According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission [CRTC], it is time that Toronto-based porn-network Channel Zero rise to the challenge, and start presenting its audience with more Canadian material.
On March 5, the CRTC announced a hearing to review an application to change Channel Zero’s ownership structure, but along with the considerations to ownership, the CRTC is also looking to address the pornographic network’s non-compliance with television broadcasting regulations.
Channel Zero, which runs three television stations; AOV Adult Movie Channel, AOV XXX Action Clips and AOV Maleflixxx, is facing heat from the CRTC, and failure to comply with standards could result in a cancellation of the network altogether.
According to the commission, Channel Zero’s three stations are not up to par with national broadcast standards. The issues lie in shows being accused of offering less than the standardized 90 per cent close captioned daytime programming, and an apparent sub-par display of Canadian made content.
In turn, the CRTC requires its television licensees to broadcast a minimum of 35 per cent Canadiana; even if said content is bona-fide pornography.
In their mission statement, the Commission says that they are “dedicated to ensuring that the needs and interests of Canadians are at the centre of the system that provides those services,” promising Canadians the ability to participate and contribute to the content being broadcast nationally.
The CRTC has invited citizens to chime into the discussion surrounding the networks fate, and whether or not the primal moans of Channel Zero should be close captioned, and the crotch-shots more Canadian. The CRTC will be accepting comment until April 4, and then they will proceed to host a hearing on April 28.
This broadcast regulation spanking comes hot on the heels of an article published in February by Dr. David Ley for the journal “Current Sexual Health Reports”. The article is spurring controversy over its outright contest of the legitimacy of porn addictions.
As stated by the study, science behind porn addicts, “fails to meet standards of addiction”. The article cites porn as a “large, lucrative industry”, implying the porn community manipulates the hyper-real concept of porn addictions to profit from quasi-treatments.
People are better off in basing their sexual satisfaction on real experiences, according to Robert Tansley, MSW. “Porn is not real. It takes a week to make a 20 minute porn video,” said Tansley, “ It objectifies women, or men in such a way that your expectations of real people, become unrealistic.”
In regards to addictions, Tansley claims addiction lies in a substance or activities ability to control you. “The danger in not seeing the potential for not seeing a porn addiction is that you have no treatment strategy.”
