Broadcasting (Jan-June 1933)

Leniency in Canadian Advertising {Continued from page 12) a mechanical and technical nature, compelling station owners in return for the license privilege to maintain a technical efficiency that will improve reception conditions generally. While considerable resistence is expected, he asserted the Commission intends to adhere firmly to the position that a station must not be a nuisance to radio users. On the subject of advertising limitations, Mr. Charlesworth said: "The most discussed provision in the act creating our Commission has been that limiting advertising to '5 per cent of the period. It is important that the public should know that this policy was fixed for us in advance, although we have a slight discretionary power in the matter. The Parliamentary Committee took the evidence of a number of eminent commercial sponsors as well as leading advertising agencies and all agreed that 5 per cent of the period was suflScient. Praises U. S. Networks "BUT SUCH is the public mind that when our Commission, which had nothing whatever to do with devising this limitation, commencing on April 1 tried to put it in force, I was widely denounced as a 'Czar' who was trying to take the food from the mouths of babes and sucklings. However the agitation quickly died down and the process of cutting down the ballyhoo is proceeding apace. \ \ WFBG ALTOON A, PA. 1310 kilocycles 1 00 watts ADVERTISERS CHOICE for thorough coverage of Central Pennsylvania. Equipped with 33 1/3 and 78 r.p.m. transcription turntables. "Voice of the Alleghenies" "And while on this subject I must thank the great United States networks, the National Broadcasting Company and the Columbia Broadcasting System, for their cordial cooperation in this matter. Privately sponsored programs broadcast by these networks in the two leading cities of Montreal and Toronto are very popular in central Canada, and there was a false alarm that they would withdraw from these cities if we attempted to place limitations on advertising. But on consultation with their high officials I found them ready and willing to cooperate, and imbued with the belief that the reform we were endeavouring to carry out was in accord with the trend of public opinion all over this continent. "There is one point in connection with the more celebrated and popular of the great international commercial broadcasts which is not generally understood. The firms which sponsor them and desire Canadian coverage are not exclusively American in their operations. Most of them have opened branch factories in Canada and employ Canadian workmen. Consequently our Commission has ruled that a broadcast even though it be of foreign origin, which advertises goods made in Canada, is ipso facto a Canadian broadcast. War on Patent Medicine "WHEN nationalization of radio was first mooted in Canada five years ago, there were those who wished to adopt in its entirety the system of the British Broadcasting Corporation, which permits no advertising whatever. But a little investigation showed that this was not tenable — that it would be utterly unfair to Canadian business. Canadian radio-users at many points are free to turn on United States stations and listen to advertising broadcasts, and to have deprived Canadian merchants and manufacturers of the use of the air under such circumstances would have been a gross injustice. But the Commission does reserve to itself the right of censoring the character of advertising. "One of the most important and complete tasks it has performed, and one which the public knows least about, is that of cleaning up the situation with regard to patent medicine advertising. When I took office on Nov. 1, last, the amount of quackery, vulgarity and even indecency that was being broadcast, especially in the smaller and more remote centres of Canada, was astonishing. Matter which would never have been permitted in any decent newspaper was being poured into the ears of radio users in tens of thousands of homes. The cooperation of the Department of National Health was generously proffered, and orders were issued to all stations that no patent medicine continuity could go on the air which had not been previously revised by that department. "There was some resistance but in the main the stations were glad to cooperate and today the situation is much improved, although I must confess that it is impossible to make medical advertising delectable entertainment. Eternal vigilance is required in this connection but once the reform was announced the Commission found the business of checking up on patent medicine broadcasts comparatively easy. Bans Price-Quoting "WITH REGARD to advertising in general we have, despite adverse pressure, continued a regulation which had been in force before the Commission was created, prohibiting the mention or suggestion of prices. "While in our general regula In drawing up daily schedules Canadian broadcasting stations shall not exceed the following percentages for the several classes of program material mentioned: Programs imported from foreign countries — 40 per cent. A program of foreign origin which advertises goods manufactured in Canada, and names the address in this country where such goods are produced and distributed, shall be deemed a Canadian program. No broadcasting station may broadcast any speech, printed matter, program or advertising matter containing abusive or defamatory statements with regard to individuals or institutions, or statements or suggestions contrary to the express purpose of any existing legislation; as for example, the Patent Medicine Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder. Censorship Authority THE COMMISSION reserves the right to prohibit the broadcasting of any matter until the continuity or record or transcription or both have been submitted to the Commission for examination and have been approved by them. Broadcasting stations in Canada shall not mention or suggest prices in connection with any advertising programs or announcements transmitted by said stations. The licensee shall file with the Commission weekly an advance copy of the daily program schedule in such form as may be specified by the Commission. Each station shall keep on file a copy of: (a) the daily proces-verbal ; (b) the continuities of each paid program and announcement, originating at the said station. The same shall be open to the inspection of the Commission, or its tions the limitation of advertising to 5 per cent of the period stands, we have defined this as 'direct advertising' or the straight selling talk. We have availed ourselves of the discretionary powers left to us in interpreting the statute to permit under certain circumstances 'indirect advertising' — that is to say a casual allusion to a product or a joke about it. We are endeavouring not to be unduly arbitrary or severe so long as the advertiser shows a disposition to conform to the law in a general way. The big advertisers are not really a problem; our chief difficulty for the present centres around what is known as 'spot' advertising originating in local centres. It is a type of advertising distasteful to the public and is absolutely prohibited between the hours of 7:30 and 11 p.m. Appeals from stations and broadcasting groups to allow a string of short advertisements to be run off one after another at certain times, as in the past, have been rejected. Similar to U. S. Rules THE NEW RULES and regulations adopted by the Canadian Commission, which have just been published, conform closely with the regulations now being enforced by the Radio Commission in the United States, except as to program control. Technical regulations, for the most part, are identical both in terms and language with those promulgated Feb. 1, 1932, by the U. S. Commission. authorized officers, at the office of the licensee between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., on each day, except Sundays or public holidays. Licensees broadcasting sustaining programs originating outside Canada shall, when requested by the Commission, give priority to programs originating within Canada. Transcriptions Restricted THE LICENSEE shall, upon request of the Commission give right-of-way to such programs as in the judgment of the Commission are of national interest. In such event neither the licensee nor the Commission shall incur any liability for compensation or damages. The use of recorded programs whether by phonograph or gramaphone records and so called electrical transcriptions shall be confined to such hours and subject to such restrictions as may be defined for each station upon written application to the Commission. Electrical transcriptions or records designed for broadcast advertising and containing such advertising matter shall not be broadcast more than once from any one station. Except where special permission has been given by the Commission, the amount of advertising matter of all kinds contained in programs broadcast from Canadian stations shall not exceed 5 per cent of the time of any program period, for example — in a quarter hour program, forty-five seconds only may be given up to advertising matter. No station shall broadcast advertising spot announcements between the hours of 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. No advertising spot announcement shall exceed one hundred words. Spot announcements shall not total more than three minutes in any one hour. U S. RETAIL MARKET DAYTIME POWER The ONLY High-Powered Broadcaster on MORE THAN ONE-FOURTH of the Radio Dial Canadian Program Regulations . . . Page 32 BROADCASTING • June 1, 1933