1. Why Children’s TV is Important and How Advertising Can Help
CBC and Children’s TV
Nancy (Yuan Si) Jiang
2. CBC Mandate
▪ should provide radio and television services featuring programming that informs,
enlightens and entertains
▪ Programming should:
▪ be predominantly and distinctively Canadian, reflect Canada and its regions to
national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those
regions,
▪ actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression,
▪ be in English and in French,
▪ Be equivalent quality in English and French,
▪ contribute to shared national consciousness and identity,
▪ be made available throughout Canada, and
▪ reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada.
3. What we know…
▪ Reduced government
appropriation by $115 million
▪ Projected $200 million
financial pressure
4. The CBC Plan?
▪ Reduce, reduce, reduce:
– 657 job cuts (next two years) = 8% of total work force
– No longer competing for rights for professional sports broadcasting
– Bold, a CBC specialty digital TV channels, on sale
▪ Including…
– Cancellation of the planned launch of a kids digital TV channel
5. CBC should not cancel kids Digital TV
▪ CBC needs to be progressive, not reactive
▪ Kids Digital TV is a window of opportunity:
▪ To fulfill their mandate
▪ To attract younger viewers
▪ To continue supporting Canadian programming
▪ To increasing revenue through introducing advertisement on Kids TV
6. CBC's Children's department
Currently…
▪ Cut backs/Cancellation of CBC Kids Digital
Channel, children programming, children
online services
▪ Promoter of Canadian content
▪ “Whole Child” focus
▪ Promoter of Gender equality
▪ Ad-free
Suggest for the future
▪ Introduce CBC Kids Digital Channel
▪ Improve and maintain CBC Kids web presence
▪ Aggressively market CBC Kids Digital as the trustworthy,
wholesome, educational choice to parents
▪ Continue featuring Canadian Content
▪ Maintain “Whole Child” focus
▪ Promoter of gender equality
▪ Develop children’s advertising policy
▪ Introduce ads on CBC Kids Digital Channel
7. Moving Content Online
The percentage of Canadians
with access to the internet
continues to rise.
69% of connected households
used more than one type of device
to go online in 2012.
8. A Continual Need for CBC Web Presence
“Recognising the need for
Canadian public spaces in the
online environment, the
Committee recommends that
CBC/Radio-Canada continue to
develop its Internet presence
and to make its content
accessible online for
Canadians.”
- The Standing Committee on
Canadian Heritage, the 6th
Report
9. Concerns about Advertising to Kids
1. Advertising is harmful to children’s developmental health
American Academy of Pediatrics:
• the average child watches about four hours of television a day and sees more
than 20,000 commercials each year
American Psychology Association:
• age 6 and under: cannot distinguish between programming and advertising
• age 8 and under: do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising
Children’s advertising is correlated with:
• Youth obesity
• Diminished creativity
• Increased risk for eating disorders … and much more.
10.
11.
12. Corus Strategy Focus:
Improving the lives of Canadian children by supporting
programs that encourage childhood development through
play, physical activity, arts and entertainment.
Improving the lives of Canadian women and their families by
supporting programs and initiatives that offer training, skills
development and tools that enhance the economic and
personal independence of women.
Yet…
Bottom line is to make profit.
13. Advertising
“Advertising is the paid, impersonal, one-way marketing of persuasive
information from an identified sponsor disseminated through channels
of mass communication to promote the adoption of goods, services or
ideas.”
- Dr. Anthony Curtis, University of North Carolina
• Advertising is not evil
• Advertising need regulation
• CBC can create responsible policy to regulate children’s Digital Channel
14. Fiske, Hegemony, and the Media
How it influences advertising techniques
John Fiske: The Jeaning of America
Advertising closely follow the direction of the values of their intended market.
Who sets the values of advertisers’ intended market?
Logic 1:
1) The elite, which has access to the media, can use it to set the agenda.
2) Media influences perceptions of reality, norms, and values.
3) CBC, as a broadcaster, have access to the media.
4) CBC can influence viewers’ perceptions.
To Restate, CBC has a role in creating the proper environment for advertising to work
within. Advertisement does not set the agenda.
15. Logic 2:
1. CBC demonstrate to parents that it’s children’s programming is THE choice for
imparting Canadian values and educational knowledge
2. CBC follows mandate and provides quality Canadian children’s programming
3. Quality programming + parental preference = more youth viewers
4. Children, who are easily influenced, learn and adopt the values of CBC shows
5. CBC youth viewership becomes substantial= growth in advertisement interest
in CBC
6. CBC has well-developed Children’s advertising policy
7. To advertise on CBC and appeal to CBC youth audience, advertisers will
naturally modify their ad content
AKA: We can make CBC cool.
16. Advertising is (currently) Necessary for Survival
56%
4%
20%
5%
9%
6% Parliamentary appropriation for operations
Additional non-recurring funding
Advertising and program sales
Other financing income
CBC Newsworld, RDI, Galaxie, and
CBC Country Canada
Amortisation of deferred capital funding
CBC/Radio-Canada: A $1.6B Corporation
(item not affecting current operating funds)
Revenues and operating sources of funds - CBC|Radio-Canada 2007-2008 (millions of dollars)
In 2007-08, 20% of total CBC
Revenue was advertising.
Currently, zero
advertising on
CBC/Radio-Canada
would result in a $533M
financial impact.
17. Conclusion: CBC will be different
1. The CBC Mandate takes precedence
2. Advertising on Children’s Digital Channel is secondary and
supplementary to improving and providing quality Canadian
content
3. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s future
4. CBC internet presence will help CBC stay current
Lastly, a reminder:
For best results, this approach needs to be used in
conjunction with other initiatives.
AKA Mandate > Revenue
Barbar and the adventures of Badou in 2010
Program is created by Nelvana
Distributed on YTV and Treehouse
Products in 2012
Jeans are marketed differently depending on their audience. For example, to appeal to certain Americans, generic jeans are presented as “free” and “country” and “the west nature” whereas designer jeans are marketed as “upscale”, “leisure”, and “contemporary”.
