Ottawa, April 1, 1993 – The Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has decided that a radio morning show sketch aired on CHEZ-FM did not breach an industry Code of Ethics. The sketch, aired on October 14, 1992, involved a “talking Ken doll.”
In a unanimous decision, the regional council found that the sketch was meant to be satirical and was intended to highlight outdated gender stereotypes. It agreed that, given its context as part of the program's formatted approach, the sketch did not contain “abusive or discriminatory comment or material ... based on matters of sex.”
The regional council also took the opportunity to remind CHEZ-FM that CBSC member broadcasters must describe the CBSC complaints process in their initial response to complaint letters (when the complaint relates to one of the codes the CBSC administers).
The CBSC Ontario Regional Council is composed equally of representatives of the public and the broadcasting industry. The Chair of the Ontario Regional Council is Marianne Barrie, who represents the public. The Vice-Chair, a broadcaster representative, is Al MacKay. The other public members of the regional council are Susan Fish and Robert Stanbury. Don Luzzi and Paul Fockler represent broadcasters. Mr. Fockler was not, however, involved in this decision.
Established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) as a self-regulatory mechanism for private sector broadcasters, the CBSC received the formal endorsement of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in August, 1991. The Council administers the CAB's Code of Ethics, the Voluntary Code Regarding Violence on Television, and the Sex-Role Portrayal Code.
The decision is attached.
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For more information, please contact Mimi Fullerton, CBSC National Chair, at (###) ###-####.