Ottawa, December 7, 1999 – The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) today released its decision concerning a radio contest promoted by CITI-FM (Winnipeg) which had as a theme “What Would You Do to Win a Trip for Two [to Banff]?”. The most unusual stunt which was selected for the contest came from a woman who volunteered to marry a complete stranger on air. The broadcast of the stunt included short interviews by the woman of five eligible bachelors and, ultimately, the wedding ceremony, performed by a Wedding Commissioner for the Province of Manitoba. Complainants alleged that this contest “has made a mockery of a centuries old tradition – one that both Christians and non-Christians hold sacred.”
The Prairie Regional Council considered the complaint under Clause 11 of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Code of Ethics which deals with station contests and promotions. The Council found no breach, stating that it “does not see how, in a modern secular society, it can take the position that the on-air marriage, even if between two complete strangers ... can be understood to be in breach of the Code.” Referring to another decision also released today, the Council reasoned that
There is not, in this case, as in CJKR-FM re a radio contest (Nude Bicycle Riding) (CBSC Decision 98/99-0476), any “public inconvenience or disturbance.” There may be offence to some, but, in an age where irreverence has, to others, become reverent, the field markers have moved. Moreover, they will continue to do so over time. In this case, at this time, the Prairie Regional Council considers that public order is not so disturbed or inconvenienced by this contest that it can find a breach of the Code. It may be that, as a result of the concerns expressed by the petitioners, this station and others may be reluctant to conduct another similar contest. That must, however, be their choice for no Code breach will ensue.
Canada’s private broadcasters have themselves created industry standards in the form of Codes on ethics, gender portrayal and television violence by which they expect the members of their profession will abide. In 1990, they also created the CBSC, which is the self-regulatory body with the responsibility of administering those professional broadcast Codes, as well as the Code dealing with journalistic practices first created by the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA) in 1970. More than 430 radio and television stations and specialty services from across Canada are members of the Council.
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All CBSC decisions, Codes, links to members’ and other web sites, and related information are available on the World Wide Web at www.cbsc.ca. For more information, please contact the National Chair of the CBSC, Ron Cohen, at (###) ###-####.