Mass Communication

MCOM 4102: The Canadian TV Market in the New Millennium

Winter 2004

Instructor: Mr. Mark Allen E-Mail: ([email protected]) Phone: 724-5723

Time and Location: Wednesday, 6PM – 9PM; Room 118 Leeds

Office hours: 9PM-10PM; Room 118 Leeds (by appointment only)

Course website: http://ca.geocities.com/mcom4102

^NEW! FINAL MARKS

About the Professor

Mr. Allen is currently the Manager, Industry Analysis in the Strategic Planning Directorate at the CBC, where he advises senior management on industry issues of relevance to the Corporation. Prior to joining the CBC, Mark was a corporate strategy consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He worked in their entertainment and media practice, advising clients in the broadcasting, cable and television production sectors on various strategic issues relevant to their business.

Mr. Allen holds an M.A. (1998) and B.A. (1996) in Mass Communications from the School of Journalism and Communications at Carleton University.

Course Description

This course will provide an overview of the television industry in Canada, focussing on current issues in each segment of the industry. Areas of the TV industry to be covered include: the audience; the role of advertising; broadcasting policy and regulation; programming strategy and its impact on production, broadcast and cable/satellite sectors; technology trends and the future of broadcasting policy regulation in a globalized world.

Course Structure

The course is designed to provide the class with advanced knowledge of the TV industry in Canada. It is organized in four sections:

1. Introduction

· Weeks 1 and 2 will provide the students with an overview of the course and the topics to be covered. A brief history of the television industry in Canada will be provided to explain the interrelationship between technology, audience demands, business considerations and public policy and how they have influenced the evolution of broadcasting in Canada.

2. Driving Forces of Canadian TV

· Weeks 3 through 6 explore three of the driving forces shaping the television industry in Canada: the demands of audiences; the demands of advertisers and the demands of public policy.

3. Programming, Industry Structure and Current Trends

· Weeks 7 through 10 will introduce you to the strategies and delivery methods of TV’s key product – television programs. We will explore some basic programming concepts, the sub-sectors of television (i.e. television production, broadcast and distribution) and current trends and issues.

4. The Future of TV in Canada

· Weeks 11 through 12 will explore what the future holds for TV broadcasting in Canada, taking into consideration the development of technology and the viability of current broadcasting policy in a globalized world.

Class Assignments

There will be three assignments during the course: two essays and a take-home exam.

Essay #1 – Public Policy

Students will be required to critically assess one recommendation in the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage’s report to Parliament entitled “Our Cultural Sovereignty” (June 2003) related to the television industry (available at www.parl.gc.ca). Students are expected to research the topic, explain its rationale and critically assess the recommendation. The essay should be between 6 and 8 pages double-spaced (approximately 1,500 and 2,000 words).

Essay #2 – Television Programming

Students will be required to write an essay on an aspect of programming strategy. The scope of the essay could be as narrow one program or as broad as explaining a broadcaster or specialty TV channel’s entire programming strategy (i.e. a cluster of programs). The program(s) can be Canadian and/or American. Students are expected to research the program(s) origin, intent and success or failure. The essay should be between 6 and 8 pages double-spaced (approximately 1,500 and 2,000 words).

Take Home Exam

Students will be required to complete a take-home exam based on material presented in the course.

Evaluation

The evaluation is based on four elements as outlined in the table below. All three must be completed in order to receive a final grade.

All assignments must be submitted at the Mass Communications office (SP 310) by 4PM of the due date. LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE PENALIZED ONE LETTER GRADE FOR EACH WEEKDAY AFTER THAT DATE. Failing to hand in the following piece(s) of work (even if late) results in automatic failure. Late work results in a lower grade until the grade reaches zero.

Assignment	Value	Deadline	Drop-off Location
Essay #1	30%	February 11	310 SP
Essay #2	30%	March 24	310 SP
Take-home Exam	30%	April 28 (Deadline extended!)	310 SP
Group Participation	10%	N/A	N/A

Required Readings

Required readings are listed by week and available to photocopy in MacOdrum library or on the Internet. If no reading is listed, then no reading has been assigned.

Administrative Matters

1) For your own protection, always keep the original of all your essays and hand in a photocopy. In case of loss, theft, destruction, dispute over authorship, or any other eventuality, it will be your responsibility to provide a copy of your essay.

2) Please note Carleton University's policy on plagiarism and other instructional offences available online (http://www.carleton.ca/cuuc/acadregsuniv.htm, #14) and in the Undergraduate Calendar supplement.

3) Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course are encouraged to contact a coordinator at the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities to complete the necessary letters of accommodation. After registering with the PMC, make an appointment to meet and discuss your needs with me at least two weeks prior to the first in-class test or itv midterm exam. This is necessary in order to ensure sufficient time to make the necessary arrangements. Please note the following deadlines for submitting completed forms to the PMC : November 1st for fall and fall/winter courses, and March 7th for winter term courses.”- from the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities

4) In cases of illness, family death, etc., accommodations relating to course requirements can only be made with the submission of official certification (original + one copy).

