Mass Communication

27.410D: The Canadian TV Market in the New Millennium

Winter 2003

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

Time and Location: Tuesday, 6PM – 9PM; Room 208RC

Office hours: 9PM-10PM; Room 208RC (by appointment only)

Course website: ca.geocities.com/tvcourse2003

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 5 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 6 through 9 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 10 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 two assignments during the course, an essay and a take-home exam.

Essay

Students will be required to write an essay explaining the programming strategy of: a Canadian broadcaster’s prime-time schedule; a specialty or pay TV service’s program schedule; or a cable or satellite operator’s channel selection and packaging line-up. In explaining the selected entity’s strategy, the essay must make a discrete connection between their audience/subscriber strategy and their regulatory obligations.

The course material will provide background and a framework for the essay, but additional research is expected. The essay should be between 8 and 12 pages double-spaced (approximately 2,000 and 3,000 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 three 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.

Assignment	Value	Deadline	Drop-off Location
Essay	40%	March 25	310 SP
Take-home Exam	40%	April 9	310 SP
Group Participation	20%	N/A	N/A

Required Readings

Listed by week. Available to photocopy in St. Pat’s resource centre or on the Internet. If no reading is listed, then no reading has been assigned.

Administrative Matters

Plagiarism

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.

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.

Grade Appeals

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.

Illness, Family Death etc.

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).

Persons with Disabilities

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.

Religious Accommodation

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

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.

Assigned Reading

SP Resource Centre:

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

Section 2: Driving Forces of Canadian TV

21 January: 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

SP Resource Centre:

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

· Dee, Jonathan. “The Myth of ’18 to 34,” from The New York Times Magazine. October 13, 2002, pgs. 58-61.

28 January: The Television Audience

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

4 February: 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).

Assigned Reading

SP Resource Centre:

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

11 February: 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.

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.

Assigned Reading

SP Resource Centre:

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

4 March: Broadcast, Specialty and Pay TV

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

Assigned Reading

SP Resource Centre:

· 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

11 March: Cable and Satellite

· Overview of cable and satellite market and programming decisions.

Assigned Reading

SP Resource Centre:

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

18 March: Canadian TV Production Industry

· An overview of producing in Canada, including: a brief history of the market; public policy tools; what is produced and how it is financed.

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

25 March: Emerging TV Technology

· Guest speaker, David Keeble of Keeble Consulting discusses emerging on-demand technologies (e.g. VOD, PVRs, Broadband Internet) and how they may impact audience demands, TV companies’ strategies and broadcasting policy.

1 April: Review