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CanCon rules

J

johnbasalla

Rather general questions here from the States. I know that there is Canadian content rules for stations in Canada, but don't know some specifics.

When did CanCon rules take effect?

Have the rules stayed the same or close to the same since the beginning? Was it always 35% Canadian content?

Are there any reasonable chances for content rule changes in the near future?

How did/does CanCon rules effect the radio business in Canada?

How much better or worse would things be, culturally and for business, if there were no CanCon rules?

At any time, did/do broadcasters feel they had/have to add some mediocre or less music to the playlist due to the rules?


Can you name a few major artists who might have been ignored if it were not for CanCon rules?

Thank you in advance.
 
Living near the border of Canada I was introduced to several Canadian rock bands that were never played on stations here in the states such as The Tragically Hip, The Trews, Matthew Good. I have always found it nice that I can hear some different stuff on Canadian radio. But if stations get lazy and play the same stuff just to fill CanCon then it would get annoying.
 
When did CanCon rules take effect? ---> I think it was the 1970's

Have the rules stayed the same or close to the same since the beginning? Was it always 35% Canadian content? ----> Until recent years it was only 30% Canadian.

Are there any reasonable chances for content rule changes in the near future? One could easily see 40% as a possibility, but I sure hope not. I'm trying to fight for the AM side to go down to 20 or 25%, since it's sometimes hard to make money with talk radio, and it's hard enough to get listeners to listen to AM radio as is.

How did/does CanCon rules effect the radio business in Canada?
Ask anyone who owns a border station! (to the States).
It can be a good thing because it secures the fact that a Canadian station won't just toss on an American playlist, but it can be damaging if the listeners prefer more American music over the Canadian sounds that reach their ear.


How much better or worse would things be, culturally and for business, if there were no CanCon rules?
As I've said, no rules means a station can go all American or all British music. That might be okay in it's own unique way, but it can also be damaging too. It means a Canadian radio station no longer needs a music department. They can just rely on sources in other Countries to toss on a play list. The Canadian artists would then have to hope to make it big over there first before doing anything here.
(something like that!)

At any time, did/do broadcasters feel they had/have to add some mediocre or less music to the playlist due to the rules?
That's all a matter of opinion. If anything, it helps the mind get creative in finding Canadian music that blends in with whatever fits the format of a station.
The beautiful thing about the rules, is that it's only dictating percentages, not a specific artist or song, so if a song doesn't sit right, it can be tossed out in favour of something else Canadian.

Can you name a few major artists who might have been ignored if it were not for CanCon rules?

I'm not sure about specific artists, but I do know what might have been a "One hit wonder" group, band, or artist, may have managed to gain a second hit, or at least a second song for radio play
even if the second song never charted, or simply became a "song 41" Can Con filler.

That same "Song 41" (as I like to call it) of a top 40 chart might never have seen the top 100. (if that)
***a "song 41" song can still surface as song 40 once or twice, if at all, but I'm guessing we need a top 50 chart to see where the song really is...

Last, but not least, I have one other very important point to make.
WHY protect JUST the music? Why not protect the radio talent that plays it too?
Less Ryan Seacrest, John Tesh, etc, and more Canadian announcers!
There's some regulation I sure would love to see...


***Also another note about regulations in Canada: Until the late 90's FM radio in Canada was forced to play 49% NON HITS. Doing so, protected the music on AM. (and kept AM top 40 radio alive until 1995 in Toronto, Ontario)
To get around this, a NEW Canadian song did not have to be counted as a hit for the first year of it's release.
 
Quote:
"As I've said, no rules means a station can go all American or all British music."

I would think that a station would go all hit music within their format, no matter where it came from. If all of a sudden there were no Can Con rules, might things stay pretty much the same anyway as Canadian broadcasters are so used to doing it this way. They may view the acquisition and playing of Canadian talent as both good business and good for promotion.
 
spunker88 said:
Living near the border of Canada I was introduced to several Canadian rock bands that were never played on stations here in the states such as The Tragically Hip, The Trews, Matthew Good. I have always found it nice that I can hear some different stuff on Canadian radio. But if stations get lazy and play the same stuff just to fill CanCon then it would get annoying.
Click to expand...

