THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TELEVISION

SUPERVISION DEPARTMENT

The mission of CNTV is to take care of the correct operation of the services of television, for which it must oversee and control the content of their broadcasting in accordance with the rules in the law. By correct operation of the television services the law understands the permanent respect, in its programming, to own the moral and cultural values of the Nation; to the dignity of the people; to the protection of the family; pluralism; democracy; peace; environmental protection, the spiritual and intellectual education of the childhood and youth within such  framework of values. In addition to these values of universal acceptance, there are certain more specific contents of the correct operation whose exhibition in screen can be sanctioned: excessive violence, truculence, pornography and the participation of minors in acts on bad terms with the moral. Each one of these concepts were defined by the Council in the "General Norms on Contents of the Emissions of Television", (adopted in session of  5 of August of  1993 and published in the Official Gazette on August 20, 1993)

The Council also has dictated Special Norms, published in the same date, whose central objective is the protection of the children and youth. Among them it can be mentioned: the films described for 18 years old and older by the Council of Cinematographic Qualification only can only be shown  between the 22:00 and the 06:00 hours; the transmission of publicity of alcohol and tobaccos can be made solely to after the 22:00 pm and to until 06:00 am; all publicity use and drug consumption is prohibited; the services of television are forced to daily indicate and to clearly way the hour in which they can begin to broadcast films described for 18 years old and older.  Nevertheless, the National Council of Television cannot take part in the programming of the television services, but only make a later control. It can not have, consequently, censure television, understood as previously revised material that will be exhibited.

Forms to guard by correct operation

On own initiative

The work methodology of the Department of Supervision is oriented by two basic objectives: to focus the effort in the programs that have been detected like potentially conflicting with the effective legal dispositions and to give a vision of context of the programming.

From that perspective, Supervision Reports of Open Television and Television by Cable are made periodically giving account of specific emissions that in their contents presents some level of conflict with the legal norm. In addition, screen analyses and tendencies are made that give account of diverse aspects and approaches of the audio-visual phenomenon. Some of them are the Statistical Information of Opened Television, the Barometers of Violence and Quality, Gender Reports, etc.

Complains from privates

The law establishes that any private person can denounce before the Council the infraction to the norms of correct operation and the exhibition of excessive violence, truculence, pornography and participation of minors in acts hard-fought with moral and good manners. The Special Norms dictated by the Council, on the other hand, indicate that the requirements of the complaints: must be formulated in writing; must indicate the Channel and program that is denounced; the day and approximated hour of broadcasting; and to specify the reason of complain. The denouncer, naturally, must individualize itself and the complains must be set up within the ten following days of the program broadcasting.

Proceedings 

Once the Council has taken knowledge from an apparent infraction to the norm that governs the activity on television, and then formulates the corresponding charges. The concessionaire has 5 days to present their discharges and to ask for proof.  Overcome that period of time, with or without discharges and having itself decreed and rendered proof or not, the Council must solve without more proceedings. In case of a sanction being applied, the respective resolution is notified through certified mail.

The resolution that imposes the admonition, fines or suspension of transmissions is appealable before the Court of Appeals of Santiago and in case of declaration of the expiration of a concession is appealable before the Supreme Court. Sanctions for the infractions to the norms of the law and to which the Council in use of his faculties dictates can be sanctioned, according to their gravity, with:

- Admonition 
- Fine from 20 to 200 UTM
- Suspension of the transmissions until by a term of seven days, treating of serious and reiterated infractions.
- Expiration of concessionaire's right.

DEPARTMENT OF STUDIES (1992 - 2008)

The central objective of the Department of Studies is to develop and to foment the investigation and discussion on the impact of the television in the Chilean society, providing information and data to those who make decisions, as much at level of the State industries alike, as well as to the different television consumers, which in the way to grant the necessary tools for an informed debate respect to the subject. From its beginnings, in 1992, this department have been making different studies through qualitative and quantitative methodologies, among which surveys are emphasized, focal groups and analysis of content. The previous thing has allowed to gather and to systematize a great amount of information and to arrive at an important level of television knowledge, particularly with regard to its supplies and public. This information it has been contributed to the regulatory work of the Council and they have been identified, in addition, those subjects that are from greater interest for the public opinion, those that really have been orienting our main lines of investigation and action in the last years:

1. Violence: after the audience’s main concern in this subject, 15 years ago the CNTV focused great part of  work from Studies to the investigation of the subject of the violence on TV. The first great study in this matter was done  in 1998 with the publication of the report Five Studies on Violence and Television in Chile, whose objective was to generate knowledge on the quantity, nature and distribution of the violence on TV in our country.

In the last years, one of the most outstanding instruments in this subject are the denominated Barometers of Violence, whose objective is to examine how much violence there is on open TV, where it is located, how it appears and which is its intensity. This analysis of some of the main televising sorts were put under: soap operas, films, cartoons and news.

2. Television and children: this is another one of the great subjects that the Department of Studies has been investigating in the last 15 years. In one first instance, we worked with children of 3 and 14 years old observing his daily activities in the home and place where the television is placed.  During the first years of the decade of  90’ an important base of information was collected that would be used for the design of future studies. Towards 90’ there were diverse studies about habits of television consumption, the programmatic preferences were developed the level of understanding of those that watch in television, the emotional impact and the influence of the television like educative instrument, among others. Among the most outstanding investigations in this line, in the last years, appear two great studies:

"Report 8/13: “The Chilean Tweens” (2003): a new category of teenagers boys located between 8 and 13 years old, characterized to handle great amount of information and to show opinions differentiated clearly from the youngest children and the world that surrounds them.

