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March 14, 1996

Broadcasters laud decision to classify all TV programs

OTTAWA, March 14, 1996 -- The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) today welcomed a decision by the federal broadcast regulator requiring all television signals, foreign and Canadian, to be classified.

"The CRTC has plugged a gaping hole in the process to extend protection of our children from violence," said CAB President Michael McCabe. "Until now, unclassified foreign shows have stymied efforts to develop a Canadian classification system. Now the process can move forward."

Canadian broadcasters took the lead by initiating a tough voluntary Television Violence Code in the fall of 1993. It bans gratuitous and glamorized violence, has a 9 p.m. watershed hour for programs with violence, requires program advisories, and sets stiff rules on violence in kids shows. The Code is administered by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

McCabe said broadcasters are anxious to continue leading the drive against violence. They will immediately invite cable operators, in conjunction with broadcasters and other members of the Action Group on Violence on Television, to help devise a user-friendly classification system compatible with a pending American model.

The CAB is already working closely with its American counterpart, the National Association of Broadcasters, in Washington. It would be in the best interests of Canadian viewers, said McCabe, if both systems were compatible and launched jointly.

"Thousands of hours of programming cross our border every week. To come up with anything but a simple and compatible approach would be hopelessly confusing for parents, regulators and broadcasters."

The CAB represents the vast majority of Canada1s advertising-supported, local-serving television and radio stations.

Please contact:

Susan Tolusso
Director, Communications
(613) 233-4035 ext. 331
(stolusso@cab-acr.ca)