5) In the case of requests for religious accommodation, Carleton University's Religious Accommodation Policy will be followed. Arrangements will generally be made for students to fulfill their specific course assignments before the specific period of religious observance.

6) Pregnant students requiring academic accommodations are encouraged to contact an Equity Advisor in Equity Services to complete a letter of accommodation. The student must then make an appointment to discuss her needs with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the first academic event in which it is anticipated the accommodation will be required.

7) In case of grade appeals or reviews, please state the basis of the appeal or review and please provide the original work as graded by the instructor.

Resources

Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, “Our Cultural Sovereignty”

http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/HERI/Studies/Reports/herirp02/01d-toc-e.htm

History of Canadian Content (Heritage Report, Appendix 8)

http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/HERI/Studies/Reports/herirp02/30-Appendix08-e.htm

CRTC and Canadian Content (CBC Archives)

http://archives.radio-canada.ca/IDD-1-68-1150/arts_entertainment/canadian_content/

Lecture Schedule

Section 1: Introduction

7 January: Course Introduction

· Introduction to the course and its structure.

14 January: Introduction to TV Industry

· Brief history of TV industry in Canada. The role of technology, the audience, business concerns and public policy in the evolution of Canadian TV.

Lecture Material

· Timeline of key events in Canadian TV history

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Attallah, Paul and Derek Foster (2002). “Television in Canada,” from Mediascapes.

Section 2: Driving Forces of Canadian TV

21 January: The Role of Public Policy

· A review of the role of public policy in the broadcasting sector and the various public policy mechanisms that are employed to achieve various goals (e.g. regulation, direct funding, crown corporation, competition).

Lecture Material

· Lecture on the role of public policy

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Hoskins et al (2001). “Refocusing the CBC,” in Canadian Journal of Communications, Vol 26 (2001), pgs. 17-30

28 January: TV Regulation

· There will be three guest speakers from the CRTC: Peter Foster, Manager of English TV Policy; Tandy Greer-Yull, Manager of Specialty TV Policy; and Claude Doucet, Director of Distribution and Competition Policy. Each of these will outline regulations in their respective area of expertise.

Lecture Material

· Lecture on CRTC regulations

4 February: Advertising

· Jason MacDonald, Senior Media Relation Officer at the CBC and former reporter covering the advertising sector for Marketing Magazine will guest lecture. Jason will provide an overview of the advertising sector in Canada, including: the use of TV compared to other mediums, major advertisers in Canada, explain how and advertising campaign works; the state of different types of advertising on TV (e.g. 30 spot, promos, sponsorships, interactive).

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Johnston, Russell. (2001) “Selling Themselves: The Emergence of Canadian Advertising.” University Toronto Press. Pgs. 3-17 and 267-275.

11 February: The Television Audience

· Stan Staple, Director of Corporate Research for the CBC will guest lecture. He will provide a quantitative overview of TV audience behaviour.

Lecture Material

· Lecture on the television audience

18 February – Reading Week (No class)

Programming, Industry Structure and Current Issues

25 February: Programming Strategy

· A framework for programming strategy on broadcast, specialty and pay TV networks and for cable and satellite operators.

Lecture Material

· Lecture on programming framework

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Eastman et al (2002), Chapter 1 “A Framework for Programming Strategies” from Broadcast/Cable/Web Programming: Strategies and Practices, pgs. 3-34

3 March: Broadcast, Specialty and Pay TV

· Overview of the broadcasting, specialty and pay TV market and programming decisions.

Lecture Material

· Lecture on programming for broadcast and specialty channels

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Eastman et al (2002), Chapter 4 “Prime-Time Network Entertainment Programming” from Broadcast/Cable/Web Programming: Strategies and Practices, pgs. 111-150

· Eastman et al (2002), Chapter 9 “Subscription and Premium Programming” from Broadcast/Cable/Web Programming: Strategies and Practices, pgs. 269-321

10 March: Cable and Satellite

· Overview of cable and satellite market and programming decisions.

· Lecture on programming for cable and satellite TV operators

Assigned Reading

MacOdrum Library:

· Eastman et al (2002), Chapter 8 “Cable System and Satellite Programming” from Broadcast/Cable/Web Programming: Strategies and Practices, pgs. 235-268

17 March: Canadian TV Production Industry

· Guest speaker Dustin Chodorowicz, Senior Consultant at Noridicity Group, provides an overview of producing in Canada, including: a brief history of the market; public policy tools; what is produced; how it is financed and future trends.

· Lecture on production industry

Assigned Reading

On the Internet:

· Transcript of: “Crisis in Television and Cultural Policy: The Rise and Demise of the Independent Producer,” By Laszlo Barna. http://www.carleton.ca/jmc/news/events/barna.html

The Future of TV in Canada

24 March: Emerging TV Technology

· Discussion emerging technology trends (e.g. VOD, PVRs, Broadband Internet, High-Definition TV) and how they may impact audience demands, TV companies’ strategies and broadcasting policy. Guest speaker David Keeble of Keeble Consulting will present on interactive television.

· Lecture on satellite time-shifting

31 March: Review Class

· Note: the take home exam is handed out at this class and students will have until April 28^th to complete it.