as ours should come to expect from communica- wonder why the competition for CATV licenses is tions systems. There are pitfalls in forecasting so fierce. Thus they do in fact generate wealth for only on the basis of what we have now. For their owners, leisure for their viewers, etc. CATV example, in 1938 the National Academy of systems have shown that it is possible to provide Engineering did a very famous study for senior numerous video channels into the home for a Government leaders in the United States. This was reasonable cost per channel.It is now obvious a study to forecast future possibilities afforded by that these systems provide for the dissemination current trends in technology. In the study they of far more programs than can be received from off missed such things as the computer, vitamins, the air broadcasting stations, and the problem now communications satellites.In fact all the scenarios arises about what to do with these channels. painted of the future turned out to be wrong. The Questions such as who can use them and for what, reason was simply that anybody attempting to What should be the charge for the use and/or forecast in the 1930's based on what existed then, monitoring of these channels, are the subject of would not have been able to forecast moon landings, a great deal of contention and discussions at the the digital computer, or anything like that. Hope- present time. For example, for educational fully, my forecasts will not be as bad. applications the CRTC requires that cable operators The development of ideal future plans is abso- applying for a license, as a condition of the license, lutely predicated on the use of our two faculties; make one television channel available on the namely intellect to distinguish between the possible request of provincial authorities for educational and the impossible, balanced by the use of reason application. Thus these systems provide a ready to separate the sensible from the senseless. Thus vehicle that people could use to engage in an ideal future plan is one consisting of a choice of educational and community orogramming. In those possibilities that are sensible. Sensible in that fact certain individuals and provinces are already they provide linkages between and contribute to working in these areas. health, wealth and leisure, both on an individual Perhaps the most dramatic use of television and collective basis within and between Canadian has been in the political dimension. In 1968 in communities. The use of sophisticated communi- the United States, about $200 million (according cations systems offer, I believe, a rational approach to the Sloan Foundation Report "On the Cable") for this sort of community planning. Within this was spent on political advertising during the planning framework, I believe, will be found the presidential elections. Of this total some 40% answers to the pressing questions of what are the ($80 million) was spent on television advertising. best linkages between health, wealth and leisure, This compares with only about $20 million spent and how these are generated through the use of on newspaper advertising for the same purpose communication systems. Let me give you some during the same period. Little wonder then that it examples of what I am talking about. is a truism that whoever can buy the most television At the present time cable television systems or time has an excellent chance of being elected. In
10 this regard providing access to channels available to same ones who will provide these new services. In anyone wishing to use them; means that Theoreti- general then the hardware-software split is in cally, more people could air their views and more keeping with the modus operandi of the common people would have the opportunity to seek public carrier.Its successful implementation raises a office. In essence then, more people can interfere number of intriguing questions about ownership or otherwise manipulate political programming. and control and involves a fundamental evaluation To illustrate one possibility, suppose I'm making of the roles existing and "new" common carriers. a political speech and my opponent who knows There have been many heated debates on the pros about it in advance decides that he would like to and cons of this concept. For example, in the Erin reduce my listening audience and accordingly rents Mills case it has been argued that the CATV a feature movie which he shows for free on another licensee could end up being simply a bill collector channel on the same network at the time I'm at the mercy of the telephone company. The speaking.I wonder whether people would listen counter a'gurnent to this is that the technical and to my speech or watch the movie. This is a operating procedures should remain inthe hands of childish example but not all political actions have the experts. One interesting question that you been or will be rational. might wish to think about is, what happens if Erin The whole area of system ownership and Mills is successful? That is, what happens to tht. programming in the CATV field is the subject of future complexion of cable systems in this country? much debate these days. For example, in the past, Since we are on the subject of cable systems, let the CRTC has insisted that there be some partial me try and give you a brief idea of the capital ownership of the cable system hardware by the involved. There is about $125,000,000 invested in person who had the license to operate the system. the capital costs of cable television systems in this However, recently in a new town Erin Mills, near country. The telephone companies on the other Torontothe CRTC has apparently allowed,on an hand each year spend a billion dollars, roughlyten experimental basis,what I interpret to be a hard- times this amount on the construction ofnew ware-software split.In Erin Mills the system hard- systems facilities. Telephone systems have been ware will be owned by a common carrier, in this optimized for voice communications and can carry case Bell Telephone Company, who plan to build efficiently a host of other services. They provide, a new type of broadband system and provide lease I feel, the greatest bargain at the lowest price back to various channels to the CATV licensee. available to the average Canadian.I can't think of The Erin Mills system and a number of other too many other things in this country whose price systems like it, have the capability of providing a in relation to income has actually gone down over wide range of new services to the homes that they the last 20 years. The common carriers have serve. These services include information services, demonstrated their competence in engineering weather, train reservations and so on. In fact ultra reliable and efficient networks in the public numerous administrators, common carriers and interest and I look forward with interest to their private conglomerates are studying the market continued activity in the video area. prospects for such new services. There are those that argue, and I do not In this connection pressing questions that must necessarily subscribe to this, that cable television be resolved include- systems are the next logical step in the transition - are there cost-benefits involved in integrating from audio to video communications. This is and sharing communication facilities in a simply because although CATV systems do common network? and it so disseminate video information, their "tree" should the provision of this one large network topology severely restricts their potential for inter- be left to common carriers? active video communication applications. The idea here is for single networks to serve as Turning to the general overriding question of electronic highways for the country; over these how will the billions of dollars necessary to realize highways the various classes of services duly sophisticated video systems ever be found. licensed by the appropriate authorities would be I feel strongly that we must find distributed provided to the home, office, etc. This notion is rather than lumped economic concepts to pay for akin to the road system in the country, in that the such sophisticated systems. For example, if we builders and maintainers are not necessarily the had to pay for a mile of super highway in front of
11 a house, especially if we were the only house for have seen III too many audio visual centres one milejt would be an impossibility. Yet in a equipped with millions of dollars of fancy equip- sense communication systems are priced in this ment which is really not being properly exploited. way. If the costs of these systems are not distribu- Nothing Ifeel produces more of a tendency towards ted over other goods and services,l do not feel that disillusionment with technology than expensive we will have them,at least not for a long time. black boxes that are not doing anything. Many Intimately related to this problem of costs is the people have in the past proceeded on the assump- question of whether or not Canada should utilize tion that all communications technology will be its scarce resources, namely people and money, to good and should be used as soon as possible in develop wide ranging video capabilities in the educational applications. While I don't think we country. should ignore the possibility that there will be As far as developing a single gigantic video net- meaningful applications of this new technology work is concerned, there will always be the danger in education, I wish to re- emphasize that the prob- that inertia and inefficiences associated with large lem of how beto exploit it is still an unsolved size will negate any cost benefits that would one. Everything that has been done to date in this otherwise accrue from integration and sharing of area underlines how little we know and how much facilities. remains to be done, and in general, the following In the educational area there is a growing "folk lore" theorem holds "Most telecommuni- realization that video communications could cations systems and techniques will be very play a major role in effectively enhancing the valuable in educational applications except most educational process in some cost-beneficial sort of the ones used thus far." of way. Cognizant of this, the Council of Ministers of For example, Ontario operates its own UHF Education sponsored last week at Mont Gabriel broadcasting ,cation and has, I am told, an educa- in Quebec a seminar on Communications Tech- tional programming budget of the order of nology in support of Education. The seminar i 1,000,000 for this year (1972) These expendi- addressed the problem of what are the best tech- tures are significant, however I feel they are nologies?How are these used and evaluated?Are important especially when we consider that the there any cost benefits?The Deputy Minister of Statistics Canada projections are that there will be Communications made the point that I could not an increase in enrolment from the present 6.2 agree with more, namely that possibly the only million to 6.5 million students over the next 10 way to find the answer to questions of this nature years. At the same time, projected educational would be through the use of carefully planned and costs increased from $6.7 billion to $23 billion. monitored experimental programs. Thus for a marginal increase in student enrolment, In this regard there have been a number of pilot there will be a massive increase in costs. This programs that have illustrated how various levels suggests that before massive financial commitments of government and industry can work together in are made to the new technology,we must resolve evaluating the role of communications technology as soon as possible, two fundamental questions in education. One such pilot program took place which I don't think have been satisfactorily in Ottawa over the last two years and was called the answered at all as yet; namely- Information Retrieval Television Project. With the - can communications technology be cost collaboration of the Ontario Institute for Studies in beneficial and enhance the educational process Education and Bell Northern, research of a CATV more efficiently and better than other conven- type system was used to connect some 150 class- tional techniques; rooms in 5 schools in Ottawa to a central library what are the best systems, and the techniques containing some 3,000 educational films. The for using them in order to best serve the teacher in a classroom then used the telephone to interests of educators, as determined by call the library and make a request for a certain educators; and how do we choose and deploy program which would be played at a scheduled systems? time through the CATV system to a television set There are no rules, no criteria for choosing the in the classroom.I do not know where the project best systems. Engineers are enthusiastic about now stands, but I have heard some comments to technology and tend to be good salesmen and I the effect that it was all very nice but that it costs too much money. In the more exotic area of using Japanese plan to extend the automatic debiting and computer-communications in the educational crediting of customer accounts in stores. Thus in process, the National Research Council of Canada time the conventional methods of paying bills by has been running for a number of years, in collabor- cheque will be replaced by one of direct account ation with some provinces, such as Alberta, and debiting by-electronic means. This sort of cashless Ontario, a computer aided learning pilot program. society could be a reality in ten years in Canada if In this program a computer in Ottawa is program- a national commitment were made to it. med by educators who develop various courses I believe that services such as remote shopping, on it.Large numbers of remotely located students electronic banking and computer aided learning etc., can then take these courses directly interacting will cause the changes that will,in the long run, with the computer. fundamentally alter our society and it is therefore It is important to appreciate that the full important to determine the relationship between potential of communication technologies cannot new services and associated changes. berealized through the use of very simple systems In order to make the optimum choice of new that are called upon to perform complicated tasks. services there should be pilot evaluation projects The complexity of the system and its architecture and programs, both in the laboratory and in the must be related to the tasks to be performed. community involving sociologists, engineers, urban Simple systems do not perform complicated tasks and economic planners. In addition to system and this is why we should not expect miracles from design considerations these programs must deter- the use of broadcast systems in education. The mine if there are tangible dollar assets that would Department of Communications,in collaboration accrue from the provision of these new services and with other Federal Government departments,has whether or not there would be any "benefits" in prepared a proposal for an educational communi- terms of social norms. cations research program involving collaboration I think another real promise that telecommunica- between the federal and provincial governments. tions systems hold for Canadian communities, is The object of this program would be to conduct related to the fact that all telecommunication is a experiments that would more fully evaluate the substitute for travel. You usually call someone on role of technology in education. The proposed the phone instead of going to see them. The program will, I expect, be examined by the Govern- question that should now be in your minds, is ment shortly. what has all this to do with urban planning? Let There have been numerous studies as I have said me now try and explain what the connection is previously, dealing with special communication that I am trying to make. services to the home Too few of them have sought The modern city is largely a child of the auto- to determine the householder's preference, as mobile. In fact some forty years ago, there were expressed by the householder. For example, if many scenarios in glowing terms of what a great education to the home via communications tech- thing the automobile was going to be for mankind nology were provided, would mothers want their and life in the city. Beautiful pictures were painted children horn all day being educated?Similarly, of people living in the country and commuting to if it were possible to work at home, would it be work, in a "relaxed" atmosphere in the car with a wise to have husbands working at home all day? radio softly playing. These scenarios as wenow Also would the housewife want to forego driving know are not complete and the automobile has out in her car to shop? Right now most shopping become in many respects a menace to the viability can be done from the home, using a telephone, yet of the city. The point that I am making here is how many people actually shop this way? that the city's mechanical communications systems There has been a great deal of interest in recent do not serve it well in all instances andwe must years in the concept of a cashless society. The idea look at what possibilities telecommunications is quite simple, and involves the replacement of systems and services offer for the planning of new actual cash by an electronic debit/credit system environments that will be better than present ones. using a computer communications network. Japan Consider for example, a community in the is well aheadofCanada, in that most of their Canadian north, here the conventional practices of financial transactions take place in such a network urban planning involving building roads etc.,do and do not involve the transfer of actual cash. The not work well in an environment that has large
10 13 snow accumulations and sub-zero temperatures CATV distribution systems, and then computer 80% of the year. Conventional urban planning of communications networks which are now emerging. northern communities seems to me, to have lead In essence, on a national basis there is a growing so far, to less than desirable lifestyles, both for realization that Canada must face the challenge of people that go to the north and for people that rationalizing the use and development of our live there. Therefore, there is in my opinion, an computer systems, telephone systems and CATV urgent need to determine those attributes of systems. This challenge demands the successful telecommunications systems that urban planners resolution of such problems as how to best "couple" and architects need to understand so that they systems; how to generate new programming sources; can use them as dynamic variables in moulding how to ensure the provision of secure and useful and planning new environments. In this regard data banks, etc. the Department of Communications has a program There are those, including myself, who dream of with the University of Toronto that has been the ultimate computer and the ultimate computer running for about a year. This program is devoted communications network that will link together to determining the experiments and simulations that everybody in this country providing them with need to be run to answer the questions that urban unlimited computer power and information beyond planners have about communications systems and their wildest dreams. This dream reminds me of a services before they can use them to plan and story of this ultimate computer arrangement. mould new environments. The first phase of this A scientist, after many years of university, built program is now finished and the Department of the ultimate computer. This computer stored and Urban and Regional Planning at the University of could manipulate all knowledge, forecasting with Toronto and the Department of Communications 100% reliability. That is, it could respond to any are presently defining the set of possible simulation question with 100% reliability. experiments that can be run in a new broadband The scientist took it to a marketing executive simulation laboratory that we are constructing at and said "I have the ultimate computer, we can Carleton University. stop here and now and take it easy for the rest of This laboratory will be devoted to performing our lives. It will tell you anything you want to simulation studies and experiments on the role of know." The executive was skeptical but he said video communications in telemedicine, education, "O.K. I'll ask it a question. I know my father has teleconferencing, new services, etc. Many people been dead and I'll ask the computer where he is will be involved in exploring the social, technical, now. So he typed in 'where is my father?' Some economic and psychological aspects of communica- lights flashed and out came the answer: "Your tions in these areas. Thus a multi-disciplinary father is fishing in Perth." He turned to the approach will be followed and heavy emphasis scientist and said "This is impossible, my father placed on the sociological, psychological aspects is dead. This is a stupid machine, take it away. of the experiments. The Carleton laboratory will, I don't have any more time for this nonsense." I believe, contribute significantly to a better "Just rephrase your question" said the scientist. understanding and use of video communications "O.K. I'll phrase it another way." The executive in the service of Canadians. then wrote: "where is my mother's husband?" As I said at the beginning, I was let off the hook The lights flashed and out came the answer: by saying something about the future, however, Your mother's husband is dead, and in case you I've tried to describe system capabilit!es as they are interested, your Dad just caught a fish." now exist and some of the things that are being That would truly be the ultimate computer done to expand them and why.I hope that you and a network of thousands of them certainly now have a "feel" for the relationship between boggles the mind,I wonder what would happen communications systems and some of the areas to the traditional role of women as purveyors of such as education, urban planning, etc., where they the latest gossip, perhaps this is the break that might be utilized. the Ms, or those in search of masculinity are To summarize, we have three types of communi- waiting for. There are all sorts of intriguing cations systems, that serve the community, namely possibilities here.It should keep the lawyers, telephone systems, that provide,in addition to marriage counsellors, legislators, technologists, voice communication,access to computer power; not to mention sociologists, pre-occupied for
1411 many, many years. Reaction: In all seriousness, the next 2O years in Canada will Mrs. Diane Abbey Livingston be critical for future generations but the beautiful thing about this future is that we can make it just about anything that we want it to be. However, once events are set in motion, they will be very hard, if not impossible, to reverse. What we do now Dr. deMercado has certainly kept my mind with telecommunication technologies will create a dancing for the last thirty-five minutes. It seems legacy for our grandchildren and their grandchildren; to me that the most sensible reaction I can make and if there happens to be any of us left around, we to his address is to suggest that we halt the session, can expect to be called to account for our actions and that we all take a couple of hours to really in the next crucial two decades. think about what he has said, absorb the implica- In summary then, I believe it is safe to say that tions and consider alternatives. telecommunications systems will be wealth genera- This morning's session and conferences in tors, that will contribute significantly to the "good general, represent to me what we consistently do life."I don't think we know sufficiently well yet when we set out to consider important issues. We how to focus and guide accurately the flow of divorce physical and technical realities from social information by electronic means so that it will and psychological realities. Technically, we can contribute effectively to the wealth generation place chairs in a room, light the room and ensure process, and the "good life." But that it can and that sounds can be heard. Physically, we can have will do so, is certain and learning how is the challenge human beings capable of hearing sit in that room. for the future. Then we can structure time so that it is filled by a few persons giving information to all the others who are seated in that room. These are the technical and physical realities. Lets look at the:social and psychological aspects of the situation I have described. I'm not sure how many bits of information we receive in a given space of time, and, I don't know what the relation- ship is between what we can receive and what we can process.I am certain that we cannot handle as much as we hear, or as much as we have heard this morning. We've ignored the psychological reality that we cannot concentrate attention or intelligent- ly consider information for as long as our bodies can endure the seated position. The social reality we ignore is that we are not as effective learners or thinkers when we are passively listening as we are when we are actively involved in questioning, clarifying and challenging. The result of over-concentration on physical and technical possibilities and little attention to psychological and social realities is a waste of time resources. For me, the gap between social and technical, between physical and psychological relates to cable television and the possibilities outlined by Dr. deMercado. He painted the picture of people working, playing, shopping and learning without ever having to move from their homes. This, he said, is technically and physically possible.I did not hear him relate this to the jolt it would cause to our lifestyles and to the human relationships
12 15 that form the fabric of our lives.I did not hear What has gone wrong? Is it that our technology any consideration given to the fact that we all has not been sophisticated enough? Or is it that operate with certain expectations of each other we have been looking for technical solutions to as friends, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives, human problems and are having to live with the and that these expectations structure our life inadequacy of technological answers? Are we at space, our time and our activities. As insecure as this conference about to feel that 28 channels, our society is, we derive a certain amount of two way communication and computer hook-ups psychological stability from interaction with each are going to significantly help? Are we again other and from secure expectations for each other looking to the wrong areas for solutions? and for the way time and space are structured. Think of this. Even now, in the infancy of I am not saying that we should preserve our cable television, gaps exist between the technical stability and security at all costs.I am not saying possibilities and the social realities. The decisions that living, working, playing and learning at home made in the past few years limit the extent to might not be great.(It might solve some of our which cable will be able to be used for improved pollution problems). What I am saying is this. I communications. In the granting of cable licenses, would like to hear those who know about tech- communities have been fragmented. Municipalities nological developments express as much concern will not be able to offer better services at lower for the social and psychological implications of costs because the areas they serve are being carved their gadgetry as they do for the design.I am up by cable systems that are not interlinked. The saying that the development and implementation cost of information retrieval via cable will waste of new technology requires that designers and untold resources and time because most of the technicians calculate social costs as well as cables which are being laid at present do not have economic costs. two way capability. You and I must involve ourselves not as And what about the idea of sophisticated listeners but as active evaluators of their ideas and systems for information retrieval? Will they help plans. We must demand facts on how much of the average person? Dr. deMercado told an our resources will go into a wired world and interesting story about a computer which distin- whether the cost will be less in social and monetary guished between a young man's father and the terms than the benefits we will supposedly derive. same young man's mother's husband. The story It seems to me that social development and tech- brings home to me a skill which most of us lack. nology warrant more than us simply hearing a few We don't know how to frame questions so that speeches and delegating serious consideration to we get the information we are looking for. We are cocktail party time. not hungry for information we are over-saturated. I n preparing for this conference, I read through We need to know how to ask and how to select. some of the literature written about television in The priority should not be the creation of its early days. Many forecasted that through machinery that responds only to precise input, television, an informed public would act on as do computer systems, but the creation of political processes and on government to bring learning experiences that teach us how to ask about a more just and equitable society. Television questions, how to select information and how to was heralded as a tool that would bring about link together relevant pieces of information. This intelligent participation in decision making, greater must be attended to before we can ever hope to awareness and the "good" life. have meaningful returns from our technology. The social reality doesn't reflect our technical Dr. deMercado touched on the area of com- prowess nor the realization of our hopes. In fact, munity originated programming.I think that statistics show that our situation with respect to issues in this area deserve much consideration. poverty, mental illness, and family breakdown has What are they? not improved. The position of families on the The CRTC endorses a channel reserved for local lowest rung of the ladder has deteriorated since originated programs, and it smiles favourably on 1951. The middle class goodies, which through community participation in programming. We also television, form packaged expectations for most hear the phrase "equal and open" access to these of us, are available to less than 40% of Canada's channels. population. This is all very nice and it fits with our idea of
if;13 participatory democracy. Through reserved one part of the country to those of another part channels, the full range of views within a commun- of the country? Mass media must make people ity can supposedly be expressed. The separate aware of the relationships between the north and voices of minority groups and special interest the south, aware of the connectedness of Cabbage- groups will find an exposure they never had on town and Rosedale, and aware that Toronto and broadcast television. Halifax relate to each other on issues which are These are hopeful possibilities. But the crunch seemingly localized to only one area. How are comes when we ask a few questions. Who decides we minimizing the risk of further fragmentation what is put on the cable and who decides what of the country and even less consciousness that we merits prime time exposure? What ensures that are all inextricably interlinked and interdependent? special interest or minority groups haveaccess to By creating these local channels, what precautions the channel? Cable operators, responsible for are being taken to ensure that we are not simply content, have the right to screen out programs diffusing expression of discontent? done by the community. They also generally I would like to continue and talk about com- control scheduling. What ensures that irresponsible munity television in terms of community develop- censorship does not masquerade as responsibility? ment.I would like to pose questions to those who To what extent must a cable operation reflect see VTR and local cable channels as methods for the views of a community? To what extent isa community organization. This is an area that cable operation responsible to the community it deserves attention. But, mindful of what I said serves? earlier about our capacity for listening to speakers, I understand that a community group can present I will forgo the temptation to continue speaking. briefs on their situation to the C1TG, but, I cannot I would like to share the image that keeps find ground rules about what date the CRTC will forming in my mind.I can see a summer confer- accept, or what criteria it will use to determine ence where world authorities come to define and adequacy of service. It seems to me that in a mono- set policy on the elephant. The Englishman polistic system, cable operators, and citizen groups defines the animal in terms of its constitutional would want to have guidelines which protect both development. The Frenchman describes the parties and which act as the basis for their actions. elephant in terms of its sexual relationships, and The whole area of control of cable might wel I be our representative from Canada, with firm a red herring if supports are not given to community conviction talks about the animal in terms of groups for the planning, implementation and pub- Federal and Provincial relationships. licizing of their television efforts. The CRTC says I feel that we, here, are interested ina kind of that the local originated program is not supposed elephant. The local community channel is buta to compete for mass audiences, but rather it is to toe on the beast.I maintain that, if that toe hasa be geared to special interest groups and therefore hangnail, our animal will limp along wincingat does not have to put on slick, polished presenta- every step instead of marching with full sense of tions.I think that is naive; naive in the sense that purpose. If we hope to create, as television cable will compete for our time on the same terms literature suggested in the early forties,a better as other TV offerings, in terms of what we are life, then we have some pretty strong thinkingto accustomed to and what we expect. TV offerings do. If we hope that the new technology will may be .i.iperficial but nevertheless we are accus- nurture democratic dialogue, will sendmore people tomed to slick looking, polished TV. There to the polls to act more intelligentlyon political certainly are questions around the ability of no- processes and on government systems, then we cost community produced programs to draw have to switch the focus of our attention. We audiences and sustain viewer interest. must concentrate less on the technology itself and At a broaderlevel°,-1-think-we should consider more on the kind of support systems we haveto the implications for network television of local build around the technology. community programming. Once we have local channels where we say that a range of community views can be exposed and special concerns be heard, does this absolve national broadcast systems from their responsibility to relate the concerns of
