OTTAWA-GATINEAU —The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today found that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation breached provisions of the Television Broadcasting Regulations and a condition of licence when it broadcast Bye Bye 2008 on its French-language network. In addition, certain elements of the program were inconsistent with the Broadcasting Act’s requirement that programming should be of high standard.
“Television has a significant impact on the way Canadians perceive themselves and others,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “Broadcasters must maintain high standards at all times and are responsible for the content they broadcast, including during live programs. We expect the CBC to apologize to its viewers and implement mechanisms to prevent such an unfortunate situation from occurring again in the future.”
Bye Bye 2008 originally aired on December 31, 2008, at 11:00 p.m. and was rebroadcast the following day at 8:00 p.m. The Commission received over 250 complaints from groups and individuals following the broadcasts of the satire-oriented variety television program. Given its experience in these matters, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) was asked to examine the complaints and to provide an analysis to the CRTC.
In its decision, the Commission concurs with the CBSC’s analysis of the complaints and its conclusions. The CRTC determined that certain segments of the program:
The CRTC encourages the CBC to explore the possibility of becoming a member of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, a self-regulatory body established by Canada’s private broadcasters.
The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.
Reference documents:
Bye Bye 2008 – Analysis by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council
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