OTTAWA – A coalition of media stakeholders has published a draft report calling for a more coherent approach to community media in the digital environment.
The report, Community Media in the Digital Era: Relic or Renewal, is based on an online survey and focus groups that were conducted in August and September of this year. There were 419 respondents to the survey from 152 communities in all ten provinces, the Yukon and NWT, and over half were from urban centres.
Highlights from the report include:
– Most respondents were aware of a community media organization in their communities. Community newspapers had the highest profile, followed by campus and community radio, and community television;
– 86% of respondents indicated that they access community media at least once per week, and almost half of respondents said that they access community media on a daily basis;
– An overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that community media in their area provide a platform for artistic and cultural expression, advertise local events, provide visibility to community groups, provide media training, provide alternative points of view, and provide communication services that strengthen the community;
– Respondents were nearly unanimous (96%) in their support for the continued need for formal policies and financial support for community media going forward, despite the prevalence of the Internet and social media as platforms for individual self-expression;
The Community Media Policy Working Group said that the data will be used to help generate new proposals to support community media, and will form the basis of a submission to the CRTC in advance of its upcoming review of local and community TV regulations. It will also figure prominently in next month’s Community Media Convergence conference.
