A CANADIAN COMPROMISE Jacqueline Jean Toupin, B.A
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THE WOMEN'S TELEVISION NETWORK: A CANADIAN COMPROMISE by Jacqueline Jean Toupin, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fuifilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Joumalism School of Journalism and Communication Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario August 11, 1997 @copyright 1997, Jacqueline Jean Toupin National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une Licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts &om it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract The Women's Television Network (WTN) was launched in Canada in January 1995 and became the only woman-based television network in North America. It is a unique project producing television about women. by women and for women. WTN was a convergence of several divergent influences including the fight for equality in the broadcast workforce, a greater and more honest representation of women on television, the frenzy towards developing new creative services for the expanding digital and satellite television universe, the concomitant expansion of the Canadian television industry and the influence of a nationalistic regulatory commission. The creation of a chamel for women thrilled some Canadian viewers, alienated others and caused controversy and difficulties for the fledgling network. This thesis examines the roots and influences of the unique television project, the Women's Television Network. examines its early years of development and programming and explores its contribution to Canadian women, audiences, the indusuy and its workers. Acknowledgments 1 would Iike to thank many at the School of Journalism and Communications who have helped me in my attempt to elucidate, analyze and understand the world of broadcast journalism in which 1 have been embroiled over the past twenty years. In panicular, a special thank you goes to my thesis advisor, Dr. Christopher Dornan, whose meticulous editing helped me fmally finish what seemed like a never-ending task. Very special thanks go to my husband, John, for his belief in me and his unfailing support, and to my three children, Gabriel, Benjamin and René, for their patience in what undoubtedly for them was a rather bizarre endeavour of re-education and reniming to school. Finally , a special acknowledgment and thank you to my M. J. colleagues, Rosa Harris-Adler and Beverley McRae; 1 could not have finished without their friendship and support. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................ 1 CHAPTERONE ............................................ 10 PART ONE: GENERAL INFLUENCES ....................... 10 New Technologies ................................. 10 Narrowcasting .................................... 12 The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecornrnunications Commission ......................................... 15 Societal Change ................................... 16 Canadian Feminist Broadcast Environment ................. 18 PART TWO: LIFESTYLE PROPOSAL TO THE CRTC ............ 23 History ........................................ 23 Gender-based Communications Theory .................... 27 Canadian Women's Magazine Market ..................... 32 AdvertisedMarket Support ............................ 33 Consumer Support ................................. 35 PART THREE: THE LIFESTYLE TELEVTSION/WTN PROGRAM PROPOSAL ..................................... 41 CHAPTERTWO ........................................... 48 Feminist Backlash ...................................... 49 Consumer Backlash ..................................... 52 Economy of the Television Industry ........................... 56 Psychology of Audience .................................. 63 Moffat Communications .................................. 67 CHAPTERTHREE .......................................... 79 The Start-Up .......................................... 79 Promises to Keep ....................................... 80 Independent Productions .................................. 82 POV: WOMEN: Current Affairs Prograrnrning and Journalism ......... 85 The Mission-Market Tension ............................... 89 The Reaction ......................................... 94 The Media ........................................... 94 Audience Reaction ......................................98 WTN Rextion ........................................ 99 Staff Changes ........................................ 103 CHAPTERFOUR .......................................... 109 The Res~uc~ring..................................... 109 Namechange ........................................ 112 New Strategies ....................................... 113 CHAPTERFIVE .......................................... 128 NEW PROGRAMMING ................................. 128 Prime Time ..................................... 129 Information Programrning ........................... 130 interactive Programs ............................... 130 Current Affairs .................................. 131 Documentaries ................................... 136 Information How-To ............................... 138 Lifestyle Programs ................................ 139 Entertainment Prograrnrning .......................... 141 RATINGS AND NUMBERS .............................. 145 CONCLUSION ....................................... 147 AF'PENDIX A: TAKE 3 ...................................... 160 AF'PENDUC B: PROGRAMMING LOG ........................... 161 APPENDIX C: MOVIES ..................................... 170 APPENDIX D: WTN RATINGS ................................ 177 APPENDIX E: CRTC DECISION: LIFESTYLE TELEVISION LTD ........ 184 Bibliography .............................................. 192 INTRODUCTION "It's a silent power that people are being attracted to." said Canadian songstress Jane Siberry while taiking on the program Take 3 aired on the Women's Television Network (WTN) . Sibeny was refemng to what she called " women's energy " . but the producers and investors of WTN are hoping these words will resonate with the viewers of WTN in other ways. They hope that the words will also describe the women's charnel itself and the response from Canadian wornen. WTN is a unique and unusual approach to television. Promised in the proposal to the Canadian Telecornrnunication and Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) was a visionary and unique television channel produced for women. by women and about Canadian women and their world. WTN promised to de@ the rules of popular television, with its reliance upon violence, sensationalism and female sex-stereotypes, challenging those stereotypes by portraying women as strong protagonists and real wornen and confronting head-on the issues which women find important. Seventy per cent of the prograrnming would be Canadian, information-based. independent productions commissioned by WTN (Lifestyle Submission: 1994). WTN was also the only network to cal1 itself a women's television charnel, a decision made by Lifestyle Television Inc. following the granting of new cable licenses by the CRTC.' This, in the context of a television universe, is revolution. WTN went to air in January 1995, one of several new specialty cable television charnels licensed in 1994 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecornmunications Commission (CRTC). WTN programs focused on women: The drarna and comedy programs insisted upon strong leading ladies. Information programs explored women working, women's farnily concerns, women in sport, art, fashion and government. The precursor to Take 3 was a prograrn called POV: Women, ("Point of View: Women"), a prime-tirne current affairs program airned at exploring the views of and giving voice to women.' The Lifestyle Inc. Submission to the CRTÇ affirmed that this point of view, this perspective is what defines and distinguishes the channel(Lifesty1e Submission: 1994). An underlying principle of the charnel was that men and women speak in a different voice, a concept further developed and made prominent by Harvard University psychologist Carol Gilligan in the early eighties. The founders of the channel extrapolated from the theory, examined market and consumer needs, found the basis for the Women's Television Network and successfully argued to Canada's broadcast regulator that women's special communications needs must be met through the proposed gender-based women's television network: WTN. However, what could be constmed as a feminist basis for a television network is not the ody foundation upon which WTN has been built. From the start, developers of the network and the original president, Linda Rankin, pointed to a strong commercial "raison d'être" for the network: "In Canada,