Summary of Recommendations

Report of the Nordicity Group Ltd.
Approaches to Violence in Television Programming'
Review of Submissions in Response to CRTC Notice of Public Hearing 1995-5
July 1995
Republished with permission

In September and October 1995, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will conduct regional consultations and a public hearing on violence in television programming, specifically to seek ways to protect children from TV violence.

To prepare for the hearing, the CRTC solicited comments from the public on these issues and requested feedback on the four-point approach that it proposes to counter TV violence in Canada. This approach includes:

• self-regulation by the broadcasting industry;
• a national programming classification system;
• empowerment of consumers through technology; and
• media literacy and public awareness programs.

The announcement of the consultations and hearing responds to a variety of anti-violence initiatives undertaken by the public, special interest and advocacy groups, the federal government, and the broadcasting industry. These include:

• the Larivière petition signed by 1.3 million Canadians which called for a ban on television violence;
• the 1993 Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Communications and Culture which called for a full review of the media's portrayal of violence;
• the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, adoption of a revised Voluntary Code regarding Violence in Television Programming in 1993;
• the creation of the Action Group on Violence on Television (AGVOT) in 1993 which represents all components of the broadcasting industry and is developing a multi-faceted strategy to address TV violence; and
• the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council's 1994 decision that the children's program "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" violated the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' violence code.

Section 2 of this report contains a general summary of all the submissions received.

View full report (PDF)

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