The border works both ways :D. When I got tired of CHEZ 106 spinning a little too much Max Webster, April Wine or BTO, I'd tune into Syracuse's WSYR-FM "94 Rock", with it's blocks of "Southern Fried Rock". No Brian Adams, to mess up the mix there! It was a sad day, in '83, when "94 Rock" flipped to "Y94" and the strains of Barry Manilow drove my listening habits back across the border. CanCon, with its pros & cons, definitely makes tuning in Canadian radio a different listening experience, than that of our American neighbours.

~BG
 
When K-Rock 105.7 launched in Kingston in 2001 I found myself listening to it all the time since I like active rock and most CanCon was new to me, and their 50kw Wolfe Island signal actually covered the Watertown market better than many locals. Along the US side of the St. Lawrence Valley many people have to import their signals from Canada. Ottawa offers many more signals that cover the area well. They even do a better job of bringing TV signals to that area.
 
The CanCon regulations definitely need to be decreased on AM, in fact I would say let it go down to 10%. Unlike stations playing new music, the oldies stations on AM are stuck with playing the same old CanCon over and over. There was The Guess Who, which I don't mind hearing again, but there's also a lot of nobodies that keep getting played over and over.
 
M.J. said:
The CanCon regulations definitely need to be decreased on AM...there's a lot of nobodies that keep getting played over and over.
Click to expand...

Of course, from an American standpoint, how many of these "nobodies" made the Top 40 in Canada? Especially after the "non-hits" clause was lifted?
 
spunker88 said:
Along the US side of the St. Lawrence Valley many people have to import their signals from Canada. Ottawa offers many more signals that cover the area well. They even do a better job of bringing TV signals to that area.
Click to expand...

I wonder if that's a topography thing? Many Ottawa stations (FM & TV) come off of the stick at Camp Fortune, in the Gatineau hills above Ottawa. Having said that, there are a number of American stations which make it into Ottawa, with Canton NY's NCPR outlet, WSLU 89.5, being the more interesting of them.

As for K-Rock, my 'active rock' days are pretty much done, with one of your locals, WJNY 90.9 'Classic FM', being the favourite in our household. Interestingly, with this morning's tropo, Utica's 'Classic FM' outlet, WUNY 89.5, trounced all over the more local WSLU signal.

~BG
 
johnbasalla said:
I would think that a station would go all hit music within their format, no matter where it came from. If all of a sudden there were no Can Con rules, might things stay pretty much the same anyway as Canadian broadcasters are so used to doing it this way. They may view the acquisition and playing of Canadian talent as both good business and good for promotion.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. If there is demand for an all UK dance hits station, that's what will surface. Radio is after all, a business before it can be anything else.
 
It would be interesting to see what would happen if CanCon vanished tomorrow. Would Arcade Fire have had the amount of success that it has had over the past year if it weren't for CanCon?

On the other hand, certain Canadian artists and bands do have followings outside of Canada and the United States, such as Justin Bieber. Some of them would have had success regardless of CanCon.
 
my take:
Being from Buffalo, I personally believe the edge (103.3)WEDG
"unintentionally" fuflills about 25-30% Can-con... as they
dip into Cdn.artists: such as, Our Lady peace, nickleback, the cult,
and a few others. yes it is the same artists, but Im sure a lot
of border towns (on the US) side fulfill the law, when they dont have to -
-
now if more inland stations [non border towns]
didnt have the laws, I think it would be Terrible. In respect to the
stations for most part: as they would just be another clone of
a US counter part. . but on the same note, with the rule,
it "forces" a lot of cdn.stations: all sound the same...

the law is "good" but definately needs some fine tuning.
ie: rules for mixes, qualifications of eligible can-con songs, etc...
 
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