14 contention.However, initially my group, The Guelph Communications Project Community Television Services, (CTS) was wel- William Foss, Guelph LIP Project comed warmly to help fill some of that dead air time of Guelph Cable 8. Canada is a huge country with sparse population. It is not surprising that, in such isolation, a sense of Canadian television, the CBC keeps reminding us, community and identification with a region has is twenty years old this year. "Progress" means traditionally been a hallmark of Canadian life. The doing more with less (B. Fuller). Civilization is Canadian government is currently in a passion to related to communication. Kenneth Clark makes discover what has occurred in these "communities" constant reference to improving communication since the advent of mass communication. Cable in his analysis of civilization.It is clear, then, that TV isolates and identifies communities unlike the technologies which communicate the most broadcast TV which programs for whole regions, with the least effort are the most progressive. They and often for whole cultures. The question CTS also have the most profound effect on civilization. tried to answer was: "Do people still identify Computer and television networks are involved in primarily with their community and if so, will almost every identifiable social phenomenon and they attempt to use mass media such as cable TV technical breakthrough of the last quarter century. to strengthen this identity?" This is indeed a Computers and television are now so much a part very large question, but may be attacked in the of civilization that their impact is impossible to following way. measure. First we asked: "Are there any 'issues' which Considering the importance of television, it is can be identified and telecast as local rather than disturbing to think that, until recently, very little regional or national concern?" was known of its "modus operendum". Television In answering this question, somewhat subjectively, was felt by most to be a past time. "Entertainment" we have broadcast about 50 hours of material to sections of the newspaper still contain the tele- Guelph Cable TV subscribers. Most of the issues I vision listings and reviews, even though it is com- and my colleagues considered important went far mon knowledge that: beyond the physical city boundaries. The region 1. Some children may spend half of their waking concerned was defined partly by the issue itself. hours before a television set. For example, a hydro-electric transmission system 2. Children in all the world's worst slums and from Pickering to Lake Erie passes within four ghettos have access to television, and miles of Guelph and is of "community" concern, 3. In North America the influence of television on but obviously also of concern to all the commun- children has been to increase their general know- ities it affects.It is a regional issue, geographically ledge and to launch a massive and universal defined by the issue itself.It is interesting to note demand for changes in social structure and that Cable TV operators are beginhing to form wealth distribution. This factor, according to networks and may in the future be in a better Pierre Berton, is the most played-down news in position to cope with regional issues. However, the the history of journalism. one question of the rural, non-subscribing popula- In January of this year, I formed a group to tion, remains critical.In the foreseeable future, experiment with program and research the more they will not be wired for cable TV even though recent phenomenon of "Cable TV" in the com- most issues that affect the urban centres also affect munity of Guelph, Ontario. Guelph has no broad- them. Even the Provincial Government admits this cast TV station, but is within good range of all and is switching to "regional" rather than municipal three American and both Canadian networks. In government. MacLean-Hunter Ltd. recently infor- addition, there are more independent and affiliated mally petitioned the CRTC to consider the possi- VHF and UHF stations available than the cable bility of broadcasting all "community" channels company can accomodate on their VHF capability. on low power UHF. All trends seem to indicate In Canada, cable operators, out of deference to that the fabric of community life extends fai the CRTC, hold available at least one VHF channel beyond the convenient municipal boundaries into for local origination, consisting largely of a weather regions defined largely by issues which abound and scan. This "wasted channel" is a bone of much are not necessarily of concern to other regions or to the country as a whole. An Outline of Plans Under Discussion for the An alternate attack on the question of communi Ryerson Open College ty identity could pose the question: "If given the Mrs. Margaret Norquay, Ryerson Open College, opportunity, do members of a community display Toronto interest in directing and generating their own programming for the local channel?" If they did, they would be displaying an interest in and identification with that community. If they did Ryerson has a long tradition of pioneering new not, discounting the great Canadian apathy myth, developments in education. Its years of experience the reverse would be true. in technical and vocational education provided the In the experience of CTS it was found almost prototype for Ontario's community colleges. Its invariably that groups already organized and extension department (which sends correspondence conscious of themselves as leaders or communica- courses around half the world), and its educational tors were anxious to use the free television expo- radio station (one of four in Canada), have both sure. These groups generally were disinterested in pioneered in providing education at a distance. learning television operation or production tech- Ryerson Open College, which offered the only niques, tending rather to rely on the "experts". credit course to be given on radio in Canada last They seemed to feel Cable TV is extremely inade- year, continued in this tradition. quate coverage but were thankful for even limited Open College was established initially as a pilot exposure. Examples of this type of group would experiment. The aim was to find out how radio, be the Traffic Safety Committee and various with some assistance from television, could be used amateur theatre groups. Individuals did not effectively to teach a university-level course and to respond to the opportunity to broadcast and it assess the potential market for such education. can generally be concluded that members of the community feel that exposure only to the Part-Time Off-Campus University-Level Education community and not to some larger group is Is Not New meaningless or insignificant. To lend support to my conclusion that the A dramatic development in university education in traditional community is disintegrating, Irefer to the last couple of years has been the announcement the results of a survey of Guelph Cable TV of a variety of plans to enable students to earn subscribers by CTS. Here in Guelph, as every- academic credits toward a degree, without having where, a very small percentage of subscribers to live on a specific campus or attend classes there. view the local origination service. The majority Some have been initiated by such long-established of viewers watch American stations and the institutions as the University of Syracuse or the majority of those watch entertainment program- Universities of South Florida and Oklahoma. These ming, presenting cultural archtypes. Surprisingly, tend to use a combination of correspondence and an important minority showed up viewing and independent study under a tutor, together with demanding hard-core educational material. annual residential seminars and periodic examina-
Viewing trends by-pass completely the question tions. . of community. Programs which entertain or Other institutions offering off-campus study instruct or inform about the region, the country, have been specially created and chartered indepen- the culture are in demand. Here is one of the dently, such as Britain's Open University. The first visible trends toward "global community". latter uses a mix of radio, television, and corres- pondence, together with annual residential seminars. Still other plans like "University Without Walls" or Empire State College in New York have been organized as consortia, or academic holding companies, designed to elicit the cooperation of a number of colleges and institutions within a given region. Students may take their studies in a variety of ways: through supervised internship in business, hospitals, museums, or other work-study exper-
19 16 _ iences. They may use educational films, cassettes, Adults in the twentieth century all need re- televised lectures, and correspondence. treading, regardless of previous educational The faculty of "University Without Walls" attainment. The current trend is for increasing includes not only the qualified "academic" but numbers of them to achieve this by re-entering talented citizens from the outside: artists, business- the educational stream from the work force. men, engineers, scientists, and government officials. The old yardsticks of higher education: faculty- The time limits in all these plans are relatively student ratios, years in residence, credit hours for free. Credits can be acquired one at a time. Many courses, become obsolescent as new educational students hold full-time jobs, and degrees may be needs become more evident. obtained in three to eight or more years, depending All the recent studies about post-secondary on the academic capacities and circumstances of the education in Ontario seem to support this asses- individual student. These courses are not conceived ment. These studies include the Bernard Trotter as kind of "do-your-own-thing" education. The report on technology in university teaching, the available literature concerning them indicates that report of the Committee of Presidents of Ontario they are carefully planned and supervised by Universities, "Towards the Year 2000"; anc finally competent and committed scholars. A summary the draft report of the.Wright Commission which of these plans is available in the Open College office was recently released. According to all of these for anyone interested. studies, increasing numbers of people will be These new developments appear well suited to seeking higher education on a part-time basis, provide for the wide variety of upgrading and "studying as they work". The recent government retraining needed in a society subject to rapid decision to provide formula financiig for part-time social change and continuing explosions of know- education reinforces this prediction and ensures ledge. the necessary financial support to meet the new Increased leisure, new conceptions of the roles demand. of women, greater affluence, and technological change bring demands for changes in careers What Is Ryerson Open College? and lifestyles. Trends in education seem to indicate that Ryerson Open College was established on a very increasing numbers of people will move in and modest scale in January 1971 with no budget of its out of work and school, sometimes concentra- own and one course, Introductory Sociology. ting exclusively on one and sometimes on the Initially, it had a Management Committee consisting other, and sometimes being involved in both of the Dean of Arts, the Registrar of the Diploma in at the same time. Continuing education for the Arts Program, and the Director of the Media Centre. citizen, as he remains and works "in the world" Later, this committee was augmented by adding the rather than apart from it, seems to be the new Vice President, and the Chairman of Radio and frontier. Television Arts. Radio carried the burden of the teaching with Young people mature on average two years two programs a week for 25 weeks, and 16 tele- earlier than they did in 1920. The pervasiveness vision programs interspersed throughout a six of the mass media, together with greater mobility and affluence, have contributed to a month period. Students completed 18 assignments of varying lengths, wrote two examinations, and different psychological stance. Advances in attended two study weekends. Communication photography, sound engineering, optics, between students, tutors, and teacher was accom- comrnura:ation, and transportation have plished by telephone, correspondence, and an open completely revolutionized the process of line on the air following the broadcasts. learning. Our young are learning to learn in Radio programs were broadcast both afternoons different ways. The average teenager knows and evenings on weekdays, and re-broadcast Sunday much more than his parents did at the same mornings. Eighty-three students enrolled, sixty-five age. To ke3p him segregated from the real of whom continued to work and send in assign- world for seven to ten years beyond puberty ments through the second term. is becoming increasingly untenable, as the unrest The admission to the "College" was completely in schools and colleges continues to show. open. It was based on the principle that if one
20 17 could do the work, one ought to be able to take 21, 1971, saying that the experiment should be the course, regardless of previous academic achieve- continued and formula financing would be available. ment. This decision came too late to develop a new course It was called a credit course because students fc: the year 1972. Consequently, it was decided to were graded and evaluated on the work done. In offer Sociology again in January 1972 and to begin order to give the term further validity, an accredited preparing courses that could be offered in January Ryerson Teacher who had previous experience using 1973 or earlier if they could be managed. (Eight the media was asked to conduct the course, using months to a year's lead time is needed for prepara- the prescribed texts and course outline approved by tion.) the Sociology section of the Social Science Depart- The registration for the 1972 course has more ment and Academic Council. It was therefore, the than doubled, reaching 190 students. The program course described in the current calendar as has been uniformly well received. Reports have Sociology 010. come in from sociology students at other educa- Students represented a variety of educational tional institutions saying that they have been urged and vocational backgrounds. Some had only grade to listen to Open College. At least two teachers eight education, three had graduate degrees, but are known to be taping the programs to play back had never studied sociology. The median was to their student seminars. Several students who about grade 11. Students included a pastry cook, successfully completed the Sociology course have a librarian, a parole officer, a chilc care worker, a been able to use this credit to gain admittance to nempaper reporter, an actress, several stenographers, a variety of degree programs at other universities. nurses, some teachers, and some young people Two have been allowed to take second-level working on an assembly line in a factory. sociology studies, with the Open College course A large proportion of them were shift workers accepted as a suitable prerequisite. One student who said that their irregular hours had denied without grade 13 was admitted to the University them access to any other kind of higher education. of Waterloo on the basis of marks achieved in the A few were high school dropouts in their early Open College course. Both the Minister of Univer- twenties, trying to get back into the educational sity Affairs and the Minister of Education received stream. Several were new Canadians, with good letters from the general public last spring urging academic credential from their countries of that this kind of education be continued. At least origin, who wanted to study in English to improve one of these letters came from a member of the their vocabularies and to learn about their new sociology department in an outside university. country. Most were people who had always wanted to Administrative Structure of Open College further their education, but who had been given no previous opportunity to do so, either because In keeping with the experimental nature of Open they lacked the usual academic qualifications College, the structure has been kept relatively requireci for university entrance, or because their simple and small. The Director of Studies reports life situation, financial or otherwise, precluded directly to the Vice-President, Academic. However, them from studying full time. she is advised by a Management Committee con- All who completed the course said they would sisting of the Acting Dean of Arts, the Chairman welcome more opportunity for study, provided it of Radio and Television Arts, and a member of the offered the same flexibility in hours. Social Science department who has hada great Of the sixty-five who continued into the second deal of experience in radio, television, and adult term, thirty-three completed all the assignments education. and examinations and successfully passed the course. In addition, there is an ad hoc Curriculum Since the financial resources for the first year of Committee to explore the possibilities for future Open College were "borrowed" from other Ryerson courses, and to assess the contribution this kind of departments (particularly CJRT) the possibilities delivery system can make to the educational for continuing the program were contingent upon process. This committee consists of representatives recognition. from the Government of Ontario. This from the Social Science and English departments, came in the form of a letter to the President from and four teachers from other programs in the the office of the Minister of Education, dated July Institute who were appointed because of their
18 21 particular interest and/or experience in the use of information concerning these will be available for media for educational purposes. Academic Council in April.
Proposed Future Plans for Open College 2. To develop a variety of teaching approaches which will provide maximum flexibility for 1. To explore the "market" for part-time, university- students. level, off-campus education and to develop the curriculum to meet assessed needs. Additional courses might be developed along the same lines as the pilot program, using a mix of Requests have come in from a variety of sources. radio, television, telephone, correspondence, and Course preferences seem to lie in the realm of the weekend teach-ins.It is important, however, to Social Sciences Sociology, Psychology, Economics, fit the medium to the particular course. Subjects Political Science with English and CanaCian with a highly visual component, such as urban Studies coming a close second. However, consul- geography, might have a higher ratio of television tations are being conducted with representatives of to radio than the reverse. Some courses might be business, industry, and a variety of social and educa- taught through straight correspondence. It might tional agencies and government departments, to be worth noting that Queen's University has for find out what courses would be given support. years provided university correspondence courses of Feedback from the community indicates that in sufficient quality to be given government financing. order to gain wide acceptance the courses would Some provision might also be made for independent eventually have to lead to a diploma or degree iii study programs. This approach has been tried very Applied Arts. The administration of Open College successfully in other universities e.g. Syracuse, intends all "credit" courses to be of sufficiently Oklahoma, and University of South Florida. 'Open high academic qualii to earn accreditation at other College audio and video topes could be packaged universities. To ensure this and to allay some of and made available in public libraries with listening the skepticism regarding this form of education, or viewing carrels, or could be rented to individuals the courses will be made more demanding than with appropriate home equipment. Already we comparable day courses given in the Institute. have had several requests for such media materials The Curriculum Committee will work towards from points around the province out of listening a program of courses to be offered in the future. range of CJRT. Some courses will be informal, others formal and for credit. The balance of each is to be determined. 3. To make Cpen College materials readily available The formal course currently being offered for on request to Ryerson faculty or students for credit is parallel in content to the course 010 teaching and learning. approved by Academic Council and taught by teachers in the Social Science department. It is, Open College already has available a small bank of therefore, referred to as a credit course in the Open materials dubbed from the broadcasts, and taped College brochure. Additional credit courses may interviews with a variety of experts. These are similarly parallel those already established and being used increasingly by Ryerson staff. They are approved. New courses will be developed in currently housed in the Open College office, but response to demands from the community. How- eventually will be transferred to the media or library ever, no new course will be offered for credit until resource centre. it has gone through the regular channels and been given the approval of Academic Council. 4. To provide a continuous trainingprogram for It is expected that two uedit courses will be Ryerson faculty who may be interested in learning developed during the spring and summer, ready how to use the media for teaching purposes. for offering in January 1973. No firm decision has yet been made about the content of these A beginning has been made in the plan to offer courses, but it is expected that one will parallel a teachers the experience of preparing two half-hour course already being offered at Ryerson and that radio programs, as outlined in a memo sent to all the other will be newly developed in co-operation members of faculty. The visit of Professor Beishon with the relevant department. It is hoped that of the Open University (Great Britain) is another
19 22 step in this direction. A third will be taken this 6. To build in a research design to assess the effec- May when Open College offers a five-day course in tiveness of the teaching. Instructional Design to interested faculty members. Since the sociology course offered in 1971 was a 5. To develop cooperative working arrangements pilot experiment, all possible material was retrieved. with other educational institutions. Copies were kept of all student assignments; cassette recordings were made of the feedback on these A careful reading of the three reports mentioned assignments given over the air, and of the telephone previously, published by the Commission on Post- conversations during and after the Open Line. Secondary Education, indicates that the govern- Copies were also kept of the examination papers ment is going to urge considerably more coopera- written by the students and an elaborate question- tion from educational institutions in accrediting naire was administered to the students at the end of each others' courses than has previously obtained. the year, asking them to evaluate the course. Open College is prepared to make its courses The research department of OECA has gone available to others who may request them, and to through this material and has set up a research use suitable materials prepared by others. Open design to use this year. A questionnairewas admin- College intends to take a careful look at television istered to the students at the beginning of the first and radio courses developed by other universities term, and will be administered again at the end of using audio and video tapes, in the hope that some the second term to test any learning or change in might be suitable for its own use. perspective which may have occurred. A variety of Ryerson has begun to establish a pattern of other testing instruments is being.devised. cooperation in another way through the informal It is intended that all credit courses in the near non-credit courses broadcast over CJRT for the future shall have a research component built into last three years under the rubric of "Radiostudy". them so that the adequacy of the teaching can be Two years ago Ryerson employed a teacher on the assessed. staff at University of Toronto to do an informal course in Anthropology. Last year the Islamic Studies Department at the University of Toronto prepared a course on the Middle East which was carried on CJRT. This year a professor from Scarborough is employed to do a non-credit course in Political Science, and the former Dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto is teaching a course in the History of Opera. These courses currently have approximately two hundred registered students and, according to BBM reports, fifteen thousand listeners. The policy would be to find the right teacher for a proposed course, irrespective of institutional affiliation. However, to present a course for credit, such a person would have to be approved by the appropriate Ryerson department or if none exists by a special committee of Academic Council. Open College would reserve the right to assess his com- petency in the use of the media. Cooperative arrangerlents have developed with OECA, the Ontario Educational Communications Authority to experiment with television support. This year OECA secured time for Open College on Channels 19, 11, and 9.It is carrying the television component of the Sociology course at OECA expense. 23 Cable TV and Credit Courses You wouldn't want to push that a little further in Dr. R.F.G. Campbell the area of rights people's right. The degree itself.I don't want to push you into things you're not saying. A.I think that everyone should have a choice and there must be some place education can be put on, I have been amazed with the breadth of experience perhaps cable or the open broadcasting system but that has come to this conference, young and old and I feel that there should be enough channels so that I won't say which category that we fit in, with very they do have this choice, choice of programming, broad experience, with some idea of both degree against a hockey game for instance.I think there work and its constraints and its promises and its should be multiple choice. hopelessness and also the same of cable television. A.I would like to elaborate on that ifI may. I have a page and a half of notes here and it begins Generally as far as private broadcasters are con- with a question which I would like to throw to cerned, there is only limited time in the day in you. The question that I asked myself when which they would carry anything classified as suddenly I was asked to come and discuss this educational. Private broadcasting becomes more topic with you because Channel 19 is not a cable costly every year, consequently the logical pro- television outlet, although we do broadcast over gression would be to cable where you could reach cable in northern Ontario and I think open broad- people more easily. cast which in my opinion is not cable television, Dr. Campbell: This is both choice and cost now. they're two separate entities, open broadcast and A. Cable or how about UHF channel such as cable are two different things.I would like to ask Channel 19?I think in a lot of respects your you and just for a few minutes sound you out. UHF channels have a lot more going for them Why in the world would you want to put a degree than cable. For instance the thing that limits course on cable television anyway? I put it with cable is that you have to have lines and they are that kind of emphasis. Have you any ideas? very expensive. A.I think the main reason is to reach people who A. Well UHF channels require a great degree of cannot get to the university. hardware, a lot of which isn't out yet. Dr. Campbell: So, easy access for more people. A. Well yes, but it would seem totme that you A. We have only one station in Kingston and it could reach more people by UHF than you could would be very difficult to get the number of times by cable because of the geographical setup of on that particular local station for a degree course. people in the outlying areas around the city. Therefore the other way is to do it via cable which You're obviously not going to run a cable for we still do not have and it will be coming in shortly. somebody's house that's twenty miles down Dr. Campbell. So, cable versus open broadcasting, concession road no. 15 or something. So because if you will accept that as a term, of where they live, they're cut off. A.I guess we did it to find out if people in fact Dr. Campbell: All right, let's leave it as choice and respond to it. Our credit course was designed for cost and cable versus open and we'll come back to the Metro audience, ideally, but our signal within this. Are there any other reasons?I don't know, Metro Toronto is so weak that we decided to to be quite honest with you, that you've given me expand beyond Metro Toronto and see if there much of a reason yet. would be interest in other communities. A.I think there is an idealistic reason a degree Dr. Campbell. So, as an experiment. I'm not going course made available to as many people as possible, to react to any of thesejust to get your ideas. getting something out of their tax dollar because A. Why not have it on cable TV? If you believe in a lot of people don't, individually, get anything mass education then it is some kindof ultimate out of their tax dollar. This way they could if it's virtue. on cable, if it's on broadcasting stations, if it's on Dr. Campbell. Then you believe in mass education. as many broadcasting and/or media type channels, A.I didn't say I believe in it but the Province of the better. Ontario, up to now anyway, seems to look at it Dr. Campbell: This is getting back to what I said that way. a while ago the right of a person because of his Dr. Campbell: So, for the degree in itself then. tax dollar really, is what you're saying.
24 21 A.I don't suppose it could be called a right. with it that it started with the assumption that Dr. Campbell: What would you call it then, just you have the hardware there and you jolly well a return for his investment? better use it. We have the technical means then A. Mayor that because it seems to me cable let's use it. operators are always talking about a return for From there I want to take you down two paths their investment. to give you an idea why I think the questionwe Dr. Campbell: All right, return for tax dollar. began with is starting at the wrong point.I believe Q. Why would he not want it, is what I would like that cable television is just one of the many media to know. we have available to us and just because it exists Dr. Campbell: Well the answer most broadcasters doesn't mean that's the reason we shoulduse it. would give you is because it costs money and loses To try and condense my thinking in thisarea I revenue and audience. think that all kinds of media must be used. You A. Well that's a natural assumption I think.I don't know we worship this we've said the systems know whether it's true, whether it's factual that it approach, the multi-media approach. Faceto face loses an audience.It hasn't been on enought, often communication still has a function and I can say enough on enough cable systems to be judged as that, no longer being a faculty member of the being totally unsuccessful. University of Guelph and being accused of saying Q. Well, Dr. Campbell, why does OECA for it for political reasons, I actually believe the lecture example, pay private broadcasters to carry programs can do things and if pressed, tell you what I think which OECA puts out? It there were such a great those are.I think books and printed material can demand for it, such a marvellous thing, surely the do things that face to face oral communication private broadcasters would leap at the opportunity cannot accomplish.I believe that radio has a place. to carry it but no. Open television, commercial television and video- Dr. Campbell: That's a policy which they've had tape have unique characteristics available for right from the beginning which I believe in too, if learning.I consider a discussion group a medium you pay for your own time, you choose the time of instruction which has its tasks that it canper- and you have control over that time. So that's a form.I believe that correspondence study has its policy of OECA. Under normal circumstances they function in terms of printed materials going out purchase from the CBC or CTV or independent and students writing back. Peer gro.ip study is CHCH. another available learning medium. Tice examina- Q. Do they purchase at the going commercial rate? tion is still a strong learning medium. Assignments Dr. Campbell: Yes. Going commercial rate in the fit into the same category. Independent study sense that we use a lot of it and we get a reduced with programmed learning and computer-assisted rate for the amount we use which would be the instruction are also learning media. So then, what same as a commercial advertiser. I'm asking you to consider is that all these media, Q. But you are primarily carrying OECA broad- I believe, have their strengths and their weaknesses casting. that can be exploited for the purposes of the learner. Dr. Campbell: That's right the same broadcasting So to say that cable television is something that's that we have on Channel 19.It may be in the there and we've got to use it because it's jolly well morning, it may be in the afternoon and in some there I think is wrong.I think the question is, what instances, it may be in the evening, in one or two can a visual approach by television, videotape or instances. cable television do that can lead to the strengthen- Well now, we've started in this way, I've lead ing of the subject matter that you have to teach? you down the garden path really, you might know I also left out such important things as workshops that about a broadcaster because I don't think and labs. Those of you who are scientists would that's the first question that we ought to ask our- clobber me for that.I think then, that a course selves why use cable television?I think it's ought to be designed, if you'll pardon the jargon, starting at the wrong point and I wanted to begin to include all these media if they are appropriate in this way and I know this wasn't intended by to the concepts that the professor has to get across. the main speaker this morning but to me super- There are other constraints but that's the first ficially, if I was to drop in on that speech this thing and we could talk a long time and ifyou want morning, that's the main fault that I would offer to go a little further into this, there is a book by
22 Gagne, "The Conditions of Learning," and it's an Toronto. There is a "hands-on workshop" where attempt to take concepts of learning and break OECA took its mobile studio out and people them down into a hierarchy of eight steps from actually tried to put into practice what they had the signal response learning as the least on the been studying.It's called the "new literacy." I ladder, up to problem solving as the highest. He think we've tried to use the various media in the has tried to match along with these eight areas of appropriate way.I said I can tell you where I learning, the media that have to be used to exploit think we failed and where the strength and the these concepts for the benefit of the learner. When weaknesses are but out of this v.perierce has I was in the States I spent a lot of time working in come three or four areas of constraint that I'd this area. There have been actual followups where like to offer to you and when I get finished with people have tried to apply this theory practically these then we'll open it up to discussion. into learning situations in universities. The first constraint is the subject matter itself. What can the visual do that audio can't do? Can If you're discussing a biology course for arts the student acquire the concept more efficiently students, the feeling amongst a number of biologists by the use of a visual component? Why use a visual? that I have worked with is that you don't need any We could get into great discussion on that. What labs. They're not going to go into it that deepso can these various media do? What can a discussion you can drop the lab. So, the subject matter itself, group do? Do you have a discussion group just the kinds of units of instruction are important. Is because that's the custom c,r becauSe fifteen years it a problem solving course? Is itan information ago the students complained that they didn't like gathering course? Can that subject matter get lectures so you all got into groups of twenty? So across without the exchange? That's another these are the circumstances we f:rd ourselves in and important thing.If you look at our series, Com- I go with our main speaker this morning when he Munioation Arts 100, that stupid puppet, that's gets a little worried as to the rationale and when he his cask as time goes on. Gordon has taught this can answer on behalf of himself and his colleagues course for three years at the University of Waterloo, and other people, as we do. My department is over that three year period he knows where the purely one that has the technical things, I don't questions that the students usually askcome up and care about the human aspects. We Con't care what what those questions are and thepuppet tries to happens to the Eskimos or what happens there but provide that. Would it have been better to have a we point out to you that we've got a satellite and nice blonde girl? Wouldn't it be nice to havea so, vie point out to you that we've got cable TV cleancut male student instead of a non-person? So and I'm saying, let's not use it in that way. we thought we'd try and get away from that and The basis of what I'm going to say today besides have a stupid puppet instead. Can that material be my own personal study al.d my own interest in presented without the necessity of exchange for this area and having taught a cou.se in educational that part of the course? That's an important thing. technology, is the course that we have on air now You'll notice that the professor suddenly hasa on Channel 19 and on some cable companies, by clearer purpose of what he is trying to achieve in the way in northern Ontario Communications terms of the subject matter. You've noticed this Arts 100 which we did with Waterloo. We have a when he has to sit down and discuss this and he's Waterloo spy here today to correct me if I ever say got to figure out what he's going to put on the anything that's out of line and he assures me that's boob tube or he's going to have in his book and why he is here today. This is a multimedia course. things like this, perhaps the subject matter, the We failed in some instances because of very human content itself, takes on a different shape than he things that happened, because of time, because of used before. So, the subject matter is one of the expense, because of personalities involved and we co-,Ltf aints that we have to wrestle with and I can talk a lot about these kinds of things but we think that we should spend more time doing this started out with the idea that we were going to use than we have in the past. Just turn the fellow on, television as it should be used.It has thirty half- put him in the studio, make sure he has good hour colour tapes, videotapes.It has 3 textbook. lights, make sure that you have editingrespon- There are twelve audio tapes. There are seven sibilities to get his oh's and ah's out but don't assignments and examinations. There are discussion worry too much about his subject matter at all. groups in communities like Oshawa, Orillia, I know I'm overstating it but this very often is what happens.
