Ottawa, February 19, 1999 – The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) today released its decision concerning an episode of Dream On, a half-hour situation comedy broadcast on The Comedy Network. A viewer complained that she was shocked by some of the sexually explicit scenes and mature subject-matter and language contained in the show which aired at 9:30 p.m., when children may still be watching.
The Ontario Regional Council considered the complaint under the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Sex-Role Portrayal Code and Violence Code. It found no code violation. Referring to the Broadcasting Act’s “requirement” that broadcasters offer a diversity of programming to meet the needs and desires of all Canadian men, women and children, the Council stated that it had “no hesitation in concluding that such programming as Dream On has a place on Canadian television.” As to the show’s time slot, the Council stated:
The Ontario Regional Council recognizes that Dream On is a comedy intended for adult audiences. By broadcasting the show in a 9:30 p.m. time slot, it is clear that the program is not marketed to children. This is a reason for the creation of the watershed hour in the first place, namely, the differentiation of programming which precedes the 9:00 p.m. watershed hour from that which follows the watershed. After 4½ years of Canadian experience with the watershed (which has become used by broadcasters as the border between programming destined for the family and programming intended for adults, even beyond the originally intended concern for programming containing violent material suitable for adult audiences), members of the public have had much opportunity to become familiar with the heads-up provided by the arrival of 9:00 p.m. That being said, the Council understands that some children may, despite reasonable efforts by concerned parents, tune in to the show, whether advertently or inadvertently. This does not mean, however, that no programming considered inappropriate for children can be broadcast because of that risk. It is one of the costs associated with the rapid advance of the communications industry, whether on television, via the Internet or otherwise. The major steps taken by broadcasters to put systems in place to assist with parental vigilance, such as the broadcast Codes, the watershed, the classification system, on-screen icons, viewer advisories and the coming V-chip technology, set Canada far ahead of most Western countries in this area.
The Council found that The Comedy Network rated the program appropriately and judiciously included a viewer advisory to alert its viewers of the potentially offensive content of the show.
Canada’s private broadcasters have created industry standards in the form of Codes on ethics, gender portrayal and television violence by which they expect their members will abide. They also created the CBSC, which is the self-regulatory body with the responsibility of administering those Codes, as well as the Code dealing with journalistic practices created by the Radio Television News Directors Association Canada (RTNDA). More than 430 radio and television stations and specialty services from across Canada are members of the Council.
– 30 –
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 (###) ###-####.