"Report 13/17: “Chilean Teenagers"(2005): similarly to the previous one, this report researched the views that this segment had on television and the world that surrounded it. Both studies were made together with the advertisement agency McCann-Erickson and the research company “Research Chile”.  In 2007 we have done the research of the Toons, between 0 and 6 years of age and that have become a segment very faithful to television programs and for which there is less supply.

In this same line, from 1998 the CNTV has been dedicated to evaluate the children programming on the basis of standardized instruments, in order to contribute with conceptual proposals for the improvement in the supply of quality,  in order to propitiate the development of programs that contribute with entertainment, positive messages and lessons in different aspects of  interests for the life of the children and children of the country.

Until the moment four measurements have been developed; the last one of them corresponds to the report "Barometer of the Quality of the Children Programming in the Chilean Open Television" (2005), that evaluates the quality of the programs distinguishing two great dimensions: a substantive one or of contents, and another technique or of format.

In connection with the previous matter, the aim of Television and Education is to know and to exploit the use of the educative programming in the school, viewing television as possible collaborator in the education of children and young people.

From this approach diverse initiatives have been developed, in agreement with different institutions related to the subject. Specially the Project of Educative Television "Novasur", the first educative television channel in Chile. It began in the year 2000 thanks to the effort of the National Council of Television together with diverse institutions of the public and private sector. Its mission is to contribute to improve the quality and the equity of education, according with the Educational Reform, using like main tools television and Internet.

3. Finally, a line of Pursuit of the Public opinion on the television has been made from 1993 every three years and to date, in the accomplishment of five National Surveys of Television, that have gathered systematically antecedents on the state of public opinion about the television in general, the evaluation and levels of satisfaction of the audiences, the opinions on the televising regulation, habits of consumption and other subjects of public interest, like the medial equipment of the Chilean homes.

For greater antecedents and information, the "Fifth National Survey of Television", done in 2005 can be consulted.

Department of Promotion

According with the law that rules the National Council of Television, this organism is having faculties that allows it to make an important promotion work of  television in the country. The previous thing takes shape in three Founds of fiscal resources destined to promote different areas related to the television:

Fund-CNTV
Local Fund
Antennas Fund
CNTV Fund

The National Council of Television gives the most important subsidy at the moment to the national televising production.

The Fund-CNTV is a Fund to Support Televising Programs of High Cultural Level or National or Regional Interest and had its origin in the modification of the Law of the National Council of Television in 1992. In virtue of its and according to letter b) of article 12 of the mentioned law, a fund of resources was created to promote, to finance or to subsidize the production, transmission or diffusion of programs of high cultural level or national or regional interest, thus described by the National Council of Television.

Annually, the budget Law of the Public sector must contemplate the necessary resources for this effect. This law demands that the resources are assigned by means of public competition in whom can participate concessionary of television of free reception and independent producers of the country. In the case of the these last ones, delivery of the resources it is subordinated to the transmission of the program by a concessionaire of free reception is credited. In order to obtain this accreditation, the people in charge of the beneficiary project have a term of 60 days counted from the resolution of the competition.

Increasing Fund-CNTV  (1993-2008)

 

PROGRAMS FINANCED BY THE FUND-CNTV

Local Fund: 
The Fund of Local Production, created in 2002, is destined to finance programs of television of local interest, exclusively broadcasted by channels of free reception and/or concessionaires of limited services of local television (television channels by cable and/or satellite).

The meaning of local channels is that they are those concessionaires of services of Chilean televisions that are not part of interregional networks and transmitted in one region of the country or a maximum of three, counting their headquarter in two neighboring regions.

Fund antennas:
This found responds to the legal faculty of the Council to receive special contributions of the State with the purpose of financing or to subsidize the production, transmission and diffusion of televising programs in those border zones, extreme or separated from the national territory in which, by its distance or small population, does not exist commercial interest that stimulates concessionaires of services of free reception to arrive at these places.

Since 1994 the Council has received and distributed, by means of public competition, these funds of extension.

DEPARTMENT OF CONCESSIONS

Corresponds to the Council to grant, to modify and to put term to the concessions of televising broadcasting of free reception. Also it is incumbent to pronounce itself about the transference, cession, renting or granting of the right of using the concession of televising broadcasting of free reception.

A. Holders of the concessions: legal people from public or private right, constituted in Chile and with address in the country.

B. Duration: 25 years since the 8 of April of 1992. Previously the concessions were granted with indefinite term.

C. Procedure of granting: public competition.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

The department of communications was created in 2001 with the purpose of establishing a more direct link with our public and the communications industry.

In this sense, this department is in charge of the internal and the external communications of our institution.

All the referring about press releases, conferences, seminaries, festivals  is organized through this department.

Regarding the products, CNTV counts with the page Web www.cntv.cl and a magazine that appears once every year where we publish our annual studies with interviews and complementary subjects with the goal  of approaching the information and contributing to an informed debate about this mass media.