Z6 23 The second constraint or component besides students who haven't had the opportunity to go subject matter itself, is the target audience for to university and they don't care how that infor- whom the learning experience 14 designed. So, mation comes?" What about the motivation of we have the subject matter itself and we have the the student himself( Another aspect, how do target audience. In the series CA 100, it was adults learn? We got into this a little bit before. prima; ily the mature student that I was interested Do they learn in the sequential way of going in. There were some other constraints thrown in through Canadian history, the way that we have there, like money and could we recruit enough in the past, studying it from the beginning to the mature students in a short while to justify this. end.Is that the way adults learn?I guess there's So it's nice to have your on-campus students take still a lot of conversation on this but the pat the same course and Donald Gordon has seen, as answer that I like to give is that they learn accor- those of us who are adult educators have seen, that ding to the need that they have. We got into a the mature student is more with it than the on- discussion of this at lunch time. If you havea campus student to the point where Donald Gordon cottage in northern Ontario and the Health was using the mature students as testimonials for Department tells you're polluting the lakes because the stupid students on the campus. and saying you haven't got the right kind of septic tank there, "come in and tell the campus students why this you don't want a history of soils and engineering course is relevant to you as a mature student." going back to the 1800's; you want some hard They were saying "this course is not relevant." core information on a problem that you have and Gordon was falling for this and saying "oh, dear, to solve it.This is why I think that adult teachers it's not relevant and yet I have the latest filmclips have it all over teaching anywhere else because in there, I have the latest techniques for television, they have the opportunity to meet the needs of and they're standing there and telling me it's not the audience. We, at Channel 19, spend time and relevant." It's the mature students who were money trying to gauge what the needs are of the saying "how wonderful, at last a professor who people of Ontario and trying to meet them. We've can really reach out into the community and be done studies, we have advisory committees, we've relevant." What are the media preferences of the had people on the telephone and everything else. student? The on-campus students would they Is a degree course in the normal sequence of accept television and radio? things meeting anybody's need? So these aresome Motivation of the learner is another thing I of the things we talked about in connection with talked on. When I visited the Open University, the target audience itself. their comment was "Mickey Mouse, sir, could The third thing, besides subject matter itself, deliver the lectures.It wouldn't make any the target audience, the third constraint is the difference." Those people are so hungry for the teacher himself and what he can do, what his learning. Talking heads you can criticize all you capabilities are with the media. Donald Gordon want but the fact remains that's the only way those has had quite a bit of experience with the print people are going to get the information. They'll medium, he worked as a reporter; he has done a get it because they're so hungry for it. Are lot of work on television. FIR knew what he was Canadian audiences so hungry for the information doing when he walked into this thing.I tried and will they set aside what they know is real slick degree courses with other professors at other commercial television and accept the soldier universities and the professor, in one instancewas standing there? The Open University has done brought by his Dean to the meeting and that poor some wonderful things but on a small scale, most fellow was actually shaking; he hardly ever watched of their things are discussions and talking heads television let alone get on television. He didn't delivering of information, as far as their' video know whether you did it with a camera upside portion is concerned and they make no bones about down or whether there was a microphone or that.I really had my feet pulled out from under whether you yelled loudly and he was just so me.I went and viewed some of their programs for nervous that there was no way that that poor chap a day'and a half and then went armed to talk to was going to be of any use to anybody, himself one of their instructional technologists to pull it all included. So, what about the teacher himself? apart and he sat there and said "yes, yes, yes", but What about the exposure of the teacher himself? he said "do you know, we have close to 25,000 We've been a very private, closed group and fora
24 professor to suddenly open himself to the criticism, drum, hour after the hour. telling you when various that's not communication, that's not a university organizations are going to be on. Repeats are course. So you ask yourself about the confidence possible. We repeated Communication Arts, one that the professor has and what you can do to help original broadcast and two repeats but how does him. How about the business of academic freedom? cable television make its programs known and Can Channel 19 tell Donald Gordon that he cannot whose responsibility is that?Is that the university's, criticize the established press in Ontario? This is the cable companies? How can the potential very funny to Donald Gordon and I because we learner learn that this is available? Through the have a very good relationship but it so happened university and its brochure, I guess. Another that he was, in my opinion, unjustly criticizing the advantage is that really this is an inexpensive thing established press of Ontario and favouring the for the user himself, the user in terms of the underground press who were doing the same things learner.I don't think you would have to add very as the established press and I was able to get that much to the fees in order to have a cable television across to him. Another concern is the professor's program go out in the normal sense of cable discipline over the student. He has this in the television. Another advantage I sec is the possible classroom. If you go to sleep, he can jolly'well try introduction of local experts. Now, what would I and do something about it, but in a TV course he do, very briefly.I would use cable as part of a loses the equivalent of thirty half-hours of contact learning system ifI really wanted to do a course with the student for the purpose of disciplining well.I would have to have a mass aue'ence to meet him. Another aspect apparently lost on TV is the the expenses, both the university expenses and the exchange between student and professor. broadcast expenses. What could you do'? Well, you Fourthly, the relationships between the teaching could bicycle it around from one area to another institution, the cable company, the learner. The or make enough dubs to go around. You could do teaching institution becomes up tight about what that and you could broadcast it over the local cable is happening. It's image is being projected. The but I think it's different, cable is different and I cable company or the broadcaster wants to know would broadcast it because I'm with Channel 19 what right he has of copyright of the material, what I guess, on open broadcast. How would I use cable? right he has in connection with the Broadcast Act. I would use cable to bring in the local experts to Who owns the copyright? Does Gordon still own sit around and talk about the content of the course. the information there? Does Channel 19 own the The local weekly newspaper or daily, Guelph tapes, the physical tapes? Does Waterloo own the Mercury, the TV man from the station in Kitchener. iearning system? These are all questions that we Bring them down and let them talk about some of have to face. the concepts that Gordon has been talking about The sixth constraint is cost and here you get perhaps in the abstract. Let people phone in into this.If you're going to use television exten- because you could let that go for two or three sively, it's going to cost and if you're going to use hours if the interest was there by the telephone it on two inch tape for commercial broadcast ringing. So you could use it as a discussion medium purposes, that's going to cost a lot indeed and are that people could use and yet not have to come on you going to broadcast it on cable hookup? One campus but Istill believe they ought to come on little part of North Toronto are you going to the campus or have the professor go out to them spend a lot of money to put on a course for a 15 for some part of it.I believe they ought to have square block area of North Toronto? As I under- audio cassettes.I guess this is my main thesis I stand it, cable has as one of its chief attributes, that would have, I would choose the medium to best it is for the local community, so why should we suit that concept, the professor, the audience, the take something that's expensive and put it on for a costs and then I would use these media in a mix very local area? This kind of thing requires a mass and I would use cable television in the way that I audience. think it was designed to be'used for the local So then, I think we are getting into the final community. characteristic which is the cable itself. Community emphasis, not mass. One advantage of course, repeats are welcome. You watch Metro cable in Toronto and the advertisements just go around that
;.-.8. 25 The Political Dimension distributed, in terms of the media, oneway. It Mr. Richard J. Gwyn was packaged for distribution by professional journalists, a very well-defined elite who perpetra- ted their own views across the public at large. The means of production and the means of distribution were (a) very expensive and (b) very complex and Now you are going to hear from the socio-economic difficult to use. Hence the audience substantively side and I think you'll notice some differences. was passive. Duane and I were having a hurried sort of sideline About three years ago everybody woke up to discussion, a coaching session, a moment ago and cable television. The result was an immense we agreed that the political aspects of cable amount of rhetoric talked about cable television television can be divided broadly into two parts: and about its potentialities to substantively change the first concerns regulation, the formal institu- the political structure, the social structure. I tional process and the second involves the using of think there was an over emphasis built upon a politics in a much broader context, whereby, if recognition of the simple fact that cable television cable television in its local production, the com- meant cheap distribution, available distribution. munity programming, reaches significant propor- Nevertheless when you look at VTR and the whole tions in terms of (a) quantity and (b) of quality, half-inch scene, it's quite clear that technology is that is whether people actually watch it Or not, now cheap and it is easy to use. There are spare then this will have a number of political affects. distribution channels; the UHF spectrum is being I'm not sure what is the best way of proceeding opened up and the FM spectrum for radio is now but ! propose to make some comments about both available in the sense that there is sufficient of these and then I think we should have a general demand for people to use it, that the audience is discussion. building up because people, I think it is about 50% Let me talk first of all about the broad political of the Canadian public, now have FM receivers. issues which are only starting, I think, to surface So a change has taken place on the supply side now because there has been so far so little local or towards individualized media and you've also got community programming on cable television. The a change as critical on the demand side. You've only two large scale projects that I know of, which got now a substantive body of people who know does not mean that there are not others in fact how to produce programs, in a technical sense, and there are three projects but only two have really who want to originate programming. Which makes achieved a peak. One of these is Groupe Normandin one of those rare conjunctures of supply and in the Chicoutimi region of Quebec. Another is, or demand. The unknown fact in the equation is rather was, the Town Talk project in Thunder Bay. whether the public demand for this type of Town Talk no longer exists, though at one time it community programming exists.I'd like to come was very strong. A third substantive program is back to that but I would like to say this, that if Metro Media in Vancouver. It should be worth- that demand in the general public, that is if they while to try to figure out why some projects have want to see community programming exist, succeeded and some haven't. then this development is going to have substantive When I use the phrase substantive, I mean political effects. substantive in terms of the amount of programming What you're going to get first of all,I think, is being done as opposed to what Bill Foss was the first emergence of media opposition at the describing this morning which I found fascinating, municipal level. Traditionally in Canada, for but the only point here is that Foss has been practical purposes, all our newspapers and media operating for about three months, and this is not outside the very large cities and by which I mean substantive in terms of its impact yet upon the the capital cities, the provincial capitals and community, though it would seem that there is particularly the federal capital, have engaged in clearly some potential there. no critical comment whatever on the municipal The political implications of community cable- scene. the mayor and the whole local establish- casting can be, maybe, I believe, quite profound. ment in all the communities across Canada have We all know the cliche that information is power. been subjected to absolutely minimal criticism or Until recently, all this powerful information was accounting, and often to none at all.If cable
29 television develops its potential, you're going to It's been thought highly undesirable to regulate get the media beginniitg to be a very important print. Broadcasting has been regulated because of element in the local political scene.I think this scarcity and that is one of the prime justifications can produce all kinds of unexpected spinoffs. For for regulating anything, that the supply of a par- a start you'll find that more municipal counsellors ticular product is scarce. That scarcity is on its and mayors will teach themselves to become adept way to disappearing. We have all read about the at handling the media.It is now commonplace for potential 40 channel and more cable television national political leaders and important regional systems. Hard on their heels are going to come political leaders to rise to the top, largelyas a video cassettes probably about five years away. function of their ability to handle the media, to They're delayed because of compatibility problems. manipulate the media. This capability, tillnow, One of these people, I think the race is between has not been necessary at the local level.I think Philips and RCA, is going to knock the others out you are going to get more charismatic type and that will become our standard video cassette politicians at the local level. system in about five years time. There's no way The second development is of course that apart you can reguiate video cassettes. We've opened from just the-introduction of media into the local up the UHF spectrum now. You've got room for level and the changing of the political structure in about another 40 channels there. In broadcasting terms of formal representative politics, the develop- I have already mentioned the FM band. ment of community cablecasting means that a At the same time, if there is probablyno need number of groups who up to now often have had for regulation in the long term, there is clearly difficulty in expressing their dernands except by need for it in the short term. The short termissue resorting to theatre, by which I mean demonstra- is that the Canadian television industry is having to tions, should be able to do it in a much more absorb two very powerful forces simultaneously. effective way and through much more organized One is audience fragmentation brought about by channels. This means that welfare rights groups, cable. The second force and related directly to the citizens groups, and so on should be able to get first, is the massive inroads of Americanprogram- their message across within, though they would I ming. Here you've got a classic Canadian dilemma. think hate to admit it, within an established Thanks to the fact that Canadians like to watch structurethe established structure being the American programs, we have the most heavily CATV channel. The third thing that is going to cabled country in the world. Thanks to the fact happen, I believe, is that the public in smaller that we are the most heavily cabled country in the communities is going to be presented with an world, we are producing more cable localprogram- everwidening range of choices because it will be ming than any other country in the world. Far possible for a great variety of opinions to be more than the United States. Proportionately, expressed through cable television and if those they are only one-third ours in terms of cable choices are offered to people, some of them are penetration but even then, our production of going to take them. This phenomenon will work local cable programming is far higher than the the other way from what I was saying a moment United States. ago, namely that welfare rights groups and so on Earlier this morning I was talking to a cable will tend to work within the established structure operator from Toronto, attending the conference, because they will be able to get their message and we discussed Channel 79, the UHF channel across. The public in small communities, because in Toronto, that is going to be carried, has to be offered a larger choice of messages, will raise its carried by, all the Toronto cable companies. The expectations a development of profound point she was making was that for Channel 79, the political implications. most desirable spot on the channel to the cable So far as regulation is concerned, it's my own companies would be Channel 3 which is in between judgment to use that overworked phrase 'rearward Channels 2 and 4 which are both American. There mirror', that a lot of this talk about federal- you've got a new local community broadcasting provincial conflict in regulation is out of date. I station, 79, which if it wants to survive has to think we are moving instead to a phase of no attract a big enough audience, and the one way regulation. We have never regulated print; it's Channel 79 is going to be able to do that, in her never been thought necessary to regulate print. reckoning, is to get in between the two Americans
30 27 because once you're there, when people start to than that these programs might offend political flip, they flip from 2 to 4 and .will have to at least interests or in any other way cause embarassment. stop for a second at Channel 3. And maybe some It is Lnfair, in my judgment, to ask cable operators of them will stay. The worst position for Channel to make these kinds of decisions once the demand 79 would be at the top 'Canadian' end of the builds up.If they were operated as a utility and spectrum, around about 11,12,13. What is regulated as a utility which means rate of return annoying, irritating, is that this Canadian com- regulation as is the case with telephone companies munity channel is most likely to survive or do well then CATV operators would have no further if it rides piggy-back on the Americans. This, need to have any control over the programming however, is a fact of life. content they carry. Instead they would simply It is quite clear that at the present time, the provide a physical distribution system.I should Canadian broadcasting system has to somehow mention that there is one instance of this hardware/ absorb these two enormous forces of fragmenta- software split, in New York where cable operators tion and of American programming. In my judg- are required to operate two 'public access' channels. ment, therefore, it is critical that for at least the That was a very imaginative decision on the part of next five years cable television be regarded as part the regulatory authority in New York although of the Canadian broadcasting system because if it it hasn't worked out too well in practice since very is not, we are not going to have a Canadian broad- little use indeed has been made of those public casting system. Looking over the longer term, my access channels. forecast is no regulation, that we will run out of This leads to the last point I would like to make. political justification for the regulation of tele- As I said earlier, cable television, when it first vision, any more, than as I say, there are justifica- arrived, invoked a tremendous flood of rhetoric tions for regulation of print or for thatmatter, of about 'citizens' access', and various phrases like people talking. 'wired city'. We're all a little bit sadder and wiser Obviously there will continue to be certain now and less idealistic. Not less idealistic perhaps minimum boundaries such as obscenity, plagiarism, but less naive. My own judgment is that cable copyright and so on but intense, continuing, television does provide an important means for regulation will prove to be unnecessary. What you distribution in cities or communities that are can always regulate, in my judgment, is the cable (a) relatively homogeneous, (b) have a distinct distribution system itself which has all the charac sense of identity and (c) that have poor alternative teristics of a public utility. In other words, it is a media or poor traditional media, by which I mean protected monopoly. It is the sole supplier. Cable local television, radio, newspapers. The one systems once they reach maturity, which is about exception is Metro Media in Vancouver. Almost all three to four years and 70% penetration (at the the other success stories or promising stories of moment many are in a difficult phase during which community cablecasting have taken place in isolated their capital costs are very high), most of them communities with a strong sense of identity and will be very profitable institutions. with no local media at all.It's much harder to find If CATV systems are regulated as a utility, it examples in large cities. Metro Media, as I said, is becomes possible to divorce from the cable one but much more typical is the Moose Jaw operator the responsibility for determining the project; Thunder Bay which began very strongly programming he carries.I would argue that we but then collapsed for political reasons, and Trois- have placed a very unfair burden on cable operators Rivieres which is developing at this time. So that asking them to decide between competing would- the future for community cablecasting is going to be users of their cable systems. The problem of fulfill itself largely in smaller towns and villages. In making those kinds of choices is going to become the large cities the competition provided by com- acute. At the moment it's a minimal one because mercial television for the attention of the audience so few groups want to cablecast, although there is simply too great.I may be wrong about the are problems of censorship, as we heard this urban scene, I would like to think I am, but I morning. In my own judgment, censorship is not doubt it. a general problem as yet. The fact is more that the cable operators are concerned that many of the programs offered to them are of poor quality 31 28 Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable from each purchaser of a share before the registra- Transmission tion of that share is allowed. Other companies only Mr. David Williams, Exec. Vice Pres. Canadian require this when large blocks of sharesare dealt Cable Systems with. All public companies in broadcasting have introduced into their bylaws the Constrained Share section of the Canada Corporations Act of 1971 which permits them to refuse the registration Ownership of Cable of a transfer if it places the company in a position where more than 20% of the shares are held by The right of ownership to a cable TV operation is ineligible shareholders. dependent on two things: The practice that has developed is for an officer Meeting the regulations relative to Canadian of the company to analyze the share register and Ownership Order-In-Council PC 2229-69. recap the individual shareholders with less than 1% What other broadcasting interests you hold of the outstanding shares, and to take certificates and the extent to which they conflict with a from as many of the larger corporate shareholders proposed cable TV venture. and other shareholders that they are not controlled by aliens and to present that to the CRTC when Order-In-Council PC 2229-69 requested. The Second aspect of ownership of cable tele- In brief, this says that after September 1st, 1970, vision depends on being able to comply with licenses may not be issued either to persons who certain policies of the CRTC as to who may or are not Canadian citizens, nor to "ineligible cor- may not own a CATV system. This is a grey area porations", nor to governments other than the but it is generally recognized that the owner of a Federal Government. The Order then defines an TV station cannot own a CATV system in the same "Eligible Canadian Corporation" as follows: community nor vice versa, and in fact, may not (a) Incorporated Federally or Provincially even be able to own CATV in one community and (b) of which the Chairman, or other presiding TV in another. Similarly, newspapers holding TV officer, and each of the directors or other or CATV licenses are rare, but some do exist. There similar officers are Canadian citizens, and seems not to be such a restriction on radio and (c) of which 80% of the shares are beneficially CATV, but radio and TV are generally thought to owned by Canadian citizens or by corpora. be not available to the same owner in one communi- tions that are not controlled directly or ty. There are exceptions to each rule, e.g. London, indirectly by subjects of another country Ontario. other than Canada. The most desirable qualities to have to obtain a Where in the opinion of the Commission, not- license for CATV, are to be an individual, be rich, withstanding these requirements, it believes the and be artistically talented. Unfortunately, these corporation is effectively controlled either by way qualities are seldom found together. of shares or debt, it shall be deemed to be ineligible. Control of Cable Television might be interpreted in another sense, and this deserves to be commented Canadian Ownership on. The view of the CRTC is that a CATV operator should not only provide goOd clear signals of the In order to avoid proof of citizenship, which is regular TV channels, but he should also programme easier for new Canadians than for many of the rest a "local community channel" and finally, that he of us, the regulation allows to be deemed as should make his facilities available to local com- Canadians all individuals whose address is in Canada munity groups in order that they speak to the and who hold 1% or less of the total number of community. issued shares of the corporation. This latter area may be examined from two sides In reality, public corporations have the most the legal right of individuals or groups in the difficulty in proving Canadian ownership due to community to have access to the community the number of shareholders and the lack of know- cable channel and the practical way this is ledge of just who are shareholders. Some of the occurring. public companies in this area require a certificate On the practical side, many cable TV companies
29 Ilf) 11.11GI regularly invite a wide range of community groupr Perhaps you may have questions on these matters to use the cable to address the community. They by which we may further discuss them. instruct them in the way to make use of the facility Peter Grant, who is a lawyer quite interested in and on the general need for preparation of their these matters, has comments on this matter which material before they come to the studios. Regret- I will read from a booklet which has come into my tably, many such groups find it "just too much possession but is not yet published, I don't believe. trouble" and are not interested in carrying out It is dated February '71 but I am not aware that their plans. it is widespread: A few groups do become quite proficient and Canadian Communication Law Papers, Faculty make regular use of the community facilities to of Law, University of Toronto. Firstly, in the address the community on matters in which they chapter marked Access to Cable Television Systems, are concerned. he has indicated "The approach of the Canadian A comparison may be made between cable TV Radio Television Commission prompted by the and other media. To telephone a radio station talk rapid expansion of cable services and the unique show is comparatively easy to write a letter to opportunities for access afforded by cable systems the editor of the newspaper is a little more trouble, inasmuch as they make additional channels but to prepare a programme to be seen and heard available for use, the CRTC has come to see the on cable TV requires both effort and that one's cable's role in the following terms and they quote, ideas have some general interest to those being and this is a May '69 policy statement and there addressed. arc: two or three of these that I'm going to quote I think it is safe to say that most cable TV you because they are progressive: "CATV can companies seek programmes of interest to their assist in the development of a community identity community, and are concerned only that the laws through locally produced programs; they can of libel and slander be not broken, and that a participate in the enrichment of the community's programme be in good taste. The cable operators cultural life through the distribution of Canadian would also be concerned that the laws of copyright produced films, educational information and other be respected. films of particular interest produced for public No matter how well he is insured, or what pro- showing but not normally available in that area. tection he seeks from the producers of a communi- CATV local programming should complement, ty programme, theoperator is still in a position to rather than compete with programming already be the recipient of a lawsuit and to be held available to the community through television." accountable by the CRTC in the event that a Then,at a later time the theme was picked up programme libels or slanders someone or infringes and emphasized in a subsequent public announce- a copyriyht. ment on April 1970 which quotes "The Com- The legal aspects of the right of individuals mission pointed out in its announcement of or groups to demand access to use the cable are May 13, '69 that CATV local programming should less clear, and so not being a lawyer, I will leave complement rather than compete with program- this as a matter between lawyers and their clients. ming already available to the community." It However, Peter Grant has comments on this placed particular emphasis on the opportunity matter which I will read: for CATV licensees to enrich community life by Comments1. CATV should complement not com- fostering communication among individuals and pete with commercial TV. community groups. "In the development of 2. Control of content a sensitive issue programs of interest to tierOrmunities, it is hoped but the station is ultimately respon- that the CATV programmers-will be motivated by sible. innovation rather than imitation. Local programs 3. If two groups have $150,000 each, should be based on access and freedom from the and apply for license, a community restraint of program schedules which are often group would have a better chance than less flexible than the conventional broadcasting." MacLean-Hunter In the most recent statement which I think was Question 1. Should the programmer and the car- in July of 1971, one little paragraph stands out. rier be separated to increase discussion Again they have said "The Commission maintains of alternative issues? its view that cable television systems should be
