Ottawa, January 15, 1993 – The Quebec Regional Council of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has decided that the program entitled “Contact” aired on CKAC-AM (Montreal) on March 25, 1992, did not contravene an industry code.
The program, a radio phone-in show, concerned religious cults. The station did not contravene the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics because, according to the regional council, the program treated “fairly” a subject “of a controversial nature.”
The CBSC was established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to provide private sector broadcasters with a self-regulatory mechanism. The CBSC received the formal endorsement of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in August, 1991. The Council administers the CAB’s Code of Ethics, the Sex-Role Portrayal Code for Television and Radio Programming and the Voluntary Code Regarding Violence on Television.
The Quebec Regional Council includes three public representatives and three broadcaster representatives. The Chair of the regional council is Ms. Hélène Montigny, a public representative. The other public representatives are Ms. Francine Clément and Mr. Pierre Audet. The Vice-Chair of the regional council, a broadcaster representative, is Mr. Marc Blondeau. The other broadcaster representatives are Mr. Jocelyn Deschênes and Mr. Fabrice Brasier. Mr. Blondeau did not, however, participate in the decision, as the station in question is part of the network for which he works.
The text of the decision is attached.
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For more information, please contact Ms. Mimi Fullerton, CBSC National Chair, at (###) ###-####.