OTTAWA, April 26, 1991 - The Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council today released its decision concerning alleged ‘rigging’ of callers for a CFTO-TV, Toronto, live phone-in production entitled, ‘Brian Mulroney on the Line’.
The Council found that an industry Code of Ethics “does not provide assistance in formulating a decision on this matter.” Baton Broadcasting Incorporated, owner of CFTO, had asked for the review against standards in the Code, due to the many complaints and importance of the issue.
The 90-minute program was aired November 5, 1990, on CFTO and several other Ontario television stations.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council was established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and endorsed by the Canadian Radio-television Commission in 1988. More than eighty-four per cent of CAB members are Council members and regularly air public service announcements inviting comments on programming.
Listeners and viewers are urged to deal directly with stations on programming matters. Unresolved problems can then be dealt with by the appropriate regional Standards Council.
Members of the Ontario Regional Council are: John Radford (chair); Marianne Banie, Susan Fish, Roben Stanbury, Paul Fockler and Don Luzzi.
The decision is attached.
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For information please contact Mimi Fullerton, CBSC National Chair, at (###) ###-####.