3°33 encouraged to provide access to a channel for the lines suggested and they have discussed it pro community expression and information." They and con, the efforts will go for nought if the pro- go on then to speak about locally programmed digious obstacle presented by responsibility for channels "This Commission has consistently content cannot be removed. The problem and emphasized the opportunity available to cable perhaps the best solution was articulated by Ed television system licensees to enrich community Jarmain, Vice-President of Jarmain Teleservices life by fostering communication among individuals Limited, London, in the Globe and Mail in and community groups.It has also encouraged September, 1969 as follows: "The whole concept cable television systems to provide programs which of participatory cablecasting may founder on the are substantially different from those available question of responsibility.If the cable company from off-air sources. Local programming often becomes pre-occupied with this question, it may achieves its greatest effectiveness when production be driven to exercise very tight control over its techniques and facilities are kept simple and inex- facilities and accessibility may be iost. Censorship pensive. The Commission recognizes the respon- may masquerade under the guise of responsibility. sibility of cable television system licensee for the Possibly the CRTC can relieve some of the pressure services provided through a locally programmed by licensing some of the groups who regularly channel and believes that a diversity of local produce some of the programs for cablecasting. programming best reflects community needs and This solution has apparently found favour with interests." In respect to community programming MacLean-Hunter. Mr. Frier of Mad ;an- Hunter, they said "This is a process which involves direct after acknowledging his company's willingness to citizen participation in program planning and originate programs as part of the price of its license, production. The means which are employed to remarked as follows: "However how open the best further the use of a channel for the local access gets to a channel depends on who, in the end, citizenry and establish fair access of facility productionis responsible for the program content. Our com- can be as varied as necessary to satisfy a local need." pany, for example, is now beginning to feel that Then we go back and carry on with Mr. Grant. maybe we shouldn't be owner of the cable license The text here goes on "At present the Commission and controller of the program content as well; will not except under exceptional circumstances or that maybe another group should be licensed for experimental purposes, license CATV under- as being responsible for the program content." takings which carry commercials other than those Well, logically speaking as it is, this solution receiving the programming, broadcast by broadcas- has not been taken up. Perhaps the reason is ting stations. Cablecasters then are left in the fear on the part of the CRTC that some percen- situation of having imposed on them the duty of tage of the group who will be seeking access has programming community events financed out of exhibitionist propensities which are manifested in subscription revenues which the CRTC has frozen the form of slander, obscenity or bad taste.In and without the aid of ad revenue. As there is not answer to that one can only say it is by no means a built-in incentive to public access inasmuch as cep twin the idiot fringe will constitute an inordinate the understandably economically minded cable- proportion of those who would make use of access. caster may be induced to draw upon resources The second objection is that a programmer is not offered freely by groups seeking access. This likely to be as good a judgment debtor as the cable analysis appears to be in !ine with the CRTC policy. operator whose physical plant may be subject to The CRTC feels most definitely the cable systems execution but this is presently the case outside the have an important role to play in their community media where a personal slander is not guaranteed and is anxious to encourage local programming a substantial judgment debtor. Does the fact that whether these be programs actually produced by slander occurred in the context of cable justify the cable company or by groups within the com- greater precautions in favour of the potentially munity." We could touch upon a lot more of that slandered? Even if the argument could be made but I'm trying to pick out the points I think high- out that slander on the media is more damaging light the problem then we can discuss them. The than slander from the pulpit or some other less question of responsibility for content.If the wide-ranging platform, this consideration is surely problem confronting a meaningful access which outweighed by the benefits accruing from the has already been canvassed, finds solutions along diversity of opinion that was the result of public 34 31 access unhampered by the licensee. Two other a privilege than a right. Communication is both approaches to the responsibility problem might be the right to hear and the right to be heard. Legis- noted. The first is that taken by Town Talk in latively the problem of giving affect to these rights Thunder Bay. Simply get a community group is the problem of defining the amplitude of each representing those people who want access and buy right. A major question today is whether the a cable company. That goes on then to quote disenfranchised public might include the largest "Suppose we buy Lakehead Vidium," said David part of society and not only the poor, the under- Hughes, Town Talk spokesman and driving force, privileged and the extreme. It might be appropriate the housewife, shaggy-haired researcher, labour in the light of the previous sections of this study representative, school trustee, high school principal to attempt to bring them together in the context of and life insurance man do not think he's serious. an examination of the censorship devices which Buy it? Such a huge thing? But Hughes is serious. are available and in use by the communications He has told some Town Talk people, not all, that industry.It will be demonstrated here then the Lakehead Vidium can be bought for about a million forcible right of access by any private or public and a half dollars. He has approached ten respected is limited in Canada because it is tightly controlled Thunder Bay citizens and offered them jobs as in the public sector by the CRTC and in the private directors of a new, accessible, community- sector by a small number of individuals in whom controlled cable company. Town Talk will appear ownership of the communications media is con- at the CRTC hearings, outline its arguments against centrated."I think perhaps that should have said MacLean-Hunter's application, retire for a drink of very often the management group of the quite water, return and announce 'gotcha'. They are large public companies, for many of these are quite prepared to buy the cable company. If they can't large public companies today who are operating arrange financing by the hearings, they will argue cable. that Thunder Bay can do it alone, they don't need MacLean-Hunter. As you probably know, that was not successful. MacLean-Hunter do own Thunder Bay at this point in time. A final approach is to ignore the whole question. As a closed circuit, private subscription system, a good constitutional case could be made out that the CRTC has no jurisdiction whatever over con- tent, that with all the financing hanging in the balance, cable operators are not going to open their studios to the public on as tenuous a basis as the possible inapplicability of the federal content regulations. The CRTC has provided a wider spectrum of permissiveness on the media and there- fore a greater inducement to cable operators to relinquish control to community groups by indicating that it will not move on a licensee unless it has been previously convicted of a criminal offence. This attitude may encourage a great deal of flexibility on the part of cablecasters. Rogers Cable, a large one in Toronto, lets panel discussions go on live with no built-in delay but even the most fI9xible cable operators will not give any group carte blanche over programming. I think that that touches quite a bit on the matters of access and they have a brief conclusion here which I will read to you and then we can have questions: "In Canada today, the right of access to the existing communications media by the public, is closer to
32 diversity of equipment, especially as regards quality Plenary sessions based on group discussions available in the community. Would it reduce costs Chairman: Mr. Douglas Waterston for cable operators (and presumably you need more funds for programming), if there were some uniform standards, let's say in Ontario? Mr. Jarmain:I do not think costs would be materially reduced but uniform standards for equip- Mr. Waterston:It is obvious that the discussion ment might be desirable for a lot of other good groups this afternoon were very successful. From reasons. The problem is, as many of you know, the conversations out in the hall, a lot of points that we have three basic types of one inch video were raised which people are very keen on tape recorders. We have half inch VTR in addition following through. to that and now we are looking at three quarter- The purpose of this particular session is to inch cassette machines. It's in the video tape synopsize what went on at each group session and recorder area that we run into our incompatibility provide an opportunity of questioning the resource problem. Why don't we standardize on one? The person of sessions you couldn't attend. The answer is simple, none of the three are all that resource person for Ownership Rights and Control good. If there was one of the three that stood of Cable Television Transmission had to leave and well above the others in terms of performance, the session chairman, Professor War low of the quality or what have you, then I think you might University, will stand in for him. We will take each get people to standardize. But frankly all of them, session in the order which it appeared in the pro- so far, have been inferior in terms of quality. gram, rather than deal with them jointly in a People are making the best of a bad thing as formal panel discussion. We have about an hour opposed to choosing the best among good things. and fifteen minutes so that means an average of Especially in the video tape area, we really need a fifteen minutes devoted to each group. Please break through in terms of quality of equipment. direct your question to the resource person and I wouldn't like to see us standardize at this point I'll act as referee on whose turn it is. in time. Our first group was Community Programming Q.Would you comment upon the new programming Costs and Sources of Support. The resource person procedure in Calgary, where I believe the existing of that discussionas Ted Jarmain, Chairman of cable companies have consolidated their facilities the Board of Canadian Cable Television Association and jointly established, with some community and I was session chain-Tan. A very wide ranging organization, their own production house. There discussion took place in this session. We dealt is one set of facilities, in a sense bile production thoroughly with the costs of cede TV station organization, for all the companies. operations costs of equipment, costs of program- Jarmain: I'm sorry, I am not really very ming per hour, cost of studios, etc. Also dealt with familiar with that situation. were the many areas of financial support for Q. Could it be a transferable idea to other areas, in programming from the cable companies themselves, terms of reducing program costs and improving subscribers, volunteer participants, participants quality of programming? paid by sponsors, government grants, private grants, Mr. Jarmain. The first statement that you made Is even to bingo games and possible advertising. Mr. that two companies in Calgary have a joint facility. Jarmain pointed out that maybe the biggest prob- I would plead ignorance but is it possible that you lem facing cable stations is not lack of money but are wrong? quality of programming. He suggested that the Q. I think that the statement should have been that boards of education and indeed universities, should some of the cable companies in Calgary have sur- be playing a much wider role in the use of cable charges for helping local programming production. television. Mr. Jarmain may like to summarize a Mr. Jarmain: That statement was made in our little more elaborately before he opens this session session. In applying for a license in Calgary at least for questions. one of the companies and probably both, stayed at Mr. Jarmain.I really do despair at trying to sum- the same rate and then instituted a surcharge on marize our session and I am going to risk asking for top of that for local programming. To ascertain questions right at this point, ifI may. their motivations, we would really have to ask Q. There was some discussion at the session on the them. Flexibility in doing that type of thing is
33 as obviously greater when applying for a new license student programming. There is programming than when dealing with an established situation produced by students that are operating within an with an established rate. Calgary's and also established training curriculum. In a community Edmonton's situation is somewhat unique in college for example, students are indeed required or that their systems now are only allowed to carry expected to make programs. That's one type of one U.S. commercial station.I suspect that they programming. The other quite different source of have been looking to cable and local programming student programming is where a group may organize as an important feature in making their overall themselves into a unit quite independent of the package saleable.In parts of the country which college or university and undertake to create pro- we are sitting in right now, the competition from grams on whatever subject they think programs U.S. broadcast and Canadian broadcasting stations should be made on.I think that the attitude of the for that matter, is somewhat more severe, which cable companies toward the latter group of in effect means that cable programming has got an students is the same as it would be toward any uphill fight to gain viewer interest. As to the idea other group existing within the community. Mainly of sharing facilities, there are examples of that here. that it welcomes such programming and it encour- The cable companies in the Hamilton area are ages the groups to come forward with this.I think operating together on a joint basis. My personal that problems have arisen from time to time in view is that's what makes them a success. To state certain cases in terms of both the technical quality the other point of the argument, the CRTC has had and also the calibre of the programming. (Some the feeling that at least in communities of sufficient people here may be able to speak to these latter size (whatever that means), there is something to be problems). The question about what relationship gained from getting local competition going among colleges and universities ought to have in the long the two companies or ten, as the case may be. You run to the cable companies, is quite a separate can't deny that effect either and it is a case of question.I can't speak to that.I think the relation- balancing that advantage with the dis-economies ship is going to ultimately flow out of various involved in having individual companies program- federal-provincial discussions. ming to individual segments of the market.If you Q.I am under the distinct impression that some can make the case that there are different com- cable companies are capitalizing on student help. munities within each community, this provides Students start out by doing their own programming. another justification for dividing it up. Both of A few months later they are being used by the these questions are open to debate. cable companies on specific assignments for them. Q. Are cable systems allowed to hook up together Mr. Jarmain: Capitalizing is sort of a loaded word to do a program? in that it suggests some extraordinary gain in all of Frank Spil ler, CRTC: In our cable policy we this for the cable company.I don't think, generally recognize the fact that in larger areas there may be speaking, this is accurate.I think that the job of greater reasons for making joint programs to achieve the cable company is to persuade whoever it can some kind of overall coverage in the area, but I to contribute to the programming made available think that the underlying concern is that we want to the community, on a volunteer basis.If the to preserve very local, vocal programming for cable company can persuade you that it would be areas or neighbourhoods.!t is a question of trying a good idea for you to come into-the studio and to balance the needs of the area. help make programs that would be of interest to Q.I wonde; if there is a concensus among our your friends, neighbours and the whole community cable companies about the use of community then I say, more power to them.I don't think programming provided by student units in colleges anyone should feel exploited for becoming and universities. The students appreciate it because involved. The cablecasting channel, in my view, is it gives them an outlet for their protests. But what to be a community resource. Its success depends is the significance, from the point of view of the upon persuading and enthusing individuals, groups cable companies? What do they view this type of and organizations, within the community to make student assignment is worth? Should time be use of the facility, and to work together in making provided free of charge? Will student participation it a viable and useful unit in the community. increase? Should they pay for the privilege? Q. The only logical and cheap way for some Mr. Jarmain:I think there c. wo basic types of systems to expand programming is to make use of
34 student help. Do you think this will increase or the things that we have found is that probably 80% decrease? Will the students get paid for it by the of our equipment is used by certain age groups hour or on a flat rate? teens to late twenties an age group that seems Mr. Jarmain.I see nothing wrong with this. There very excited about the whole concept. We found tends to be a honeymoon in that kind of thing. this spring that we were servicing the University of You may be willing to come in for a week or a Waterloo students who wanted to do videotape month or two and help me out, free of charge, programs for their seminars of perhaps produce a but that kind of relationship has the tendency to videotape for their term paper. They were unable wear off kind of quickly. You have to have some to use the equipment in their own university so motivation yourself for making a program and then they came to us. We're mainly concerned with it takes it over into the community involvement things that are of interest to the community and area, as opposed to just you being a good fellow in no cases were the students able to justify a and coming in and getting experience on a no-pay program unless it would have an interest and real basis. concern to the community as a whole. We were Q.In response to that question about who else is able to let the students use our equipment. in the community, I have had the pleasure of talking Mr. Jarmain:I don't have any first hand knowledge to somebody from Wired World.I think that if the of the particular problems or situations to which gentlemen would permit a two-minute explanation you refer but my personal reaction would be that of how they solved their help problem, it would be maybe we need more organizations like Wired World. of benefit to the whole group. Q.Mr. Jarmain, have you any idea how many Wired World: We started out finding that there was people watch your programs? not enough equipment available in our community Mr. Jarmain.I don't think it is necessarily the case for use by public groups. Universities, technical of how many people watch but how many people schools, and the school boards were not about to are using the cable station for community program- lend equipment to community groups and as a ming. result, we had to purchase a couple of portapacks. Mr. Waterston:I would like to call on Dr. Mark We are not program producers, we are merely Waldron who was chairman of the session on Cable facilitators. We offer workshops in the community. TV and Credit Courses and the resource person is We receive no encouragement from either cable Dr. Ronald Campbell of the Ontario Educational companies or universities or technical colleges in Communications Authority. our area. Only from the people.I am interested Dr. Waldron:I'll very briefly summarize our that there is still very little discussion about session. Dr. Campbell started off by casting us all community involvement. We did cooperate to a into a dilemma because he asked the question "why degree with our cable company in that they had in the world would you want to put a degree course good studio facilities and if people are interested on cable television?" and we dutifully told him in doing a certain kind of a snow, we encourage such things as "tnat it would be available to a wide them to go to the cable company. However, we've number of people who cannot come to university", now had experience that they are boxed in to such "the cost for students" and all these fancy answers a tight schedule that they are unable or unwilling that one traditionally gives. He then said that in to allow community groups to come in and inter- fact it was the wrong question to ask. He proceeded rupt their schedule.If their program happens to to tell us that the real important thing to under- fit into one of the categories they are prepared to stand is that cable television is just one of many run it. But if you had to take your taped program media available and we must consider all kinds of to the studio and say '1 am a citizen and I have media. We have to use all of them and that face to made this tape for the public concern, will you face communication is still very important despite show it for me", the answer is usually "I'm sorry all the technology that we have today. He said "we there is no room on our schedule" or "I'm sorry worship television and now we have to learn how we are going to do the same thing ourselves in to use it". He referred specifically to the Com- another week" or something similar. Wired World munications Arts 100 Course that was produced provides radio and television equipment with no this past year, thirty half-hour colour television fuss or bother and that's why Wired World has met tapes, texts, audio tapes, assignments, discussions, with success in community involvement. One of to form a total package. He said that he had found
;..8 35 three or four constraints that he wanted to point audience. Ifelt the course itself should be out. One was the problem of the subject matter inherently interesting enough that a general itself, the target audience having to decide the real audience would follow it.I think that we found wants and needs of this audience and trying to the same thing as Margaret Norquay did with the understand it, looking at how adults learn and Ryerson Open College, that far more people were looking at the teacher resource and what the teacher following it as a general adult course than for the can do, the confidence he must have, the question degree.I arbitrarily said that I would attribute of academic freedom, the question of control and half the cost of the course to the general adult use discipline in the student. He talked about the of it and broadcast it twice a week for that purpose, relationship between the institution, the learner, and half the cost would be attributed to the student and cable companies. He raised the question of in the classroom and the mature student effort. copyright, who in fact owns the course. He Who knows whether I am right or not. We budgeted talked about the cost which is rather an innportam approximately $7,500 for each half-hour program. one, as all being constraints to the use of cable Waterloo had costs, we had other costs for public television for credit education. The discussion relations and for other things within our own asked several questions. pick out a few. One organization, and I quoted a iigure in the small question usually asked is who is responsible for groups.I am not entirely certain of the final cost course content. He replied that one must follow because our accountant is still figuring. What is the Broadcast Act.If a professor breaks the Broad- more important than cost is whether this course cast Act then, according to him, it will not go on was an effective learning experience. If someone the air. The question was raised "what about would ask that then I would embrace you. What plagiarism?", the borrowing of material which was the learning effectiveness in that course? That goes on all the time in the classroom but when it is the important thing to know. is being telecast to thousands of people, raises a Q. Would you like to answer that question now? major issue.I don't think that we really came to Dr. Campbell: There is a study being done which any firm conclusion on that question. In any case, isn't finished. We'll see. Student acceptance was cable companies are responsible for what goes on quite good. Tne off-campus mature students the air. He quoted us the cost for the Arts 100 received it much more enthusiastically, were more course, indicating the numbers of students, the motivated and I think appreciated it more than the fact that over a five-year period it would be on-campus student. possible to do this sort of course at about half the Q. It would 5..^r41 to me the economics would cost of a regular student on campus in a credit come dramatically fifferent if you were looking at course. In conclusion, it was felt by the group, a much wider market than you were looking at. To especially by one person who was representing a bring that more to home, I think that every self- cable company operation, that the real benefits of respecting university is saying that we could a credit course are not necessarily in getting credit produce educational TV programs but the facts towards a degree but in the benefits of the program may be that the scale of operations has to be so towards the total community. This is mainly large to make it pay, that maybe it should only be because there is less emphasis today on the fact done at a provincial or national level. that one has to total up credits to get the degree, Dr. Campbell: Well, there are two things here and which was almighty five years ago but today has I agree with you that when I was asked tocome lost a lot of its charm.I might ask Dr. Campbell arld speak about cable and degree courses, I said to to come forward to answer questions. myself, why would you use it on a cable system? Dr. Campbell. You'll never get the true answer to If you are really going to use television as it should the total cost of Arts 100, not that I won't tell you be used, why use it on cable television.I tried to what the costs are or what we think are there. But point out that cable was still one other medium let me pose to you some questions first. When I and that you could use cable in the way it could had in mind to present the Arts 100 course, I had in best be used by giving the course over the open mind that it would be used for two purposes; a broadcast. People could be brought together on degree course for students on campus, for mature an open line and a discussion group on the cable students off campus or towards a degree or credit line, or it enough cable companies wanted to and that it would also be used for a general bicycle the tape around, you could use it thisway. So, it's again the local community that the cable Community Programming Costs and Sources company is after but again, to make it financially of Support feasible and to use videotape and television and Mr. Ted Jarmain the visual as it ought to be used, it is a mass market.
I came to this conference with this problem. I resolved it in my own mind by a number of cable Thank you very much. I'm sort of pleased in a way companies using my tapes or tapes of this calibre that we have a small group here rather than a large or using cable as a follow up to the main presenta- one. tion. The title of this session is Commodity Program- ming Costs and Sources of Support. I'd like to begin by asking each of you to introduce yourself, lay in a few words why you're at this particular session, and indicate some of the questions you have on your mind and hope to find answers to. I have a few introductory remarks to make but, with a group of this size, I think if we gear the session to your needs and interests and questions it will be more successful foi you. i think it should be obvious to all of you that there is quite a variety of interests represented here and I'll try and be very brief because I think we can best spend our time addressing some of the specific questions on your minds.I think it shoula also be obvious, if you were present this morning, there are a lot of views about what local program- ming is or what it should be.I think in talking about possible sources of support, it might be worthwhile to take note of what the CRTC has
said local programming, in its view, should be. I would like to just briefly read a couple of state- ments by the CRTC.I think most of you appreciate what the CRTC has said or not said has quite a bearing on what cable operators do and don't do. Whether that's right or wrong, it is a fact of life. Local programming was really pushed into existence, in a way I suppose you could say, back in May '69 by the CRTC when the Commission said on the subject of local programming: "CATV can assist in the development of a community identity through locally produced programs. Tni:\ can also assist provincial and local authci.ities in the development of educational services. They can participate in the enrichment of the community's cultural life through the distribution of Canadian produced films, educational information and other films of particular interest produced for public showing but not normally available in that area. CATV local programming should complement rather than compete with programming already available to the community through television and commercial movie houses."
37 40 Then, after having had a couple more years to audiences or they may be of general interest.In think further about this subject and formulate referring to this category, informationalprogram- further policies regarding cable television, the ming, the Commission says "much of this material CRTC in its July 1971 policy announcement will probably be produced directly by professional again repeated some of the same basic positions motion picture or television producers yet it should the Commission has consistently emphasized the not duplicate the programming available from opportunity availabie to cable television system conventional broadcasting outlets." licensees "to enrich community life by fostering I think it's probably fair to say that most cable communication among individuals and community systems that are involved in cablecasting have some groups." mix of those three components of programming It has also encouraged cable television systems and when we're talking about costs andsources of to provide programs which are substantially support, generally speaking we're talking abouta different from those available from off-air sources. mix among those three categories. Most television subscribers seek a wider range and What are the costs? To the best ofmy know- a greater diversity of programming. Local ledge no comprehensive survey has beenmade programming can form an important means of to-date of local programming costs in Canada. widening the choice of programs which in turn Therefore, allI can give you are impressions which attracts more subscribers and increases revenue. will of course be influenced bymy own experience. Local programming often achieves its greatest I could perhaps refer to a study completedby the effectiveness when production techniques and Rand Corporation for the Ford Foundationa facilities are kept simple and inexpensive. The couple of years ago. Based ona survey of several capability to provide a local channel for commun- Canadian systems, the study reported and letme ity expression depends upon the continued growth just briefly summarize some of the findingsof that of cable television as an active integrated part of study. Generally speaking Canadiansystems do the whole broadcasting system. The Commission not pay talent fees. Labor costs range from $15.00 recognizes the responsibility of cable television to more than $100.00 per hour of programming system licensee for the services provided through and averaged in the range of $25.00to $50.00 per a locally programmed channel and believes that a hour. Taking into account indirectcosts, deprecia- diversity of local programming best reflects tion and so on, the average totalcost per hour was community needs and interests. in the range of $50.00'to $100.00 and inthe study Then the Commission attempted to define three they noted that this was a very sn-illamount basic types of local programming, one they called compared to a minimum average cost reportedby, community programming and here they were I believe, the Carnegie Foundation ofabout $3000 referring basically to community access program- per hour for local origination on educational ming, the key words being "this is a process which stations in the U.S. involves direct citizen participation in program Among the group of systems surveyed in Canada, planning and production." Secondly, they refer these were all large systems, the annual direct to a second type, local origination they call it. expenditure was in the range, at that timeand This type of programming usually consists of that's a couple of years agonow, of $40,000 to coverage of local activities of all kinds whereas $60,000 per year or perhaps twice thoseamounts community programming, that's the prior category if indirect costs and depreciationwere to be I mentioned, involves local citizens in the planning included. Based on my own impressionsand on and production process. Local origination program- systems I know something about, I wouldsay that ming usually involves the coverage of organized the Rand numbers are, in today's circumstances,in local activities under the direct supervision of the the right oallpark although I would alsosay that cable television system's staff. The third category the total average cost of actual local productions they define, informational programming, this form is probably in the range of $75.00to $150.00 per of programming can provide a counterpoint to the hour. The Rand numbers, however,may have concept of community programming, it can inform included hours during which filmswere being the community about m,. ters which are of concern played or video-tapes of previouslocal productions and interest to its citizens. Programs may be of a were being replayed, both of which involve highly specialized nature, appealing to minority substantially lower costs, asyou appreciate.
38- Well, that perhaps puts some dimensions on operate with production staffs that are, in part, the sorts of costs that are being incurred in the volunteer students, for example, desiring exposure area of local program production today. What to the tools of the trade.I should mention though are the common sources of support?I guess the that volunteer participation on the production side first and most obvious source of support and the can tend to wear off over a period of time. The one being used in most instances, is cable company most important type of volunteer participation is earnings. Secondly, I would refer to cable sub- in the area of program subjects and program plan- scriber revenues. Now you could ask what's the ning people taking it upon themselves to become difference?I think perhaps the difference is, in involved in the actual making of a program. The my view at least, mainly historical. Most cable time they commit to the enterprise has.to be viewed systems that are programming today have not as a very important source of support for the whole increased their subscriber fees as a result of the programming effort. introduction of local programming so, therefore, Another source of support, of course, is the the funds being expended on local programming amount participants are paid by the organizations are funds that would otherwise, presumably, have they represent. Many of the people that appear been profits of the cable company, earnings of the on our cablecast programs are there because what cable company. There have, however, been few they are doing on the L: lecast channel is somehow examples of late where a cable company has applied consistent with the objc aims of the organizations for a license with a specific surcharge being added which they represent. Therefore, they come and to the monthly rate to support the cost of local do their thing to further the object of their particu- programming.I think of the Calgary license as a lar organization. For example, the Department of case in point. Labor has just recently put on some programs on I think we have to think beyond the present human rights. The people involved in that program, situation and recognize the possibility that, at some the performers, were paid by the Department of point in the future when the technology of our Labor and they were furthering the government's systems permits, it may be possible and desirable objects in this area.I think that's a source of to make a direct charge to subscribers for local support we probably haven't developed to its programming that they watch, directly in relation fullest but it's one we should certainly keep in to the particular programs that they watch. You've mind. all heard examples given of the possibility of Government grants are another source of support. offering, say medical programs to the medical We heard an example this morning of a program profession where you would have a special channel being produced under an LIP grant and there have that would be just available to the medical profes- been other examples. Large industrial concerns sion and you would charge the doctor some special have been known to be interested in underwriting fee for access to that channel. By no means does the cost of certain program series, some of them that concept need to be limited to medical pro- for obvious reasons. We can all appreciate that the gramming. As we look out into the future five or Aluminum Company might be interested in staging ten years, there might be a program series on a series of programs on aluminum but it's also gardening that people who are interested in possible that a large organization, simply as a good- gardening would be happy to pay for. Looking will gesture in the community in which it's located down the road, this represents, in my view, a very would underwrite the cost of, say, bringing a important potential source of support That symphony orchestra to the public with the technology is not with us here today. That is, community. cable systems don't have the ability to record Q. What is the extent, under the CRTC regulations, what each of us is watching and somehow charge of the acknowledgement? In other words, how us for it but, looking down the road, that kind of much acknowledgement is permitted? subscriber support opens up pretty exciting new A. That borderline hasn't been defined, to the vistas in terms of being able to cater to specific best of my knowledge. AllI can say is that I would aud;ence needs with television programming. be surprised if an organization brought the sym- Another important source of support is volunteer phony orchestra to the people of Guelph and participation. Volunteer participation can take one receive 4 no more than a credit line for it and then of a number of forms. Many cable companies the CRTC took it upon itself to make a case out
4239 of that. The specific words that the CRTC has then resources can, in the majority ofcases, be used in its policy statements are "cable companies found. This, in my view, is the real challenge. shall not, for the time being at least, sell advertising" Cable systems have, I think, hadsome success in and you're just as good an interpreter as Iam at this getting a broad base of community participation state of what those words really mean. but there are certain areas wherewe need to keep I guess another source of support which I trying for increased participation.I don't think shouldn't fail to mention is bingo. Thereare a and I'm sure this will strike a few chords inthe number of programs on cable companies here and room, as one example, I don't think the universities there supporting worthwhile causes, or I hope with their tremendous intellectual and cultural worthwhile causes, where a game of chance, bingo, resources have, generally speaking, done enough. to is really the source of support. I'm notsure I communicate with the communities in which they personally want to develop that as the ultimate in exist.I also think that boards of education havenot financing of programming but that's one possibility. done as much as they should or could to involve Finally, and by no means least, there is adver- parents in their children's education. Itseems to tising. As I just mentioned a moment ado, cable me this is another kind of opportunity. I'd say in companies are, for the most part, prevented from both of those cases, whether it be a universityor a selling advertising as a source of support for pro- board of education, if that institution really hada gramming. However, two or three cable companies will, desire, strongly felt need, to achieve thiskind in Canada have been given special permission to of communication, the kinds of dollars we're proceed with the selling of advertisingas a means talking about really wouldn't stand in theway. of supporting local programming.I think in every I'd also hope, moving over to some otherareas, case they had been selling advertising and suppor- that we might engage some of the variousamateur ting local programming that way well before the performing groups within our communitiesmore CRTC came into existence. in theuse of cablecasting as their particular medium Another possibility, along advertising lines, is of production. while the cable company is prevented from selling Of course there are the inarticulate, the disad- advertising, the local TV brc. tdcaster is not pre- vantaged, and the unorganized people inour com- vented from selling advertising and I can imagine, munities. They probably need the communication although I don't know that it has loc.?n doneto- much more than any of the othergroups that I've date, some group might work an arrangement with mentioned and I think that's really where the a local TV broadcaster whereby he would sell the biggest challenge lies to somehow involve those advertising and the division of revenues would be groups of people in the use of the facility and I'm such that both the programming group in the not sure we've really had significantsuccess to-date community and the TV broadcaster would be in doing that. mutually satisfied. Those are a few views on cablecasting andcom- Where should support come from for local munity programming and costs andsources of programming?I think really all of the foregoing support.I think many of the questions thatyou sources that I mentioned are appropriate but the raised when we went around theroom at the important thing to remember, in my view, is that beginning are very interestingones and very cablecasting is not, and this is a matter of opinion, appropriate ones and I encourageyou to, at this is not a professional performing medium.I under- stage, put your questions up for discussion. I'm line the word performing. Rather, I think it is a sure we'll have a lively discussion indeed. facility that individuals, groups, organizations can use with appropriate encouragement and technical assistance a facility that individuals, groups, organizations with the needs and motivation to do so can use to communicate information, ideas, talents, to the people in their communities. I don't think that money or the lack of it is the biggest problem in cablecasting.If we can some- how stimulate the individuals, groups, organizations that should be using cablecasting to want to do so, The Political Dimension have to use to send signals into these areas. You may have to take a different institutional structure Mr. Waterston:I would now call on Professor if you want to put cable television into very remote, Duane Tulloch, Chairman of the Political Dimen- widely scattered use. sion Session who will summarize and answer Q. The basic point concerning rural communities questions. is that cable may not be, in certain cases, the most Prof. Tulloch: Basically, we didn't resolve any- efficient system of distribution. The technology thing, we just formulated some questions. The and economics of cable television today are such basic question we formulated was who shall guard that it is not realistic to cover rural areas, if you the guardians? We then spent some time in an mean sparsely settled farms and that kind of thing. absolute futile search for absolute fairness and If you are talking about small compact communities, absolute equity. That took up a good proportion that is a different problem. So if your assertions of our time but we did decide, or Richard Gwyn are that it may be necessary to have a combination postulated, that there were two basic problems, of distribution techniques, for example, UHF cable, a political problem, who shall grant the licenses then I would have to agree with you. Another one "to print money" and also, how shall their licenses coming along of course, is cassette and may be the be regulated. Secondly, there was felt a problem answer for the location even out of the range of at the local level of how to allocate the limited broadcast transmission. time with competing usages and competing Prof. Tulloch: You are stealing my line from me, philosophies. This, Richard felt, was not a problem that's what I said during the session that I felt in the long run, as in the long run, technological that the future of the cable companies was as advance would increase the supply of channels, utilities. The logic of economics points towards hence allocation problems would disappear. With the continual reduction of CTV companies. that summary, brief as it was, we'll open it up for Economic logic would indicate perhaps a dozen questions that Richard would answer or hopefully and perhaps the ultimate monopoly. It's not debate. Any questions? necessary to have one cable company as we only Q. Has the problem of allocation of time really have one telephbne company but the logic would been a big one for cable companies so far? point towards the economies of scale. This of Prof. Tulloch: No, at the moment it is not a real course, raises the question: "if the cable com- problem but eventually it may become a very panies are given monopoly, should they not then substantive political problem for cable operators. be regulated as a utility?" It is putting a very heavy burden on them if they Q.I just wanted to clarify you referred to the are required to choose between a variety of com- Commission and the educational policy.I would munity groups within the same community. How- just like to elaborate that tne situation at the ever, at the moment, it isn't a problem because moment is that the CRTC is required to respond community programming on cable television has to a request that originates with the provincial been slower to develop than all the experts fore- government for the provision of an educational cast.In New York, where they have public access channel on a cable television system. But with on channels, the only requirement is first come, first air broadcasting, CBC holds the license in the served and to strike a reasonable balance between province and the Department of Education pro- the first comes, seeing that he doesn't hog prime vides the programs. time every day. Prof. Tulloch: Thank you.I do see it but if there Q.I would like to comment on the comment that were no restrictions, there would probably be far cable only goes where it is economically possible. fewer CTV companies than there are now. A I can't accept that they only go into 30% of the utility doesn't have to be publicly owned to be a province, that's a, pretty. rash_statement. utility; it could be privately owned and it coesn't Prof. Tulloch: No,N the cable companies are in some have to be owned by the telephone.company. very small communities, but of course, they started Q. I'd like to go back to the political arena for a out in some very small communities that couldn't second.If given the fact that cable companies are get a signal at all, but there is a limit, you can't primarily based in a small community area and are expect cable companies to go into uneconomic regulated by an exclusively national body, what areas; there are other techniques that you may do you think are the advantages or disadvantages
41 44 of adopting a somewhat similar system in Canada Q. Do you mean that community groups in to what is evolving in the States, whereby the Saskatchewan townships requesting financial assis- municipalities, the local municipalities share the tance to go to Ottawa, would get it after the selection process? hearing is over? Prof. Tulloch:I have not had experience in the Mr. Spil ler:I didn't say that, no. United States. There has been a lot of pork barrel Q. Well, hovti do they get it? politics and kick backs. There has not been a very Mr. Spil ler: Well there is a new rule that allows happy experience in the United States. There has people in your community where licenses are being been a lot of selling of franchises by municipalities issued to have access to the applications of the in the United States and so, on that score, is voters. Now the question of money to get people questionable. The other thing is this, if you're from place to place, I think that that is clearly out getting into content regulation and if the program of our jurisdiction. We provide the facility and the develops as one hopes it will, then the potential is procedure but I don't think that it is up to us to there. Regulation at the municipal level is very provide transportation and expenses. dangerous because you are putting in municipal Q. Well I get a bit tired hearing about community officials a fantastic amount of power. groups and community access and people being Q. You are saying that these officials are more able to go in off the streets to use a cable facility. technical and more stupid than the Commissioner Who is the person who actually decides at this of the CRTC. Any comment? point which group is to have the facility?I have Prof. Tulloch. No, I didn't say that.I was just met some very nice cable operators who seem like telling you what happened in the States. eminent, sensible gentlemen but I don't think Q. What do you think of the process where the anyone would like to be in the position to have to licensing agency will control applications for decide which group in a hot political situation had Regina or Victoria or God Knows Where with access. Now who says No! Stop! Enough! Who regulations that would not be public ownership goes out to find somebody to represent the but private or co-operative. But the license would opposite point of view? Who prevents this whole be granted to fit the ideology of the Ottawa thing from becoming a political smear? Am I sector. Now you know we are having a hearing asking the right person the question? for our town and our community groups will not A. Well the cable operator has to because he is entertain the possibility of getting up there at all. generally responsible for anything that goes on at Will you comment on that please? his station. But this is quite unfair in this particular Prof. Tulloch.I'll have to duck that one because context; it is putting an impossible burden on the I am not a member of the CRTC. cable operators. As citizen groups become more Q. Would Mr, Spiller like to comment on this? professional, the politicians are going to get more Mr. Spil ler: There have been several things that and more worried about them because people have been raised in the last few minutes that might are going to watch. If the programs are badly be raised in our Winnipeg conference so I don't made with a lot of idealism but not professional feel prepared to comment. First of all the question quality, the politicians are only moderately con- of public utilization and the question of municipal cerned because no one is going to watch, but when involvement. As far as the commission is concerned, they get good, the political issue is going to be- at the present time under the Broadcasting Act, come a very acute one. we have a particular mandate and we have to work Q. And when the community group is attacked within that mandate and Ifeel that whatever by the politicians unfairly, who will arbitrate? happens beyond that is a very good question and A. Because community groups can also defend I don't think that we are in a position to comment themselves by gaining support from other municipal now. The other question, the matter of the groups, they also have a new leadership, verbally business of community involvement and devising and visually articulate. The one area that is of a procedure for public hearing, clearly you provide concern is Toronto. In most of the country it is for community groups to express their point of not a major problem because broadcasting is still view at a public hearing on matters that concern based on the cable company. Do you want to them and of course, they can intervene as can make a comment sir? anyone else, in the hearing, be it for new license or Q. Yes, I think that you have covered it reasonably renewing license. well and of course, the first answer is yes, that it
42 45 is the cable companies that are still making those Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable judgements. Secondly, I would have to say how- Transmission ever, that generally speaking, the problem as described, is not with us at the moment but it Mr. Waterston:I would now like to call on could be at some time in the future. Professor Glen Warlow who is going to report on Q. Like next week? the Ownership, Rights and Control of Cable Trans- A. No, I don't think it will be, but generally mission session. Unfortunately Mr. David Williams speaking, these difficult adjustments have not who was the resource person could not be with us arisen and if they arise, I suspect that they will for this part of the program. arise gradually and I would hope that the cable Prof. Warlow: Our original speaker was to be a companies would grow along with the problem. lawyer and when he couldn't be here, we substi- There seems to be a notion here that we have a tuted Mr. Williams. Now we have substituted for powerful manipulating tool at our disposal which Mr. Williams, Executive Vice-President, Canadian I think is false because audiences won't watch or Cable Systems, who regretted that he could not listen to someone coming in off the street and stay because of a previous commitment. shooting off his mouth unless it concerns them. We are going to concern ourselves with the I'd like to qualify this question about the comments that he made but since it involves a political power of cable because it will depend good bit of expertise, I'll just quote excerpts from very, very much on the community. Obviously some of his comments. in Toronto where you get this clutter of compe- First on the ownership of cable. "The right of tition, the cable channel has a hard time getting an ownership to the cable TV operation is dependent audience. However in a small, remote community on two things. Number one meeting the regula- and particularly in a community with very weak tions relative to Canadian ownership, which follows other media, radio, television and newspaper, the an Order In Council. And second a lot of the local programming and the cable television can broadcast interests that you hold to the extent that become important politically. they are not in conflict with the proposed cable TV venture." Now we'll loop at Canadian ownership. In order to avoid proof of Canadian citizenship, which is usually easier for new Canadians than for the rest of us, the regulation allows to be deemed as Canadian all individuals whose address is in Canada and who hold 1% or less of the total num- ber of issued shares of a corporation. The second aspect of ownership of cable television depends on being able to comply to certain policies of the CRTC a ;; to being able to own a CATV system. This is a gray area but it is generally recognized that the owner of a TV station cannot own a CATV system in the same community or vice versa, or may not be able to own a CATV in one community and TV in another. Similarly, newspapers holding TV licenses are rare but some do exist. There seems to be not so much restriction on radio and CATV but radio and TV are generally thought not to be available to the same owner in one community. There are exceptions to each rule London, Ontario, for instance, where the radio station, TV station and newspaper, have one owner. The most desirable qualities to have to obtain a license for CATV are, to an individual, to be rich and artistically talented. U- fortunately, these qualities are seldom found together. The control of cable television may be interpreted in another sense and this deserves to be commented on. The view of the
4 46 CRTC is that a CATV operator should not only carrier be separated to increase the discussion of provide good clear signals on a regular TV channel sensitive issues in the community?" It's felt that but he should also program a local community there may be some inhibition in the discussion of channel; and that finally he should make his sensitive issues with respect to editorial judgement, facilities avaiiable to local community groups in what programs come on, etc. Now, I don't have order that they may speak to the community. This the expertise that either of these men who talked latter area may be examined from two sides. From today in the session but there weresome in the a legal point of view, what are the legal rights of audience, I know, who did havesome expertise. individuals or groups in the community to have If there are any questions, I would be pleasedto access to the community cable channel ( the point try to answer them or direct them to those who that was just touched on) and how is this occurring? are present. On the practical side, many cable TV companies Q. Can I ask what happens when a cable company regularly invite a wide range of community groups is not offering any kind of service. What is the to use the cable to address the community. They recourse specifically? instruct them in the way to make use of the facility Prof. Warlow:I don't know. Does any one know? and on the general need of preparation of the A licensed cable TV company that is not offering of the material before they come to the studio. any services to the local citizen. Regrettably, many such groups find it just too Q. None whatever? much trouble and are not interested in carrying A. None whatever. out their plans. A few groups do become quite Q. You are referring to a local channel? proficient and do make regular use of thecom- A. Yes, it is offering programming, of course, but munity facilities to address the community on it is not offering any local programming at all. matters on which they are concerned. A. Well the cable policy, as it exists at the moment, A comparison may be made on cable TV and still leaves plenty of room for local interpretation. other media. To telephone a radio talk show is There are, of course, now something like 350 cable comparatively easy, to write a letter to the news- systems operating in and around the country.It is paper is a little more trouble, but to prepare a very clearly spelled out in cable policy that priority program to be seen on cable TV requires both is given to Canadian signals, both local and distant. effort and ideas of general interest to those being And then there are two other priorities which are addressed.I think it is safe to say that most cable Canadian priorities, if you like: the locall pro- TV stations seek programs of interest to their grammed channel and provision of educational community and are interested that only the laws services. When these conditions are fulfilled, the of libel and slander are not broken and that the facilities have what is called optional signals which orogram be in good taste. of course, could include an American signal. The cable operators would also be concerned Q. Then if I understand you, educational and that the laws of copyright be respected. No matter community are given 4 and 3, or something like how well he is insured or what protection he seeks that? from the producers of the community program, A. Yes, well the number would depend on the the operator is still in the position to be the reci- local station. pient of a law suit, and to be held accountable by Q. Would I be right in thinking that most of the the CRTC in the even`, that a program libels or systems that are not programming are pretty small slanders some one or infringes a copyright. The in size? legal aspects of the right of the individual or groups A. Yes, all of the large systems are programming. to demand access to use the cable are less clear. A Unfortunately, I cannot give you the precise num- few comments were made in the group following bers but all the systems are very small and in very these formal comments by our speaker. The CATV small communities. You can over-regulate. After should complement not compete with commercial all, it is easy to come out with some very hard television. The control of content is an extremely regulations and act as a policeman, but I don't sensitive issue but the station is ultimately respon- think that that is necessarily in the best interests sible (a comment that has been made earlier by of the developing system. more than one speaker). Finally, a question which has been asked: "should the programmer and the
44 41 Group Discussion Ownership, Rights and Mr. Williams: Well, in the cable companies of which Control of Cable Transmission I am familiar, we have, as you see, invited people to come in. We would not expect to teach them to Mr. Williams:I think the words of Mr. Grant or use the equipment, we're not an educational teach- what he has collected touch fairly well on the ing place, we are prepared to provide them with subject of access which is a much questioned aspect the studios and the facilities if they will then take of cable. Cable can be, I think, a much greater a modicum of instruction as to how to prepare to influence in a community such as Cornwall than it communicate with the community and go away will perhaps be in a large city such as Toronto. and prepare that and come back in, we will tape Toronto is fragmented into many different cable that in as capable a manner as we are able to. We companies and what is a community thing?Is is do in fact use quite often people from colleges for Thorncliffe Park?Is it the metropolitan Toronto camera operators but we do not want to have area? It's a very different thing as those who come different people coming in every hour of the day from Toronto well know. The ability of doing using our equipment. The equipment would something in Cornwall with respect to local com- deteriorate in no time but to that extent, I don't munity elections, this intrigues me no end. I think we want to have them physically running the believe that many suburbanites who live in Scar equipment. If they have capability, yes. No reason boroujh or Etobicoke as I do, go to the polls why not but we do want them to address themselves because people say "go and vote, vote as you like to making themselves interesting and to speaking but vote" but they get in that polling booth and out on the subject they have which is of conse- they look at a list of names and they haven't the quence to the community. They learn to do that slightest idea of what one man stands for or with some ability, to produce something which is whether he's on the council or not.I believe that generally speaking, sufficiently interesting, that's through a period of time cable in a community can what we're after. enlighten the people in the community, even if they Q. What about the technical aspect, the union happen to watch it only once a year but if they encouragement? Have you had any approaches or happen to watch it at election time and make up blessing from the union? their minds that what they've seen in that man Mr. Williams: The majority of the cable companies they don't want or what they see in that man, they are not unionized. want. Q. I'm just wondering about the approach of Q. In some of these communities, like Cornwall, NABET for example. If there is widespread com- I don't know how many franchises there are in that munity programming which does involve the use community, in that case, theoretically the subscri- of videotapes, telecine chains and studio equipment, bership covers the political constituency.In many has there been a view expressed by the unions? areas I don't think that cable systems are divided Mr. Williams:I have not had any discussion of this on constituency tines, are they? nature. You have to look back a little bit and it all Mr. Williams: No, but I think you will find that started out with the cable operator desiring to clean Mississauga will likely do similar to that which has up the signals, put them into your home with a been done in Hamilton where we are participant in clean signal. He then started stretching for the Cable 8. Cable 8 is a consortium of all the cable more distant signals which he found he could also companies in Hamilton who clubbed together, put clean up and that started the problem. He charged up the capital and pay the running costs on a pro somewhere between $4 - $5 per month to the rata basis of the Hamilton Community Cable customer and the customer was willing to pay by System and I think it does a very good job in the thousands or they wouldn't be on there today. Hamilton and Hamilton is a nice size community Now then, the CRTC came into the picture and that you can really do a job in. That's another said "we're going to license all you fellows and as way of doing it and I think that's what will happen part of your license, you just can't take that money in Mississauga. which you've been charging for a cleaned up signal Q. From what you said, the invitations to the pub- and keep it, you've got to provide some community lic are very broad and open. What about the costs service." of their participation, are these absorbed by the Q. All through the material you were reading, there cable company? was the feeling, the word 'should' that was used, not 'must', you suspect either that the CRTC has you look at the other forms of mass media, they no legal right to tell you to order you to get into have totally failed in presenting all points of view ,community programming. within a community. They present only the Mr. Williams: I'm afraid I believe they do have. owner's view of what life is. Cable systems, the Q. You believe they do have the right? way they're going now, will not do anything Q. What expectancies can a community have? I'm different. In order to get into cable, you have to in a community that's presently getting a new head be wealthy which means you are again part of the input and they claim they're putting in community current power structure and you're not going to television facilities. Now, what expectancies can rock the boat. this community have that those cable people will A.If you want to own it. put in adequate facilities or any kind of facility Q. No.I think you should be classed as a common which they expect? carrier and program responsibility should be taken Mr. Williams: Well I think, first of all, since these legally out of the cablecaster's hands. kind of facilities do cost a fairly large measure of A. Well as you see two cablecasters that I read money, I believe the Kitchener studio facility was from, MacLean-Hunter and Jar-main, felt this about 150,000 capital cost which is significant with wouldn't be a bad idea. relationship to the $4.50 per month or for $50 I Q.I enjoyed the Thunder Bay episode because I think it is they charge per year. spent considerable time up there in the local college Q. For ten years? and the citizens' group that was programming that Mr. Williams: I'm suggesting that I think that is a system was really doing an excellent job and they significant cost. were making a lot of waves but there was no intima- Q. 150,000? tion of libel or slander or anything. MacLean- Mr. Williams: Yes. I'm suggesting only the eco- Hunter moved in and again, by their control of the nomics of the ballgame.I believe that Kitchener system, made it so bureaucratic and so difficul, to is doing an excellent job of community cablecasting. access that the citizens' group just gave it up. Q.I would like to ask you one question about that. A. Well I don't speak for MacLean-Hunter but I I'm, I believe anyway, a reasonably intelligent am involved with the Grand River Company and I person and I notice you brought out that brochure can only tell you that I have MacLean-Hunter in put out by Grand River Cable TV.I know several my own home in Etobicoke and they do have people at Grand River Cable TV and I would have regularly a flash card requesting that if you have thought if you are going to elicit citizen participa- program ideas or a group, etc., etc. Now the extent tion in the system, you would have to develop a to which this is watched is the point that this other method of wider communication. How many gentleman has made.I don't really know how people got that communication? How many know other than spectaculars or interesting programming it's available? that is publicized .regularly, i don't know how you Mr. Williams: couldn't tell you that, to be truth- are going to tell people. ful with you. Would you like copies of it? Q. Some form of scheduling to go out with bills, Q. Isn't it essentially true that community stations or something like that? by and large are, &t least the audiences are, an A. The schedule is actually usually already on on accidental audience? Because of a lack of augmen- the community channel, on the clip cards and ting through other media forms? those who are ethnic depend on word of mouth A.I think this diffiOulty occurs whether or not when their program is on. the programs prove interesting enough for the Q.I think what this gentleman is saying and I feel viewer. the same way, that I do not watch the local channel Q. It's accidental that they even find out them- on Grand River Cable TV because it is doing nothing selves. worthwhile in the area of real public service, in my A. In some cases it is. opinion. Running a Portuguese program or a Ger- Q. Well then, it's not reaching the populace at all. man program or another ethnic program when Q. I'd like to say one other thing.I think right there are so many problems in a city like Kitchener- now we have an ideal opportunity to take a look at Waterloo, is not public service programming. It's a situation and make some decisions regarding the Mickey Mousing around so you can go back to the future development of cable TV. Historically, if CRTC and say "see what we've done? Renew our license."
46 49 A. I'm not sure the Portuguese people or the a community, we're going to turn in to listen" and German people would totally agree with you. I that fellow finally says "I want to be placed on have spoken with Dr. Baumgard who is Professor your payroll on that basis." Can you hire him? of German Literature at the university in this area, A.I think we could, yes. who feels that it's performing a very valuable Q. Do you know the name Tom Beckett? service in German in the community. Q. Well aren't five stations working together in Q. Another point is that we are subject to a whim, Hamilton? people wanting programs are subject to the whim A. Yes, but I can't be in all cities at all times. and manipulation of a corporate structure. To Q. They'll know who Tom Beckett is and Tom is further enhance that, those people who have ethnic charisma. programming, that way they can get more sub- A. These are things that do happen. As a matter scribers in that specific area and at the cost of of fact this is another thing that I think cable will manipulation the programming will go in that do.I think it will uncover amongst many people direction. who do not think of themselves as being creative A. Wired World is a group in Kitchener that I don't or talented.I will uncover t: measure of talent and believe have any ethnic attachment at all and they those people will ultimately gravitate to the CBC are regularly on for an hour each week. Some and the commercial stations. programs, I'm advised, are quite good and some are Q. I'm saying the same thing the CBC is,I don't not.I think it's the same with cable television. want to talk any more but that would mean that Q. They'll program groups out of existence, is eventually the cable people will want licenses and what I mean. If the group is an interest group and want to get them renewed and probably will end they can't get good programming time because it's up with a very sophisticated style in terms of what more expedient to get subscribers from a different I would call, repertory type personnel. area by giving the ethnic program the prime time. A. Cable TV must do a good job of complementary A. In Kitchener that's not too much of a problem programming but not compete with the TV stations because 88% of the homes are already connected. by competitive entertainment programs. Q. All these groups, wherever they're acting to get Q. Once the capital cost has been recovered we with any cable group are going to have this happen can look forward to that. to them. They're going to program what is expe- A. Complement, not compete with programming dient for profit. already available in the community through tele- Q. I've been waiting for five times deferring this vision, these are the words of the Commission. and I'll be lost ifI don't catch it but now you've Q. Yes but look what's happening in Mississauga. posed a question I want to get off my chest first Q. Yes but if they all join together like Hamilton... and then go back to the one I wanted when you A.I think you will find there the alternative to were going to finish yours. If a group of citizenri that, in my mind, and I know Charles Templeton who could in ways get capital base of $150,000 quite well and respect him very highly, I believe appeared before CRTC for a license and there's a that the six will very much more quickly wire competitor there with the same money and the Mississauga which should have been wired some same motherhood pitch about what they'll do, who time ago, and if they throw in together as they do you think will get the license? should on a community programming, Mississauga A. If there is a community group with the finan- will get exactly what they want and they'll get it cing and who was the other one? faster. In fact our company has two small segments A. One of the marketplace groups, MacLean- and they were the first segments that were ever Hunter, Jar main. wired in the Shipp developments in Mississauga and A. The community group will. we appeared at those hearings and volunteered to Q.I think this is right and that mood is getting give those up to the successful encumbent who richer.I know this. Now, the question I wanted surround us. That turned out to be Mac Lean- to put. Let's say that somebody comes along Hunter. in a situation like Hamilton and he goes on two Q. Was that Zimmerman? or three times and letters come in and people A. Zimmerman is in there, MacLean-Hunter is in phone in and say "as long as you have that guy on there, Rogers is in there, Conway's in there. your program dealing with common problems or Q. But Templeton isn't?
4-50- A. That's right. also paid for by the public and this is another area Q.I just wanted to kick around something that I where people can address themselves and they do haven't thought through myself but thinking of run a lot of programs such as Cross Country Check- the disenfranchised and how he gets access and who up, a talk show throughout Canada. he talks to if he does get access.I was thinking of Q. It's impossible for the CBC to focus on the kind the guy who can't afford cable, who is in the com- of problem that's being talked about in community munity and realizes that some reform is necessary. television. How useful a medium is the community channel to A. Community cablecasting will be more successful that guy if he gets on and speaks to 10,000 sub- in Cornwall than it will be in Toronto, it will be scribers? How effective is it? more successful in Kitchener than it will be in A. Depends on what he says. Toronto, mainly because of the size of the com- Q. Yes but given to whom he's saying, it.Is it munity. utopian for the disenfranchised to think that com- Q. I'd like to allude to what I think is an element, munity cable is going to give them the vehicle for that I've just accepted as an acceptable phenomena. reform or change that they think is necessary? This is a chap who is a real good technology type, A.I don't think it is going to be all things to all carries a portopack so that you almost forget he's people, I don't really know that you can make it got the portopack on because he talks to you in a strong competitive force in a community against such a way that you want to listen to what he's its commercial competition and if you do, I fear saying. Somebody, in terms of his submission for that perhaps you could put the commercial station federal aid in a project, blackballed him and I out of business in a smaller centre.I would not happen to know that there was some argument to wish to be in a position of seeing Kitchener lose its support this. So he made an appointment with this commercial television station. fellow and came in and he too, didn't realize the 'Q.I hate to disagree with you.I think it would portopack was on the fellow's shoulder. So he be the greatest thing in the world. went through a process of questions which made A. Well it's a CTV station and I think it does bring this fellow finally concede he was misled, that he in a very considerable amount of good entertain- was wrong and he was sorry and apologized and ment, but they do operate for profit. There are so forth. Then the fellow went out the door with other commercial television stations in Canada who it on tape. He showed this at the meeting at are not succeeding financially at all and there is a Memorial University in Newfoundland about a question as to whether they will continue to be month ago and brought the house down. Now, there. what I'm saying is, it was almost a taping of an Q. Given the kind of fragmentation that takes place exchange because the fellow wasn't aware that the as a result of U.S. programming on cable and the very obvious process of the tape going around... fragmentation that takes place within a community you see what I'm trying to get at. There may be as to off air and so on and say, for example, that something like the Gray Report sensation. Are 23% of the people are watching programmingon they going to screen stuff? cable, of that 23%, what percentage is looking at A. Well, different cable people do different things the three U.S. networks? It seems to me that the of course.I think the greatest difficulty is finding community audience to community cable isa very sufficient interesting material and getting that almost statistically unfindable number of people knowledge of when it's on to the people so they and if the disenfranchised or the communitygroup can watch it. is thinking that this is going to be some kind of Q. The one comment that bothers me that I've vehicle for expression for them, I wonder just how heard come up constantly is the big trouble cable valuable for them. A lot of attention is being given companies have getting good programs. What is to the value of the community channel and the role good and in whose opinion? The cable operators? that the cable company can play in this and yet This is why I would like to take the legal respon- we're talking to a very, very minute... How much sibility away from the cable operator. weight can you give to that? In terms of order of A. Well that's not in disagreement with some of magnitude you would say that community cable the operators. is really meaningless. A.I can answer that, if you don't mind. Do you A. By the same token, we have the CBC which is know the first project that Stanley Burke initiated
48 51 in Barrie two years ago? Canvassed the community better than they would but this is the place where and came up with a list of three basic issues the they should move in and make such a stink about pollution of the Bay, the location of a new arena, it.It was a student newspaper that blew the everybody wanted it but didn't want it near where whistle, by the way. they lived, the pollution too was a little touchy A. 111 say this, in London which is the system politically, and the third one which came out that we are involved in that had been programming number one when they had a reassessment, the longest, they have tried very, very hard and with a plight of the young people in that area and the considerable amount of disappointment to arouse kids who are coming right off the highway, going enough people to watch their community channel across Canada, settling if they can. That was taped and I think they've tried many, many things and as a debate in the city council chambers with the have been disappointed that they have not been mayor and certain members of council, public and able to get the percentage of viewers. They haven't private agencies and community colleges and so stopped trying.I think London has again a con- forth. They went down to the studio right after sortium, I believe that MacLean-Hunter owned the the taping, Channel 10, and the manager said "we other half of the city and they have clubbed together will have to edit this so that we can fit it into the for a single community channel which I think is time we've got" and everybody said "you take one good for a community that size or in Hamilton or minute off that showing and we'll tear down your in Mississauga. station." The manager said, with some apprehen- Q. The laws though, as far as slander is concerned, sion, I think, "all right" and it went for an hour it's still the cable company that is sued. Until such and fifty minutes the next night with the phone time as that is changed, I can't see any cable com- number of the station dubbed in or wherever the pany ... calls could be taken and it was so good it went on A. This is what the lawyer develops in this material another night.Is this what we're saying we want which I selected for discussion at this meeting. I the kind of stuff that is real in terms of the people felt this was probably the area of your interest. involved and that the stations do take a risk? Q.I agree one hundred per cent that the law, as it A. This was not a cable enterprise, this was some- reads now, places responsibility on the cable thing on the private television station. operator but what I:m saying is that if it is to serve Q. Why did the cable company have problems in as a truly community resource, that legal respon- time and schedule? . sibility must be removed from the cable operator. A.I don't think they had problems in time. They A. Then the suggestions that Jarmain and MacLean. were probably a little uptight. Hunter make, that they in fact think it might be Q. Was it on a community channel? useful to have separated the programmer and the A. A community channel. owner of the hardware, is that what you're sugges- Q.It was just the idea that it might be too long. ting? A. Content and length because there were some Q. To carry that assumption further, what financial very harsh statements made. relationship would you have with such a production Q.I'll give you an instance where this kind of organization? It cuts off a potential source of thing should have happened and what really revenue, you're never going to get into the local bothers me about this whole cable area. You're advertising business if you're not controlling the talking about Kitchener-Waterloo. Carl Pollock programming. owns, lock, stock and barrel, the only TV station, A. Each would say what they want as an amount per one of the two AM radio stations, the other one is month per subscriber then you might find an rock and roll and is not listened to by adults, one interesting discussion as to the willingness of the of the two FM stations, he is also a close person& subscriber to pay either or both.I don't know the friend of the publisher of the only daily newspaper answer to that. I'm sorry but that's an area that I in town. Now, it has been established that when think should be developed by those who are debate was taking place on the downtown redevel- interested. opment, that there was in fact collusion between Q.I would like to pick up your comment in rela- the media, city council and the developers to ke p tion to what is done in other business circles. Why the facts from the public. My contention would shouldn't one of the licensees take a chance on a be, cable wouldn't have discovered it any libel issue and see what a court of law will do with it?
495Z A. Well that's happening right now in Vancouver Citizen Involvement and Education in Cable TV with respect to commercial substitution. Q. Do all of your cable companies have Insurance Mr. Waterston: For the next session we have against libel and slander? Prof. Findlay who reported on Citizen Involve- A. We have a very general policy but with a sub- ment and Education in Cable TV and Mr. Phillip stantial $10,000 deductible. Lind of Rogers Cable as resource man. Prof. Findlay:I am simply going to report on the many ideas that we talked about as a strictly lay person or lay observer.First of all, at some stage, we defined access."Access" was defined as the circumstances in which any group which has views to express to the general public can have access to a community cable channel. The question of individual access presented some difficulty in discussion; reference was made to the individual with really nothing to say but who insists on saying it and to the view that groups should come before individuals in the allocation
of time.(I am not talking about concensus, I am just talking about ideas that we talked about in the group.) Two categories of groups were talked about by Mr. Lind:1) the neighbourhood groups, such as foreign language groups with cultural programs, and 2) political groups which take positions on some aspect of social change. Much time was spent discussing the technical problems of cable broadcasting as they relate to community groups, both the hardware aspects equipment, cable facilities and so on (how to provide facilities for the community group) and the software aspect the informational presen- tational aspects of programming (how to bring about the production of interest in programs that people will listen to). Mr. Lind talked about four general kinds of problems:1) problems concer- ning the provision of the helping aspects pro- viding the general facilities and equipment for community groups, 2) problems concerning how to make programs interesting, 3) problems con- cerning how to schedule or to bring to the attention of the people the scheduling of pro- grams, and 4) problems relating to difficulties experienced in sustaining the efforts of commun- ity groups. Concerning the hardware problems, it takes two to five hours to produce a fairly good half- hour program; it is expensive and we have to find ways-to increase the hardware or, rather, to overcome the hardware problem. Community groups do not know how to handle hardware; there is a general lack of technical knowledge by community groups.
50 53 There are trends towards community organiza- ment for community programming. There was tion that provide this kind of facility to serve and the question of how much assistance cable help community groups that are not really con- companies should offer to community groups. cerned with the hardware aspects. Community The possibility of extra cable charges was groups tend to be interested in the software suggested as well as the possibility of including aspects and seek assistance in getting out their a percentage of advertising time on local channels. particular information their educational aspect. Now it appears, as an observer, that we are in a This brings us into the software problems. period of establishing confidence and credibility How to make programs interesting and the in respect to the community cable channel as.a need for workshops were discu-sed. Who should community participation, educational media. We operate them? We had some new suggestions. have hardware problems; we have software prob- Apparently, in Richmond Hill, theatre groups lems; we have problems developing interest; are assisting local groups by helping with their developing useful programs; developing public program presentations. There is a need for awareness of these, and general public interest training in the use of movement. Mr. Foss and participation. Once community channels are sympathized this morning that we had to learn accepted as "the thing" and "where the action to read in class and now we have to learn how to is", there is a problem, or there is more likely to move in the TV medium, develop showmanship be the problem, of establishing the criteria and qualities; how to look presentable is as important standards for program selection and scheduling. as using the hardware itself. Then there is the This may become more pressing. As the session problem of advertising. The actual times when closed, there was a question concerning the certain programs are going to be offered.Slides, development of community advisory boards. of course, are generally used to indicate schedu- Perhaps this is too difficult at this stage.Cer:- ling. As to the difficulties in sustaining the tainly the group raised a lot of questions. efforts of community groups, very often it is Answers are much more difficult but we have suggested that it is a one time thing; groups taiked about some things. present something and they don't come back Mr. Lind:First offit has been a long day and again. There may be divisions within the groups. a heavy one.I'll take a few questions and let's The chairman, or president may make the pre- get out of here. Don't let me dissuade you. No sentation; he or she may not be the most questions?Yes. appropriate person to make that presentation. Q. What advice do you give to incite citizen Getting to know the people in the community involvement? who can best do this kind of thing is a public Mr. Lind: Well, we perform the functions of relations problem. using the buzz words "video animators" as much The problem of cuttrol brought up questions as we can. By sending people; in fact we have such as: who can be put on the program? Who some producers that are just community people decides this? Criteria for programs? We got into and they do not work in tne studio at ail. They questions of morals and language, coming into just spend time out with neighbourhood groups the area of family programming. We talked about and are attached to those groups, not as the the legal responsibilities of the cable companies to programmers, just as someone to keep the the public and the related need for some degree particular thing going. of control. Some felt that we didn't want to go Q. Specifically, how do they find these groups too far in this direction; we wanted to keep and how do they work? programming as open as possible. There were Mr. Lind: You've just got to be aware of your thus differences of opinions between those who community andI think that you can find the wanted to ensure "quality programs" and those groups.It's not so hard to find groups. You who wanted programming to be kept as open as have to try to relate the advantages of using possible. cable television as an expression medium. That We talked about the problems of funding. is the software thing.In terms of hardware of There are certain Ontario government strides in course, our company, iike most other cab this direction.It was suggested that little provi- companies, supply a certain amount of hardware. sion for hardware comes from the federal govern- We supply mobile hardware as well so a group
51 can take that equipment out into the streets or Q.Is that what you are talking about? use it in the studio. Whatever they want. Mr. Lind: Yes, the magazine that talks about Q. Are these people the community program- what is going on and the programs going on and ming people employed by Rogers or are they also we have bingo cards big deal! volunteers or what? Q.Is that the only way you publish your Mr. Lind: We have producers thatare employed programs? by ourselves, yes, but they don't undertakethe Mr. Lind: Well not really. In the smaller normal broadcast cablecasting functionper se. communities, often the newspaper will help you In other words, they don't have responsibility out. We haven't found that same show of co-opera- for an hour or two, or seven, or whatever it is tion in Toronto. You see, we have 10 systems per week, in the same sense that a normal there, or at least 8, and if they listed them all producer would have. across we'd be a page a week and I don't think Q. In your experience, how much enthusiasm they want to do that for us. has been generated by the community to get on Q.Is this adequate? cable? Mr. Lind: In the smaller community, yes. But it is Mr. Lind: Weii, I think that "enthusiasm" is not sufficient in the large community. Everybody pretty strong. We talked a great deal in our talks about this today, you know. How can we seminar about varying environments small plug into what is going on in the community cable towns where there is no television and larger channel. We either sit in front of the thing and towns where there is fantastic over-concentration watch the flip chart and nothing else; so it's not and fantastic information overload. Also, today, simple. we are working with an under-capacity of space Q. I'd like to know if the CRTC didn't say to cable but, basically, even if we share a community companies: "we expect you and we want you to channel with a broadcaster, he goes from three to provide this community coverage and this com- eleven every day. There is still a lot of stuff munity access," what would the general feeling of around to put on. We're pluralists in our pro- the cable company be? Would they really just gramming concepts at the moment. Ultimately assume not to be bothered with all this? that will be fragmented and go to different Mr. Lind: Do you want me to be a chauvinist or channels, different ideas, different concepts will what?I think it would vary.I think I could give go to different channels. you a couple of cases right off the bat where 0. You talked about having mobile equipment. people were going to do it. Marcel Farley, inci- When you send this mobile equipment out to dentally, has been doing it for ten years, well the community, does it go with your producers? before the Commission was even established, and Mr. Lind: No, it does not go out with producers. a number of other systems. Ted Jarmain's Q.I want to ask if you have one studio or two system would be doing it for sure. They wouldn't? studios or what? A number would not because a number see them- Mr. Lind: Yes, we have one studio in Toronto. selves in the same function as Richard Greene, What size? You mean in square feet?I really sort of a utility type function, just carrying TV don't know. signals. But I suspect that now, he is changing Q. Do you produce more programs outside or his mind. We would, because we are broadcasters more inside the studio? too, you see. Mr. Lind: No. we produce much more inside. Q.I thought your statement was that we had Q. For what reasons? been doing it for a long time, like Marcel, and that Mr. Lind:I suspect for much the same reasons is not true. as other people find, that it is a mobile unit.It Mr. Lind: You have been doing it,I know you is very, very expensive and it is four or five hours would.It makes sense there. There are ten out for a half-hour of actual production; the channels and there is one local channel in London other thing is you can't control the environment and wouldn't it be a natural to have another as well.I think half-inch (tape), for most instances channel? anyways, is the answer.I f it could only yet a Q. What I am wondering is whether it is just too little better it would be very desirable. damn much trouble. It's kind of like a can of Q. Do you have bingo? worms; it provides a lot of headaches and so on. Mr. Lind: Do we have bingo? We have it in a A h...:siness that is trying to make money is really smaller system outside of Toronto. not concerned about that. Mr. Lind: Yes, I would like to speak to that. I Getting and Keeping People Involved think it is fair to say that the CRTC gave the cable Philip B. Lind companies a pretty strong prod to get these local programs. There were relatively few that were in it then.I think, basically, that the prod was taken and really that at; accurate description of the We have been conversing, over these past days, situation today is that the cable companies have about the many faces of cable television. Certainly, devoted a certain percentage of their revenues to there is great promise to cable, but it is there only local programming. There are very few people if we seize the opportunities now. Often the result who suggest that they are recouping their expen- of recently enjoyed success is stand-pattism and it ditures or even a fraction of them through added is my hope that we in the country become more revenues. And my own personal view, and I think innovative. We are fast losing our reputation for the view of many cable operators, is that, ifI can't make a buck out of it, at least I would like to have technical leadership in the world. For example, several systems in the United States have already the satisfaction that the money is well spent. I think that that is what is concerning people now. 18 operating channels. We must continue to assert ourselves on the cable programming side somewhere, I believe we currently remain well ahead of the Americans. My topic today has been given to me as "Getting and Keeping the People Involved." That matter is, of course, at the very heart of community cable- casting.It is true that we can define cablecasting in several different fashions, but it is my intention to deal mainly with cable productions produced either by or for community groups. This could properly be called "access", although most purists would insist that true access programming is only that produced by the group. But, we can examine those aspects later. First, we should satisfy our- selves that there is a need for this kind of service. The rationale is two-fold. First, that in the overall broadcasting framework, there are certain segments that miss out. There are various sub cultures with socio-economic stratas that are ignored and this can be corrected by neighbourhood cable television. As Dorothy Todd Henault notes: "Here we have found the nitty gritty of society's dilemma. Cities are becoming uninhabitable, governments and institutions are unresponsive, people feel powerless and forget how to get together for the simple things". And even if that sounds like too much "bleeding heartism" it's true that in all "together" neighbourhoods, rich or poor, there really does seem to be evidence that people want to dabble in programming. The second reason is that, ignoring the technical aspects, it makes eminent sense for people to be able to have some control over the media, that in turn exerts a certain measure of control over them. This is particularly true in the
53 :56; case of television, which as Marshall McLuhan noted, Also in certain areas, cable programmers are aware is an absolutely pervasive medium. The result is that there is, generally speaking, a shortage of that over the years we have become so inundated cable channel space at the moment. So right now, by the television sensation that, as one writer the concept is one of "pluralism", withaccess recently put it, "In our society you don't really type programming being only one of several types exist until your existence is confirmed by seeing of programming competing forspace. This tends yourself on television," or as Dorothy Todd to offend those who believe that the cablecasting Henault puts it, "How to-break through the walls channel should be exclusively hard core access. of apathy and alienation? People must become But, fortunately, "help is on the way" and tech- convinced of their problem solving capacity on a nology is going to cure the situation. When the scale that is meaningful to them. This conviction 20 channel concept arrives, and it will shortly arises as a result of actual experience and partici- in Toronto, one of those channels should properly pation in a creative social process. For this reason be dedicated to pure "access". In fact, it's the law the means of communication, the real two-way in New York City. Perhaps I could read one communication, must be made accessible to section of the agreement between the city and ordinary people for dialogue in a meaningful the cable companies operating in that area. local debate. In this way we would generate a Access channel - "The company shall lease much more vigorous problem solving capacity time and if necessary adequate studio facilities to based upon local initiative and creativity." members of the public. Appropriate technical I think, then, that we can all agree on the need assistance shall be furnished by the company. for such services. The real question is how - how Time shall be leased on a first come first service, to make community cable dialogue a workable it being the intent that such public channels serve proposition. And the answer seems to be in the as a significant source of diversified expression. In title Getting and Keeping the People Involved. It's order that there be a maximum opportunity for the animation process that requires real study. I freedom of expression, such programmes shall be am reminded of a recent American panel on this free from any control by the company as to pro- subject when Theo Sklover said in addressing gramme content, except as it is required to protect cable operators "and it is time, as you have heard the company from liability under applicable law." again and again and again; it is really time to start This then leads us into the second aspect of to do something about this access that we have control, and that is content control. This is not all been talking about; and time to put money, generally as much of a problem as some would like talent and real commitment into community it to be. Control of the content does indeed reside utilization of the cable". It's true. The time has in the hands of the group doing the programme, come, but I think that important strides have al- subject only to considerations of libel and bad ready been made, especially in the Toronto cable taste. Even these last aspect's can be interpreted in systems. differing fashions.It is hoped, by many, that this But first let us touch briefly on the matter of type of cablecasting ought to have the same rules "control". This subject has probably generated as publishing, or indeed even a looser interpretation. more heat than anything else in cablecasting. Access programming must be freedup from the There are two rather different things involved bonds imposed on an earlier technology. control of the cablecasting channel and control of The matter of control is central to the problems the programme itself. As far as the cablecasting of animation, or getting people involved.If people channel is concerned, cable companies have, at are to go out of their way, on an entirely (except this point, reserved the right (as indeed they must, or OFY or LIP) volunteer basis, they must be able under the terms of their licensing agreements) to to feel that they are participating in the end pro- control the basic programming format of the duct, or as McLuhan might say, that they indeed channel. Most cable programmers feel, as does are the end product. the Commission, that the channel offers al, oppor- Probably the first genuine experiments, in the tunity to programme many different types of fare. producer being the product concept, were carried
5754 out by the National Film Board in their "Challenge community groups about the issues surrounding for Change" programme. The concept of people cable TV, CBC, the wired-city concept, etc. We power in electronic media was a new concept and have presented and intend to continue to make they felt they had to introduce it a little bit at a representations to the various political bodies." time to experiment with it. They did this by means It might be well to label these groups, the NFB of providing both hardware equipment and soft- and Metro Media, as "intermediate animators." ware information to people residing in their That is, they sponsor other people to get involved experimental areas. The project, named Community in the process. And as mentioned earlier, they Development, began in 1967 in Newfoundland. work, as do the cable companies in their respective From there projects spread to other areas including communities, to help people overcome the fear of St. Jacques in Quebec and Drumheller. Perhaps hardware. the most controversial video project was that of But all that has changed with the advent of one Thunder Bay. There, the Film Board dedicated inch and especially half-inch video. As Michael major resources into a project called "Town Talk" Shamberg notes in guerilla television "portable Town Talk was to be the process whereby all the video systems offer decentralized production, while citizens, who had things to say, would do so, alternative distribution systems like cable TV mean mainly using cable TV. There are many fascinating that small scale, non-mass market information flow aspects to that experiment, not the least of which can be supported by the end user." With video was the ability to study and analyze parts of a tape, he adds, "the common place becomes infor- community when those parts suddenly become mation and the camera is open to everyone." And switched on electronically. The unfortunate side the Big Rock Candy catalogue calls video tape "a to view, and one that is not mentioned by the means of perceptual discovery and interaction." NFB, is what happens when the crews move out. All stress the importance of the new hardware in Expectations were raised and then dashed. Some the feedback process. All were concerned that blame the Film Board, some blame the cable historical media structures were designed (or at company, some blame the community leaders. least it happened that way, by design or not) to One thing was clear, where there was promise, minimize the feedback process. Now, portable there is now disillusionment - where there was video tape provides some answers to this. Thus a excitement now there is lethargy. third concept involving people lies in overcoming So that is point two in getting the people their own fears of television hardware. involved you ensure certain aspects of control It's fun to spectilate about the new hardware. and you ensure that the will to proceed is not When community goes on TV, it's merely an exten- crushed by unnatural happenings. That is, people sion of the old party line. Did you hear about the must believe that it has a chance of working. system in Yellowknife or Whitehorse where the There are several other animators in the NFB cable system merely pointed the camera out the vein, but they are mainly movements spawned in office window towards the liquor store. Now that and nurtured by people within the community. programme was watched because it told people One example is the Metro Media group in Vancouv- about other people. As a sideline perhaps, it told er. Let us see how they describe their role. 1` people where the action might be on any given "In our commitment to these goals, we have had night, putting TV into the hands of everyone to become both an information centre and a politi- makes everyone a real life producer, in the same cal organization. We now have to collect, and manner that the Xerox makes everyone a publisher. make available to the community, information on McLuhan talks of "flip", a process whereby people communication projects that have gone on, on are driven out of one sensation by a constant bom- media resources available in the community, on bardment. TV in the hands of people might flip the various types of hardware and communications some people, already turned off, back into TV techniques, and on the political issues and decisions neighbourhood style. The neighbourhood producer involved in our media institutions. In that respect; becomes a participant programmer. Community we have also become organizers, trying to inform TV does affect the community it lets you know
58 55 who are the actors and the actor-uppers. The Our firm does a considerable amount of access. role of the programmer changes. He only records Perhaps 70% of our content is access, in one form what is happening maybe Andy Warhol was or another. We are on the verge of announcing right after all. One thing is clear. People become some very new corporate policies in this regard, passionate as opposed to dispassionate. that will see, I suspect, all access type programming The final matter to consider is the cable com- to be produced on half-inch tape and, to ensure the pany. For now we head back down to the real ability of groups, who want to edit, to do so. world, where in examining the day to day opera- Production costs, particularly in a one inch tions, we see where some of the problems exist, studio are heavy indeed. Half-inch appears to us, but also where the opportunities exist. and this is after several years of experience, to be It is definitely true that many cable companies the best method. Thus, where we already have are convinced as to the need for community half-inch machines available for loan to communii7 programming. Yes, it is a CRTC suggestion, but groups, we will likely have more. Significantly, the the companies are not doing it just for that. They Ontario Government has established an operation see it as E. way to sink roots deeper into the com- called "a space" where this type of equipment is munity; to legitimize themselves as participants in available to those who want to programme. It is our the neighbourhood process. They see programming hope that governments will greatly expand these as a means to attract new subscribers, by providing kinds of projects, so that more hardware is available, programming not available off air.It is true they not just cameras but also editors. We see the day are pluralists. They do seek a wide variety of when cable companies will become merely the programming content-even at the neighbourhood carriers for certain types of access programmes. level. And it is true that cable companies also use As an aside, you might well wonder what is the the concept of audience as one measure in defining role of educational institutions in the matter of the success or failure of a programme. This is not neighbourhood community programming. With to say that they are playing the rating game, but few exceptions, their record is dismal. But as well some audience does count. And that means that as hardware, still more sotfware is necessary. cable programmers will (a) not just programme in Software, as we discussed in our groups yesterday, one format and (b) will be interested in seeing just is the ability to present information in an interes- what neiGhbourhoodtesponse is elicited to each ting fashion. programming concept. I have talked for the most part about some It is true that in the Toronto experience, at of the fundamentals of community produced pro- least, "access" programming, though it may be gramming. In most instances, I have made the doing the most good, generally has the least assumption that the demand for and interest in audience. Now there are many reasons for this, community programming exists. Yet we have but probably the most important is that it just isn't heard it said by quite experienced people that interesting enough.I think that will change, no this is not true in all communities. doubt, as people get more familiar with the hard- What, then, is first needed is recognition and ware. awareness. The intermediate animators, mentioned When people want to get involved they approach earlier, are valuable in this. So too are the educa- the cable company and they have the option of tional institutions, schools and libraries. But in doing a programme that is technically done in the their case, it would be only consistent to also studio by the company technicians, or it is done in encourage the use of their hardware. But the the studio by their own technicians, or it is done cable companies play a key role here. Turning partially or entirely in the streets on half-inch. In people onto the opportunities of cable requires every instance it costs money and some way must more than a form letter; it requires systematic be found to get more money into this process. No and constant education. And this education must one is much interested in the "talking heads" take the form of hands on training in either hard- format anymore you must be mobile. Yet ': are or software, or both. mobile also implies edits. It's easy to be cynical and talk of programming
5659 ego trips, sure there's some of that. And there's Technical Aspects of Cable Broadcasting also the political trip the ideologists who use Moderator: Mr. George S. Atkins the whole access fight as another way to flog cable companies and governments. But I believe that sincerity abounds in most people wanting to do programmes. Ladies and Gentlemen, there are less than 28 years It is probably true to say that over the next two left in this century and the Rand Corporation has years, we will be reaching the moment of decision predicted that there will be cable systems with 400 for neighbourhood programming. We are getting to channels in operation before the year 2000. During know how to get and perhaps even keep the people that time all those channels are not going to be only producing, on a regular or one shot basis. We also transmitting TV programs or relaying them as we know that the viewing people are not as involved have been hearing for the last day and a half now. The topic assigned to this panel is "Technical and the solutions to this are either elusive or Aspects of Cable Broadcasting" but we've taken expensive or both. Audience is,'after all, important the liberty of changing the word "Broadcasting" to to most programming groups because it makes "Communications" because while broadcasting has their task seem more important to them. a one-way connotation, communications signifies So it is now up to us to work with added energy, a two-way exchange. to give community programming a chance to play I think we might liken cable today to what a part in our lives. electricity was 40 years ago in rural Canada. I'm thinking of the farm area because some of you who have always lived in the city have lived with electri- city all your lives but 40 years ago it was just going to the farms. At that time the main use for electri- city was to have a light bulb hanging somewhere so that we could see more easily. Cable can now be considered to be about that stage in its develop- ment today. Look at what has happened to electricity people even brush their teeth with it now. Over the years, new uses have been found and they still are being found for it and of course there are plenty of uses for cable that have not yet been thought of. ...., In this context we're going to discuss the present uses.of cable, employing present day hardware. We're going.to talk about possibilities of expanding services with the hardware that we have; who uses cable and who the users could be on both ends; the use of cable in education, the exciting potential of two-way cable; and cable communications com- pared with other communications techniques, that is with radio. television, microwaves, satellites and other such things. Of course Canada is the world's leading country in the use of cable. At this time, 1 in 4 homes in all of Canada are hooked to a cable system.Is there any reason why we shouldn't continue to be the leader? Surely we should maintain the leadership. Our first speaker is well-equipped to discuss cable as it is now as well as its possibilities. He is a nat. e of Calgary, a University of Alberta graduate in Physics. He was previously engaged in explore-
57 69 tion geophysics and he worked in the computer Panel: Mr. I. Switzer field. He is one of the pioneers in cablefor 18 years he has been in this field in fact, he started Thank you Mr. Atkins. Ladies and gentlemen.I'll the first cable system on the Prairies in 1955. At talk a few minutes about some of the technical the present time he is the Vice President of aspects of cable television broadcasting. I'm Engineering at MacLean-Hunter and also the Presi- pleased to see the term 'broadcasting' used in the dent of the Canadian Association of Broadcast title for the seminar-because in assessing the Consultants. Mr. Israel Switzer. technical aspects, both present and future, of cable and public communications by cable,l think it is important to realize that cable television is a broadcast medium, not a closed circuit medium. There are some very important technical conse- quences to that. Over the air broadcasting is a method by which pictures or voice and music are communicated through the radiation of i-lertzian waves to a large general population. Let's speak of television, of television sets. A broadcaster with cameras, with program origination equipment, broadcasts with a transmitter and a transmitting antenna and he radiates a signal, so to speak, to the world at large.In that population, there are television receivers which have been designed to receive these broadcasts. That system is controlled by a set of standards. As it happens the Canadian standards are almost identical to the U.S. standards but are substantially different from those used in many other parts of the world. What we use is called the NTSC system and the term is also used for the colour system that we use. NTSC you know stands for 'Never Twice The Same Colour'. When you get involved in colour origination, in colour transmission, both over the air and by cable, you'll come to realize how true that is. Some of the other systems in use in the world today are the SECAM system which was originated in France. SECAM stands for 'Something Essentially Contrary To The American Method'. The other system which is used in other parts of Western Europe and in Great Britain is called PAL. It was originated in Germany and stands for 'Peace At Last'.In any case, there is a basic set of standards which governs things like the number of scanning lines, synchroniz- ing wave forms, some of the frequencies that are used. One of the things that it does not cover and I think that this is widely misunderstood among the potential users of cable broadcasting, is that there is no standard for picture quality as such, I mean technical picture quality. There are no standards that govern how sharp a picture has to be, how clean it has to be with respect to noise, with respect to dropout and actually, as far as the government is concerned, I don't believe there is any rigorous
58 61. standard with respect to a thing called timing to $175,000. Transmitters, for example, a major stability which is an important thing when you transmitting installation, a 1000 ft. tower and a come to deal with low cost, low budget video tape big antenna capable of 100,000 or 300,000 watts recorders. So let me impress on you then, that power, costs several hundreds of thousands of there are no standards for most of the things which dollars, running from $300,000 up to $1,000,000 are popularly associated with picture quality, dollars for a high-power broadcast transmitter either in colour or in black and white. Let me installation. As we go from that down to the point out also ihat cable is not a closed circuit scale of equipment typically used in cablecasting, system cable is just a modified form of broad- we find the cameras like Sony camera is probably casting. One starts with cameras, one puts it of the order of $1,000.It uses a vidicon tube which through a small box called a modulator which is costs anywhere from $100 to $200 to replace and really just a miniature transmitter with an output it is, of course, black and white. The videotape of a fraction of a watt rather than the thousands machines that you see in this room, for example, and thousands of watts which the big over the air are priced around $3,000 to $4,000 compared to transmitters have and then, instead of being the $70,000 for the two-inch VTR for broadcast propagated through space to a general population television. Colour equipment is used relatively of television receivers, it's conducted through infrequently in cable broadcasting but a low cost coaxial cables to that same population of television colour camera is considered to run in the $9,000 receivers. The television receivers used by the to $10,000 order of magnitude. So when you see subscribers, the people who are connected to a that kind of contrast, a contrast of about 10 to 1 cable television system, are in no way different typically in the prices of equipment, you may ask from the television receivers that are used to yourself then, why is the broadcaster using such receive over the air broadcasts. So let me set forth equipment? Is he paying too much or is the cable for you then this general principle, that if a broadcaster not getting enough in technical quality television picture is not good enough to be broad- in his equipment, because, generally speaking, you cast, then it is not good enough for use on a cable get what you pay for. television system, because the receivers, which are I'll just deal briefly with my particular analysis the most critical part of the system, are exactly the of the reasons why equipment of this type is used. same, on cable and for a broadcast transmitter. To the network broadcaster particularly, the cost The converse is then true, that if a picture is good of equipment is a relatively small part of the enough for distribution on cable, it is also, there- overall cost of production and distribution. When fore, good enough for distribution by a broadcast you have perhaps one hundred people assembled transmitter. in a studio, doing a program which will be broadcast Let's start to look then at some of the equipment nationally or internationally, through some that is used, both for over the air broadcast and hundreds of television stations and over thousands broadcast by cable.First, cameras for broadcast of miles of microwave, then the cost of the cameras use. Let's distinguish colour and monochrome. and the cost of the tape recorder is a very small Professional television, that is, television that is proportion of the total cost of that television broadcast over the air makes very little use today project. Consequently: they feel they can afford to of black and white. For example, when a black and spend the nioney required, particularly for white film is broadcast over a colour chain, they reliability, because an equipment outage in a very just turn the colour burst off. The cost of cameras high priced production is an extremely expensive for that purpose, a first line, first quality, thing. Additionally they want to get the last network quality television camera for colour- possible refinement of technical quality.In costs about $80,000. A videotape machine for cable broadcasting, the equipment used is very first line broadcast use starts at about $70,000. low in cost because the cost of the hardware and The newest models that are called cartridge the cost of the tapes is a very, very high proportion machines and which have really the sole purpose of the total cost of that project. Labour is of enabling a commercial broadcaster to stack mostly volunteer, the distribution facility is ten second commercials back to back and bombard usually provided by the cable company at no cost, you with these things, the machine which does that so the cost of the hardware looms particularly so beautifully and elegantly costs about $150,000 important.
59 Now, what are we getting for the money that is turning out people who know how to use a camera, being spent on cablecast equipment? Well, I am who know how to point it, who know how to use a actually disappointed in it because I think one of the switcher. There are people who know how to major problems, I call it a misconception, in operate equipment, but there is very little emphasis talking about the social uses of cable broadcasting, on training people to actually maintain and repair is that all you have to do to get your message this equipment. I'm speaking now of electronic across on television, is merely to appear on technicians, not visual program people.If we had television.I suggest to you that that is not actually more people available, not a great many more, but the truth. There has to be more to it than to just certainly a reasonable number of people, adequately get on to television, either cable or broadcast. trained in looking after the equipment, things would There has to be (1) a message to be told. There be better.I am shocked sometimes, as the chief must also be, surely, some kind of minimum engineering executive in our company, at some of standard of technical quality because only the problems that we get just from absolute dedicated people will watch a poor quality cable- stupid abuse of equipment zoom lenses being cast program. Of the equipment that we have, the dropped, cameras being dropped, tape recorders videotape is critically important. Phil Lind for being operated in very vile atmospheres. A video- example, mentioned the potential use of half- tape recorder is an immensely complex machine, inch and the very great impact portable equipment very sensitive to things like cleanliness, proper like the Sony Portopack and equivalent machines handling and good quality tape going through it. have made. These have made 3 great impact in the In all of those things improvement can be made to nature of the thing that you can put on the cable get the most out of the equipment which we have but the quality of these systems leaves much to and which we can afford.I am not hopeful that be desired except for viewing by very dedicated the cost of broadcast equipment will come down to people. You have, in Toronto, substantially a a level that many community groups could afford. 12 channel situation, and people tune back and There are cases where there is very high quality forth across that dial and on six or seven, or eight equipment which could possibly be available for or nine of those positions you have the picture use by community groups. Some of the colleges, quality represented by millions and millions of some of the high schools, have, for example, dollars of investment in the highest possible quality professional quality camera equipment of equipment and then you tune to Channel 10, the Hammarskjold High School, for example, in cablecast channel and you see a picture which is Thunder Bay. There are three notable high schools not clear, which is noisy, which has wavy, wiggley in the Province that have equipment and probably lines on it because of instability, which has rough half a dozen community colleges that have first crude cuts because of the lack of edit facilities class equipment.. We have found, in practice, on some equipment, and poor production values because of the complexity and high capital cost because of the lack of any kind of even semi- of this equipment, that they are very careful! professional approach to the process of editing and about letting it be used by relatively unskilled process of production. As I say, you have to be a personnel or allowing it off the premises. particularly dedicated person to stand for all this. We are seeing some improvements in videotape. What can be done then? I'm not too hopeful. I'll name hardware names without necessarily Generally speaking, as I say, you get what you pay implying endorsements because it's easier to talk for and the picture quality that we are getting is about them that way. We have found for example, because we are not able, I don't say not willing, that half-inch equipment stands up fairly well and to spend more. that one gets a tolerable picture quality out of it, i think that there could be an improvement if directly comparable to one inch equipment. We there was more stress on the production and the do find, though, that it is no better really, than origination of cable programming and to things one inch equipment and we're not really happy like the normal routine maintenance of equipment, with the one inch equipment. Certainly there is an things like the cleaning of heads and to the early economy in using the half-inch but we don't replacement of vidicons before they get excessively think we're ahead quality-wise;I would use the noisy or get burns in them.I find that there is a term 'acceptable' for it. Our company has tried great deal of stress in the educational process, in out we now own two of the new Sony 3/4 d inch cassette machines and we find these machines the same kind of ability that we have with the particularly good. We have found these, so far, telephone system today. The ability to pick up giving us probably the best quality we have an instrument, punch the buttons or turn the dial seen from low cost videotape equipment. They on it and automatically dial through to virtually have a problem you can't edit with the machines anyone in the whole world. Just by dialling, we and they're difficult to cue and while we're getting have instant voice raildom access virtually to fairly good picture quality out of them, we have anybody anywhere. If we look forward to a trouble preparing material for them. We find that similar facility wish video, the ability to communi- we have to prepare and edit on other equipment cate in a video sense, that is in a picture sense, with its limitations and then dub to this 34-inch with anybody, anyplace at any time tar possibly cassette format for distribution. Surprisingly, we just as important, the ability through some kind don't really know how they have done it at the of video system to communicate with a source of price. That particular machine has an outstanding information, a computer or a video library or stability characteristic and gives quite good colour something like that, also on a random basis, this results. is, no doubt, the ultimate television system. We I don't want to abuse my time privilege too are still some time away from that. Neither greatly but let me try and sum up the problem this 20 nor 30 nor 300 channels will give us the capacity way that really, we get what we pay for. What to do that. There are in Toronto today, some we are getting is not really high quality when judged 250,000 households on cable. Imagine the total by professional standards and that is maybe turning number of possible interconnections between people off who are marginal viewers. The problem 250,000 households, both for picture phoning, is money. If there were more money available for so to speak to each other and for video access to cablecasting and I presume that one way or another, all the millions of potential video sources that are money will be found, please consider diverting a available, that a cable system whose capacity is significant or certainly, a sufficient portion of it measured only in hundreds or even in thousands of into (1) upgrading the class of equipment which channels, can't approach that kind of capacity. I is being used and (2) providing adequate and think we are looking, when we talk of 30or even proper maintenance for it. 300 channels on television, to a system that is Now the cable systems themselves. Canadian basically still a broadcast system one that is cable systems do not lack the technology or know- intended for the communication of information how to expand their channel capacity. The hold- from some central source, possibly a diversity of back in doing it is strictly political. There are a central sources, perhaps even 300 central sources, number of Canadian cable systems that are ready outward then to larger audiences. We may, with to expand their apacity to 20 and 24 or 30 and 32 a 300 channel system, have 300 sources broad- channels, just as soon as the relationship of cable casting to perhaps as few as 100 or 10 receivers to the broadcast industry can be straightened out. each but still, basically in concept a broadcast I think it hinges on that.I suspect that the CRTC, system. There may be and likely will be some the Commission that regulates the industry, is not interaction in the rev,:rse direction but still riot quite certain or perhaps distrustful of what cable on the scale which approaches the random access systems would do with all that capacity. Until video system. We will, in time, and I'm speaking. they are sure that that capacity will be used in a of probably 30 to 40 years from now, have that manner that the CRTC considers consistent with kind of video random access system but I rather its objectives, as soon as they find the ways and doubt that it will be within our professional means of doing that, the channel barrier will be lifetimes. overcome. There are some economic problems involved but I think those will straighten them- selves out. When we talk, though, about order of magnitude increases in the number of chanriels available, I think there will be some problems. I think there is no doubt that the ultimate communi- cation system, or television communication system, is one that allows a kind of random access. This is
64 61 Panel: Mr. J. D. Livingston The second point I want to make is that what's loosely called cable is already a combination of Because I:m going to have to take issue with some cable and ground Microwave. Tomorrow domestic of what Mr. Switzer said, I had better identify my satellites are going to be added, and the day after biases at the outset, so that you will be able to add tomorrow it may go to wave guide or who knows the necessary pound or 'wo of salt to my remarks. what? The term "cable" focuses on today's hard- My employer, RCA Corporation, manufactures ware, you see; and that's unfortunate because it quite a variety of electronic equipment, including can tend to limit one's thinking about what this equipment for what's called cable television new communications system is and what its full system equipment, and also TV receivers. In potential may be. addition, we are a software house, in that we own When will it begin to achieve that potential? an American television network, NBC, which Mr. Switzer says maybe in thirty years.I say generates a quite limited amount of television maybe in 15 years, depending on the regulatory programming, and also Random House, a publish- climate of major geographic markets such as ing complex not only in the traditional print Canada and the USA; depending on the speed medium but in various audio/visual media as well. with which the requisite technology is developed; Beyond that, RCA markets a variety of services in depending most fundamentally on what is the connection with this hardware and software. Thus consumer demand for new kinds of information our interests (and my biases) range through the service something nobody knows today; we entire spectrum of what's been discussed during can make some guesses, but it's important to keep this converence. cable TV hardware, software and in mind that they are only guesses at this stage. services, all focusing on those consumer informa- At any rate, tomorrow this broadband com- tion services that have concerned us here. munications system will be interconnected (a At RCA we look at wnat's called cable television process that's already begun); it will be intercon- as a broadband communications system, a new nected nationally and internationally on a real-time kind of communications system that's just be- basis. And it will be interactive, two-way. That is ginning to spread and interconnect. We describe it to say, today's cable TV is a one-way system that as a broadband system because the frequency delivers signals from the head-end of the local cable spectrum carried cn coaxial cabk, runs up to 300 system to the individual subscriber's terminal. mill ion Hertz, as compared to the 3000-Hertz (Today that terminal is a standard TV receiver.It capacity of a telephone communications system has advantages, it has limitations, it's going to have which means that cable has an enormously to change and it is changing.) Tomorrow's greater information-handling capacity than the system will have the output capability today's telephone system's twisted pair of wires. Apart one-way capability plus an input capability, the from capacity, there are other significant differ- ability to signal from your terminal, from the TV inces between the two types of systems. As Mr. receiver in your home, to the head-end of the Switzer pointed out, the telephone system is a system, and through the head-end perhaps to point-to-point system that is, you can call from remote sources of information. your phone to virtually any other phone in the In order to make this two-way system work, world. The enormous amount of switching equip- your terminal, your television set, is going to have me' this capability entails is the princ;pal expense to be individual!y addressable which is no prob- of a telephone system, not in the distribution lem technically, it's a little chip built into each of system as :n the case of cable TV. Where we part millions of TV sets at a cost of a few dollars for a company with Mr. Switzer is that we don't believe piece of hardware at the system head-end to identify today's cable TV systems or tomorrow's broadband the specific household .1 Tom which an input comes communications systems will be point-to-po..t a request for special kind of information service, for systems. We don't think point-to-point capability example, or an expression of your opinion in an is required to perform the types of communication opinion survey. function involved. The head-end hardware will be able to identify
62 the source of an input and if necessary record it for film is running, and the capability then to record summing up, adding up votes on an issue or for your incremental use of that programming and making an incremental charge to the subscriber for charge you accordingly for actual use.If you watch special service, just as the phone company automat- the film for half an hour and in come the neighbors ically makes an incremental charge for the long- and they've already seen it, you turn it off and you distance services you use. don't :ove to pay the full rate for the film; you At your terminal there will be in time a variety only pay for the actual use you make of thecom- of input devices so that you can make a variety of munication system. Again, just like long-distance inputs to the system head-end. These might be so telephone service. simple as fire and intrusion sensors to protect the Another early application of two-way capability security of your homeor a little four-button that we see developing is merchandizing.I won't (yes/no/maybe/go) signalling device such as an go into that unless someone wants me to later on. RCA subsidiary has recently installed in the Opinion surveys, I've already mentioned, security, Orlando, Florida, cable franchise for test purposes. environmental control is becoming quite a problem Later on we see some new kinds of output in a lot of communities in the States and therefore, devices showing up in or at your television set. The people are willing to pay extra for a higher level of only one I want to mention here is what the trade home security. Instruction, very obviously, and calls a "frame-freezer." As no doubt you know, then further out such functions as highly individu- the moving pictures your TV set shows are made alized instruction are possible. Individual access to up of 30 frames of video information per second a broad range of reference materials, most of it frames similar in function to the frames in a strip probably stored well beyond the head-end of the of motion picture film. The frame-freezer can system for economic reasons. Computation capa- seize a single one of these frames for example bility, if you want that to figure out your income one that's individually addressed to your TV tax, and transaction which might be a complete set only, in response to a request you've made for merchandizing experience. You buy the hat and information and display that frame for as long you pay for the thing while you sit at your termin- as you want to look at it. These frame-freezers al, your television set; or it might be a municipal exist today, using a variety of technologies, most transaction, you vote on some municipal issue. of them prohibitively expensive; but tomorrow, These are the major functional points I want to produced in large quantities, they're going to be mention about tomorrow's kind of broadband extremely inexpensive. communication system, because the functional Tomorrow's cable system is going to have the parameters of such a system affect the format and capability, as I mentioned, to charge you increment- the nature of the software that the system utilizes. ally for whatever special information service you "Software" includes entertainment programming, may request. The most obvious one and the first and also other kinds of information packages, one that is becoming a reality is pay cablecasting, like instruction or reference or whatever. This that is to say, the delivery to the TV receiver in frame-freezer that I mentioned earlier we think is your home of new, first-run feature films without going to be an essential capability of the system, commercial interruptions for a dollar, two dollars because it takes only a thirtieth of a second to maybe. This is feasible today on a one-way system fire you the frame of information that you have in a somewhat different sense. That is, on a one- requested.It takes a six megahertz channel, a way system you are going to have to pay for access channel capable of carrying colour television video to the special programming, whether you use that and audio to fire you that frame, but it requires access or not. Tomorrow, when the capability only one thirtieth of a second of time on that exists at the head-end of a system to determine channel for that purpose. whether your television set is turned on or off, and Now, we are accustomed on our television sets whether if it's on it's turned to an extra-charge to see motion and in most mass-audience, audience- channel, say a channel on which a new feature oriented entertainment programming, that's
66 63 necessary, but suppose you want to look at page Firstly you don't need continuous frame output 573 of the Encyclopedia Britannica reformatted, from the system to play a war game. That could of course, because of the limitations of your work on a single-frame basis very satisfactorily. television set. You don't want any motion; the You do need a couple of kinds of computer. One less motion the better. You don't even want audio of them is simply a communications controller. in that case. What you want is a single frame, which Another, more complex computer has been pro- will require only a thirtieth of a second to address grammed either to assist you in being General and fire it to your television set.It's going to take Patton or to assist, let's say General Rommel in you ten or fifteen or twenty seconds to absorb the coping with your attacks. Maybe that costs you information thereon, during which time the system twenty-five cents a half-hour or an hour to play is firing lots of other frames to lots of other people. that game. Nobody knows how the economics Then you may request another frame of informa- are going to work out; but maybe on a given tion. The system, because of its ability to arrange evening 500,000 people across North America information packages hierarchically that is to say, decide they want to play war games, say 50 cents what is it you are likely to want first and what is it times 500,000 is a quarter of a million dollars you are likely to want next has probably already gross a night for a new kind of programming, a made a bet with itself that the next frame of infor- new kind of entertainment experience. mation you are going to want, since you asked for This is a very, very powerful new kind of com- that first frame, can be predicted; and it has put munications technique, a delivery system capable that frame in a standby buffer device. When you of a tremendous variety of applications, susceptible ask for it, here it comes, with considerably less de- to an increasing degree of individualization. You lay time. You can see how that would work with get what you want when you want it, not when it regard to reference, now it could work in reference happens to be convenient for a network program- to computation and transaction. ming activity to shove a piece of programming How about entertainment?I see two major on the air. changes in entertainment programming as this To come back to time, Mr. Switzer said 30 years. kind of information system develops. One is the I say maybe if pay cablecasting provides the impetus fundamentally important fact that entertainment for growth in the States, at any rate, that we antici- can become not a passive experience as it is today pate it will, I think it could be cut in half because you go home and kick your shoes off and sit on of the tremendous revenue-generating potential of the end of your spine and stare at that idiot eye pay cablecasting. ,You see, many of you in this and it talks to you and it shows you pictures and room no longer go to theatres to watch films. The whether there is any information transfer or not over-thirty-yearsof-age audience has virtually is questionable. Well, maybe you don't feel the disappeared from film theatres. There is an enor- need of information transfer at that moment. I mous pent-up market demand among people of don't suggest that the kind of mass audience, one- this age group for first-run feature films delivered way programming that exists today is ever going to to the home via cable; and if it develops as I disappear or even significantly diminish.I don't personally anticipate that it will, the amount of think it will. But I think it is going to be supple- additional revenues that that new kind of con- mented by new kinds of entertainment experiences, sumer service will generate is going to pay for the entertainment that is not audience-oriented. rebuilding of one-way systems into two-way inter- Let me give you a silly example it is silly active systems which can then, over a period of because while we can see the capability, nobody time, offer a variety of other new kinds of consu- really knows how to utilize this capability yet. mer information services. Fifteen years is just Suppose you want to re-fight World War II, a major about as safe as thirty years, because I don't battle in World War II. You think you can do expect to he around fifteen years from now and better than the generals did which is a fairly safe if I'm wrong about timing, you'll have to take your assumption perhaps. You want to play a war game. complaint to somebody else.
64 67 Panel: Mr. Ian Easterbrook nature suggests to me that this seldom occurs and that if we are going to have an expanded technology Ladies and gentlemen, these are a few hesitant and then we must have an expanded control of our own brief remarks addressed to the problems of the communications. In many ways we must, it seems future and I suggest perhaps the alternative to the to me, gain touch with reality as the poet/composer technology which the other gentlemen talked of, Mason Williams suggested "when television gets off the possibility of a kind of people technology and into life, it gets lost". I'll explain to you the kinds of things which I have The other area that seems very important to me is emotional communication and this again seems in mind. It seems to me, generally speaking,what to me in the twentieth centure, a lost art. The kind we are talking about is communications from one of emotions which are communicated normally person to another or to others, and it seems to me between people are very limited and particularly so that a prerequisite for efficient and effective com- on television, those that are frequently maudlin or munication is going to be improved interpersonal shallow; anger and fear are now very private things, communication.I hope this won't sound too they are not things which we talk about with other vague.It occurs to me that speech is a very inef- people and it seems a great loss.If you watch a ficient medium. In fact this is something which small child, he will smile simply from the pleasure the Bell Telephone Company has drawn upon in of an experience and it occurs to me they feel this terms of sampling of a variety of telephone lines. smile from pleasures which we observe on a tele- vision screen. Most young people, it seems to me, They decide that they will, instead of devoting have only one approach to televison and that is as two wires to join you and yet another person if it were self-parody. To a certain extent television entirely, they can split that pair of wires in such has lost its credibility with the under thirties. So a manner that you perhaps share it with fifteen if, as someone has suggusted, television and particu- other people which sugoests that the efficiency of larly CATV is to become a 4 or 5 billion dollar verbal communication is rather lc,w. Generally *ndustry by 1980, and I assume that these leaders speaking, people's vocabulary is very low as com- in U.S. technological market forecasts must be municators in terms of writing or speaking. We're taken seriously if they're asking $225.00 for copies very inefficient and if we are going to have the kind of their report, then a number of things are sug- of technology in the future which we've heard gested to me. Firstly that we will probably look about, we may have to do sometning about our for more minority programming. particularly on own personal communic lions. This means surely, cable television. The death of large generalist thinking clearly and concisely, removing from publications in the United States and the increase business communications and memos and so on, in specialist minority publishing suggests that cable TV, particularly in the future, is going to look to large amounts of unnecessary verbiage. minority audiences, to large numbers of very speci- Also, another theme which I have about inter- fic audiences.I would also hope, looking to the personal communication is this, that in some ways future, that if we are going to have an excellence of we are less efficient than machines in this respect. technology, that we have an excellence of content, Computers at least have a sort of anticipatory func- or an excellence of ideas, Sr an excellence of tion, that is to say that they are able to anticipate emotional communication and this will depend, to that there may be errors and correct them. In a large extent, on the willingness of people to make other words, if you look at the bottom of a tele- decisions of quality and of content, it will depend gram or the address label on a magazine which is upon decisions of people who are dedicated to mailed to you, you may find that the computer television as an art and as a craft and they may has anticipated errors and repeats a number of frequently have to make decisions, it seems to me, digits or words so that if errors do occur, they can tc things well or to not do them at all. be corrected. Human nature is not as eflicient in Another thought for the future is that if we are to believe McLuhan, it's the artist of today, with a this way. You frequently say things and expect personal vision, who can see what tomorrow will be people to interpret them precisely the way you likeand so I would suggest that we must look at meant them to be interpreted. Again, human those people of our generation with a personal
68 65 vision for some information about life in the future. Federal-Provincial Issues In Cable Broadcasting These then, are people who are poets or are visual in the Community artists, in one sense or another, who are sensitive to Speaker: Senator Keith Davey sounds and words, shapes and colours. Perhaps one of the things that attracted me about the communi- ty television service productions which were done through Guelph Cable TV, was that in many cases, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen.I came here they were personal visions. They were not programs in spite of a number of inhibitions which I will meant to appeal to a large number of the Guelph confess almost immediately. One of the reasons population but they represented views of life of a however I did come was to tell the only story I number of young people.I think to a certain ex- know about the University of Guelph.I apologize to those who have heard this story before, I'm tent they should be respected for that reason alone. sure some have. Two people were talking in If you can share someone's personal visions then Toronto and.the one said to the other "the Univer- you may have a better idea of what the sub-cultures sity of Guelph" he said, "my God, all that ever are about and what the life of tomorrow may be. came out of the University of Guelph were hockey A last thought deals with the responsibilities players and ugly prostitutes." The second fellow which occurs to me that television should have, not said "just a minute, my wife is a graduate of the only to find out how many people are watching University of Guelph." The first fellow said but find out if viewers care;or-laugh,or enjoy, or are "what position does she play?" addicted to programming. Finally, it seems to me A story about Guelph makes it possible to tell a that if bad money is not to drive out good, if chaos story about Vancouver. The story about Vancouver is not to triumph over order, can weafford not to isn't very good, not very funny except it's true and seek at least some of these goals. it really happened to me.I was speaking at the Vancouver Institute and the guy who introduced me was extremely nervous. He was supposed to read from a prepared biography "his career in broadcasting was paralleled by an intense degree of activity in party politics." Only, as I say, this guy was nervous and what came out was "his career in broadcasting was paralysed." Well, that's not the story. 'The same speech, the same occasion now the guy gets up to thank me, another guy, he's more nervous even than the fellow who intro- duced me and honestly, this really happened on the same occasion. He said "ladies and gentlemen, it is now my privilege to spank the speaker." So I shall attempt not to paralyse you in the expecta- tion that you will not want to spank me. The inhibition I have, I confess, is having studied the agenda. I'm terribly impressed with the people who have been here. I'm terribly impressed with the matters with which you have been concerned. It really wasn't until I had looked at the program and considered my own position that I realized that the Chairman had possibly handed me the most difficult of all possible assignments, specifically drawing a map with a substantially uncharted territory. I propose to begin with some reference to the Senate Committee on Mass Media.I was grateful to the Chairman for his flattering words about our
66 69 Committee. Indeed, I had intended to say precisely What I want to say initially and what I've said that that we did perform in about a tenth of in many parts of Canada, is that I think it's the time and for about a tenth of the cost, I manifestly unfair to attribute all of society's ills to believe, of a Royal Commission covering compar- the mass media; it's handy but it's hardly realistic. able territory. Reception to the report varied That said however, I think it's equally unrealistic greatly. Let me give you two examples. A few for the people who own and control themass media people were outraged. Here for example, is the in Canada to minimize the role they do play when Halifax Chronicle-Herald two days after our report it comes to influencing the lives and shaping the was tabled. Now you would have thought in two views, the lifestyles, of their millions of viewers and days they might have regained their composure but readers and listeners. Of course, thatwas very not quite. Here's the front page of the Chronicle- much where the Senate Report entered the picture. Herald, three pictures side by side Martha I've spoken about the report so often and inevery Mitchell, Spiro Agnew and me. Others were con- corner of Canada that I've learned to summarize, if siderably kinder. I would refer in particular to the not our message, then at leastour posture in a very Columbia Jcurnalism Review who wrote in their few words indeed. We had threeconcerns: 1) tenth anniversary issue and I quote "the Report of more media voices2) better media voices 3) Cana- the Special Senate Committee on Mass Media is a dian cu:tural survival. reminder, not only of close U.S. ties with Canadian This afternoon. I propose initially to examine media systems but of our poverty in lack of a cable and its jurisdiction as each relatesto each of comparable document. Nowhere do we have so in- these three concerns, that is,more voices, better depth, authoritative and comprehensive a voices, Canadian cultural survival. But first, I statement of media problems or proposals for want.to stress that the problems of broadcasting, dealing with them." The Review commends -the perhaps I could say the problemof broadcasting, report to the widest possible audience and urges is one that concerns the wholecountry and not consideration of its proposals. just the federal government. At thesame time, I should perhaps add Mr. Chairman, that two ladies and gentlemen, I think theexpress intent of weeks ago it was my privilege to speak at the the Parliament of Canada which, after all,repre- Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and to be sents all of the people of Canada was very clear in confronted with about 250 students, most of whom the 1968 Broadcasting Act. Indeed, here Ican had in fact read the report because it was on the speak with some knowledge because Iwas the course.It was a gratifying experience indeed. Well, Senator who piloted this legislation throughthe as you know ladies and gentlemen, our study Upper House. The basis of a Canadiantelevision considered cable as an integral part of the Canadian policy was established by Parliament in the mass media structure. For openers in our study, Broadcasting Act; it was not to be determinedby we were anxious to examine the dimensions of the CRTC. The Act was clear that broadcasting the media's creditibility gap. Now I suspect undertakings were an integral part ofa single that most here will concede the existence of some Canadian broadcasting system. When the CRTC credibility gap between the media and those the speaks of integration of cable televisioninto the media owners purport to serve. The far more broadcasting system, it is pursuing implementation fundamental question of course is why does any of this basic policy decision of the Parliamentof such credibility gap exist at all? Here's the way we Canada. tried to answer. that in our report we said that Let me turn to these three concernsour "if the media turned people off, it is because Committee had and let me talk about bothcable society at large turns them off. If newspapers are and the jurisdiction of cable in the light ofthose losing friends, it's part of the same process by three concerns. The concern, asmany of you which Parliament is losing friends, and the courts know, which prompted me to proposea Senate and the corporations and the schools and the committee for mass media in the first placewas, churches." I'm going to set that quotation aside of course, the ongoing trend towards media because very near the completion of my remarks, concentration.I have with me a catalogue of I would like to return to it momentarily and read statistics whichI will not labour the meeting with; you the next sentence after that particular suffice to say the problem continues and isaggra- quotation. vated almost daily. Now I do not believethat
70 67 most owners and managers of mass media in in preparing its audience for social change?" Now Canada lack a sense or responsibility or lack to insist that this is the media's main job it seems tolerance for a diversity of views.I do not believe to me, is not to suggest any built-in biafor or that there is a small group of men who meet for against any notion of progress. Change need not breakfast every morning and decide what it is they be feared if it is understood but day after day we will make the Canadian people believe that day. are assaulted with the news of violent events which Emotion I think often outruns the evidence of those we have not anticipated or whose causative factors who argue a conspiracy theory of propagandist have not been explained, then we can hardly expect manipulation of the masses. On the other hand, to avoid the feeling that events chase each other ladies and gentlemen, one reason evidence is so across our lives without rhyme or reason and are so hard to come by is that the media tend to give less far beyond our ability to affect or control that we publicity to their own abuses than to say those of might just as well lapse into apathy or seek change the medical profession. The media operate as a of authority through violence.It is my opinion check on other institutional power centers in our that we are fortunate to live at a moment unprece- country. There is however, no check upon the dented in history when change has become the media. Just as it is a mistake to over-state the central fact of life. Change is ubiquitous; the existence and potential for abuse, so, in my judge- velocity of change smashes, it seems to me, quite ment, is it a mistake to ignore the evidence that literally against every person in this room on a does exist. In this area, most of our Committee's daily basis. Yet it's also a matter of fact-that most recommendations were print-oriented. That was Canadians do not like change, they fear change, simply because the CRTC has consistently appeared they distrust it, they resist it and yet at the same mindful of the virtue of the widest possible diver- time, most of the Canadians I meet would be gent, community ownersh:o of mass media and prepared to concede that at the present time in our indeed appears to have stri,:n for same wherever society there really are some things that need to be possible when dealing with both conventional changed, indeed, there really are some things which broadcasters as well as cable broadcasters. As will must be changed. momentarily be apparent of course, I believe that From time to time some of my friends rub their more than any other single medium, cable offers a heads and say "yes, okay, so far, so good but why unique opportunity for the multiplication of media on earth must everything be changed at once?" voices. Indeed, it is when we turn to disduss ways Well, of course, I'm sure I don't have to remind and means of developing better media voices in this audience that young people have almost Canada, that it seems to me that cable really comes exactly the opposite cr'ncern. Kids who have into its own. At this part of our study, of course, known only relative affluence, who are better we were confronted with a very difficult and very educated than any other comparable group before tough subjective judgement, the kind of a difficult in history, who take the most staggering technol- subjective judgement which perhaps you've made ogical advances for granted, cannot for the life of from time to time yourselfwhat on earth is a them understand why social progress lags so far good newspaper? What is good cablecasting? How behind technological progress and I say "good for would you define a good, radio station? Well, most them".I find myself increasingly in agreement of the media owners who appeared before our with Charles Reich in The Greening of America Committee, for example, told us it was enough to when he writesthere is a revolution coming. It report accurately everything that has happened in will not be like revolutions of the past, it will the past twenty-four hours but surely, speaking of originate with the individual and with the culture newspapers, at least, this is something that any and it will change the political structure only as newspaper worthy of its name must do as an its final act.It will not require violence to succeed absolute rock bottom minimal requirement. Surely and it cannot be successfully resisted by violence. such obvious rock bottom, minimal requirements This is the revolution of the new generation." are not those against which we should measure Paradoxically, Mr. Chairman, and I have statistics performance and quality. We thought there was here to document this statement, I won't trouble something more, the standard we chose to employ you with them, is that while most young people was pretty straight forward and I quote "how have an overwhelming commitment to reform, it successful is that newspaper or broadcasting station is equally true that the overwhelming majority of
68 71 young people at least for the time being, still want me, has consistently championed this point of view to work within the system. And of course, it is and would probably agree with my suggestion and inaccurate to suggest that the only advocates of no doubt a suggestion which has been expressed social change in society are young people. Lou before at this particular conference, that every Harris made that abundantly clear in a recent community college and university in the country study which appeared in a number of American shouid have a community media co-ordinator. newspapers. Again the Canadian statistics are But surely the CRTC has served us 'lest in that comparable let me quote Harris it was fragile, delicate area of Canadian cultural survival, headed "Public Backs New Priorities" and he said the one area, it seems to me, where left unchecked, "In the wake of America' eventual disengagement some cable entrepreneurs I:m afraid would have from the Vietnam war, the American people v. ;Wu wired us all off to Washington. Now, let me make like to see priorities in Federal spending changed very clear that some of my best friends really are so that less is spent on international and defence American.I watch Johnny Carson every night I'm programs abroad and more is spent on domestic in Toronto, we can't get him in Ottawa, I want programs such as aid to education, aid to cities Boston to win the Stanley Cup, Ilive and die all and pollution control." The times really are summer long with the New York Yankees and if changing. More and more people are developing there are any baseball fans they'll know it's been a new set of priorities and just as clearly, the die now for a decade. I'm fascinated by the trend is away from material wealth, toward social American political process which I read about need. People's need to be identified as individuals endlessly.I subscribe to Atlantic, to Esquire, to distinct from mass, is growing and will continue Harpers, I read the Christian Science Monitor every to grow. Distinctiveness will ultimately gain day and like some of you, every Sunday afternoon more by what you do rather than by what you own. I lug the New York Times home from the corner Curiously, Canada's new radicals and corporate drugstore but damn it all, I'm a Canadian and I elite have one thing in common they tend to want to remain a Canadian!If, for example, it's blame government for most of what is wrong in parochial to worry about the ever-increasing society. Not too surprising however, they approach Americanization of Canada's advertising industry, their all too convenient target from different to use an example we referred to in our Report, directions.I am grateful to Douglas Fisher in a then I guess I'm parochial.It was clear from our recent column in the Toronto Sun when he study that at the present rate, in just seven more capsulized the philosophy of Canada's new years advertising too will be just another American radicalism which really proposes and I quote "new industry.I must say one wonders about laws arrangement with a heavy emphasis on people's insisting upon Canadian ownership of mass media groups with a local base, a community small if the principal source of revenue of that self-same enough for an individual to take part in and mass media is controlled from a.foreign country, understand his life situation." even if that foreign country is the United States. Mr. Chairman, I hardly qualify as a radical but Now Canadian cultural survival, and I'll be then I don't thinkI have to qualify as a radical to speaking about it tomorrow night in northern realize the virtue of community access to the mass New York State and I'll be saying there as I say media, and of course, I hardly need to remind now, that Canadian cultural survival is uniquely delegates to this particular convention that a Canadian problem. It's our problem, it's not the community access should be cable's greatest Americans' problem. It results in part because strength. Suddenly, hardware is available at the only 20 million of us reside smack up against 200 grass roots, suddenly it's possible for ordinary million of them who collectively comprise the people, not academics, not politicians, not most powerful nation in the world. Perhaps if journalists, not even broadcasters, not just to you would allow Mr. Chairman, I would like to communicate but to become involved in com- read my favorite passage from our Report. It's a municating and that, it seems to me, is at least as passage which more effectively than most, in my important. Now ideally, the quality of this opinion, sets this Canadian-American relationship community programming will escalate or will it? into perspective.I quote "geography, language Or does it really matter if the quality of the and perhaps a failure of confidence and imagination, programming escalates? The CRTC it seems to have made us into a cultural as well as economic
6972 satellite of the United States and no where is this ment affect the quality and quantity of a number trend more pronounced than in the media of services under federal jurisdiction in their areas." Marcus Childs on the editorial page, Little Orphan Ontario and Quebec, however, have made it Annie back near the classified ads, Nixon and Tiny abundantly clear that they are not prepared to Tim, Jerry Reuben and Johnny Carson and submit to a meek acceptance of the dominant Lawrence Welk and Timothy Leary on the tube, federal role in these matters. In Quebec, Bill 35 the Beach Boys and Blind Faith and Simon and made it clear that Quebec wants full authority over Garfunkel on the radio, the latest V.C. body counts communications including most especially and as courtesy of AP and UPI, the self-image of an entire a beginner, cable broadcasting. The Quebec generation shaped by Peter Fonda riding a stars argument, it seems to me, is based on a rather and stripes motorcycle. Need we continue. We legalistic argument that presumes to separate cable are not suggesting that these influences are from the overall Canadian mass media structure. undesirable nor that they can or should be The Bill has, as you probably know, received second restricted. The United States happens to be the reading and now reposes in committee where it has most important, the most interesting country on been for almost six months. Presumably the earth. The vigor and diversity of its popular Quebec government is presently giving its priority culture which is close to becoming a world culture, concern and understandably to economic, rather obsesses, alarms and amuses, not just Canadians than cultural concerns. but half the people of the world. What we are Here in Ontario, Premier Davis has spoken on suggesting is that the Canadian media, especially several different occasions about Ontario's interest
broadcasting, have an interest in and an obligation - in cable jurisdiction.I felt that his original state- to.promote our apartness from the American ment smacked of empire building for its_own sake. reality. For all our similarities, all our sharing, for He spoke in Hamilton and said this, "what we seek all our friendships, we are somebody else. Our to do instead is to assess the real needs of the people national purpose, as enunciated in the British of Ontario in the field, contrast those needs with North America Act, is peace, order and good the reality of telecommunications under the federal government, becoming a modest ideal that is jurisdiction and express our opinions and take such beginning to look more and more attractive. Their actions as we deem appropriate in the interests of purpose is the pursuit of happiness, a psychic Ontario." Well as I said, I felt that smacked of steeplechase which has been known to lead to empire building and I said a... much in a speech to insanity". That's the end of the quote and I may the Toronto Advertising and Sales Club when I say that the CRTC's track record in this area suggested that that kind of comment sounded to speaks for itself. me like Ontario separatism. In retrospect and in Now you will recall Mr. Chairman, my earlier the light of subsequent statements by Premier statement that broadcasting problems concern the Davis, I think my observation about Ontario whole country and not just the federal government. separatism was probably quite unfair because here IfI may quote Secretary of State Pelletier, he said is Premier Davis on November 27th last, he said, "it must be recognized from the outset that broad- and I quote, I'm quoting the Globe and Mail, (he casting and telecommunications are very closely was in the position of defusing some of the related to a number of fields of provincial responsi- apparent anti-federal line in the earlier speech). bility; education, for example and that they also This was the statement he made, "certainareas of affect economic and cultural fields which are a interest were delineated and desiredto discuss the prime concern of the provinces.It is also evident situation further with the federalgovernment, that some of the services provided by broadcasting nothing more."I underline and repeat, to discuss or telecommunications are essential to certain the situation further with the federalgovernment, provincial functions, not only in these sectors but nothing more. Indeed, as faras my friend, and I also in many areas which are the proper concern of use the term advisedly, as far as my friend the the provincial administrations." Going on with the Premier is concerned, I'm inan extremely charitable quotation "Provincial authorities observe with mood indeed. Indeed, I'm prepared todayto even understandable interest the manner in which forgive the incredible statement hemade before the federal institutions carry out thou outies since the Managing Editors' Institute in Kitchenerand I'll policies, decisions and actions of the federal govern- quote this one from the Star. It said "Premier
70 I Davis renewed his attack yesterday on federal I think that such discussions have taken place, such communications policy and warned the CRTC it discussions will no doubt continue to take place. is denying," now get this, "denying newspapers the It is encouraging, ladies and gentlement, to realize right to compete on an even basis with other media". that set stage arguments about jurisdiction are He said "the policy deliberately or accidentally never as fruitful as that form of dialogue which denied to the newspapers of this and every other Lester Pearson christened "co-operative federalism". province the access to the very technology which I would suggest to you that ETV is a case in point they need for future development". Well, God and so, I would argue, should be a great deal of help us. However, in fairness to the Premier, let's community programming, much of which could remember he was speaking to a group of editors, easily be described as adult education. Hence, it is he was speaking smack in the middle of an election primarily of provincial concern but just as clearly, campaign and heavens knows, the ploy worked the ultimate jurisdiction, it seems to me, must extremely well. remain federal. How fortunate we are and I say Now, two observations seem to remain, broad- this most sincerely, to have men of such good casting and that includes cable, according to the faith as Secretary of State Pelletier and yes, Act and again, this is very clear, must serve the Premiers Davis and Bourassa, Messrs. Cartin and interests of national unity. Therefore, it seems to Lalier, in such highly sensitive positions. These me it must lie totally within the control of the will be the future of the cable industry, and of federal authority. Strip away cable, deploy cable course, the very same thing must be said for Pierre into provincial jurisdiction and the entire national Juneau. broadcasting system begins to crumble. It's not You know, I suppose my greatest failure in that the provinces, even British Columbia, will terms of the Senate Committee Report on Media conspire to destroy Canada. It is rather, if I may has been my own failure to follow through on quote Secretary-of State Pelletier again, that "this that excellent section of the Report which deals country could not exist without a strong and with broadcasting. There are several reasons why. cohesive broadcasting system, a necessity moreover, I suppose one Imust concede would be my own that surely must be clear to all.I do not think that inertia. Perhaps another, the fact that there was, any modern state could survive without this very clearly, far greate, public interest in the indispensable link binding together its people and Report's print recommendations. Presumably this its territory. Canada has maintained such a link was because this was the first time across her time zones despite the great distances that newspaper people, magazine people, print and all other obstacles involved. Canada intends to people generally were brought before a government continue to do so. Communication produces a committee. For broadcasters, a trip before a feeling of community, balkinzation of communica- parlidmentary committee was, of course, old hat tions poses a threat to our community.I t is not but chiefly the reason I felt content not to pursue possible to conceive of a country that is denied our Committee's recommendations in the broad- the image of itself. The intercourse between its cast area, is because of my own profound belief various elements in a civilized dialogue that elec- that we in this country are all so extremely well tronic means make possible to a greater degree, served by the CRTC in general and its diligent than ever before." Now recall Premier Davis, if you chairman, Pierre Juneau in particular. Pierre will, he said "a desire to discuss the situation Juneau understands, ladies and gentlemen, that he further, nothing more" and then listen to Secretary is serving the people of Canada, not the Canadian of State Pelletier just one more time. He said "for broadcasting industry and he does so in a manner that reason, I am pleased with the interest shown which, in my opinion, is consistent with the three by some provincial duthorities in these matters and basic concerns of our Committee more voices, I am most anxious that vigorous talks between the better voices and Canadian cultural survival. Hope- federal and provincial governments commence. fully for example, the CRTC will persist in its Furthermore, 1 3m sure that complete frankness requirement for increased Canadian content. The on my part will be welcomed. There can be no reality of Canadian private broadcast profits, the genuine dialogue between the provinws and the staggering influence of Canadian radio and television federal government if we cannot state our convic- on the 5,000,000 people who will sit thiS evening tions as clearly as do those with whom we speak". anaesthetized in front of their set not really caring
1 much what comes on, the fact that so much of the surround us have at least one common charac- American programming that does come in here, teristic they're all concerned with people versus not all of it,but so much of it is junk, the fact that institutions". People versus institutions every- Canadians have proven they can produce attractive body wants to be somebody but for millions, that's as well as popular programming, sometimes given becoming tougher every day and I say it's really the opportunity, sometimes given the prod, all of little wonder that so many of these incredible these things, it seems to me, reinforce the wisdom shrinking powerless people become alienated. of the CRTC's posture Canadian content. From That's why I hope there really is a whole new way time to time, it seems to me, that Mr. Juneau of living coming our way, as Pepsi-Cola reminds comes under staggering pressures but he always us almost hourly; the advertising culture has sticks to his guns and, in the process, always joined the counter culture.I hope that the whole manages to incur the wrath of exactly the right new way of living which is heading our way is critics, whether it's irate, wo.,.'d-be Mississauga something far more significant than just a new cable entrepreneurs, whether it's Southam Press lifestyle, something far more significant than just Limited who spanked Pierre Juneau soundly but not coloured shirts and sideburns. very sensibly in their recent annual report, whether Well let me conclude. The world, ladies and the outriders for Western broadcasting or even the gentlemen, is not about Soviet built MIG's and the more bloody and incidentally publicity-minded of European Common Market, the world is not about his parliamentary critics. Here indeed is a beautiful Dow-Jones indices and the FLQ, the world isn't man with a commitment, not just to Canada, but even about drugs and pollution. The world is about with a commitment to Canadians. Yesterday, both people. Hopefully, and in increasing numbers, they Mr. Juneau and myself, spoke to the Association want to be heard, they want to become involved, of Canadian Advertisers in Toronto. This was the they want to participate in every sense of the word. advertising establishment, not just the advertising You know, far more than the people in society, the agencies but the national advertisers represented people in this room are able to mount perhaps the usually by their corporate presidents and here was single, most effective fight that I can imagine Pierre Juneau appearing before this advertising against what is assuredly public enemy number one. establishment with a plea for more, perhaps even That, of course, is that soul destroying apathy total Canadian production, of all advertising appear- which so predominates the sodden center of the ing on Canadian television.I think we really are political spectrum. In spite of undertainty, in getting somewhere. Perhaps it's also about time to spite of controversy, in spite of growing pains, I consider regional Canadian content quotas. urge you to press on in full measure with the Last year the Financial Post devoted much of a expansion of cable broadcasting into and from the particular issue to a study of the advertising community. industry and the study was entitled "Advertising John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said it all, "the Under Pressure". The advertising industry is under credit belongs to the man who is actually in the pressure but take it from me, so are politicians, so arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and is the church, the business community, young blood. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the people, academics, all of us, every last person in great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy the room is under some form of pressure but none, cause. Who at the best knows in the'end the I would suggest, more so thar is the mass media. triumph of high achievement and if he fails, at Let me return to the quotation and complete the least fails while daring greatly, so that his place sentence. The sentence I read was "if the media shall never be with those cold and timid souls who turn people off, it is because society at large turns know neither victory nor defeat." Thank you. them off.If newspapers are losing friends, it is part of the same process by which Parliament is losing friends and the courts, and the corporations and the schools and the churches". Now here is the next sentence "we hesitate to wade too deeply into the swamps of sociology and McLuhanism but it does seem clear that all the conflict, the hassle, the demonstrations, the social anguish which currently
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`79 76 Wendy Spears L. S. Walters 164 Cumberland St., Apt. 3 96 Glen Rd. Toronto 5, Ont. Toronto 5, Ont. Ontario Institute for Studies in Scarborough Cable TV Education Tony Williamson William Spence ley Room 202, 75 Albert St. 161 Sherbrooke St. Ottawa, Canada Peterborough, Ont. Director, Citizens Communication Peterborough Cable TV Limited Study Group
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