OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC wants to hear Canadians’ views on local and community programming.
On Tuesday the Commission opened an online discussion forum, available now through February 3, to allow Canadians to comment on its new working document based on initial feedback from its review of local and community programming that kicked off last September.
The working document contains proposals such as a fund to support local news and incentives to broadcast professional local news on community channels in markets where there is no over-the-air television, but cautioned that it is only to providing possible approaches to stimulate discussion and debate.
“The Commission is also open to any other proposal that would move towards a rebalancing both of the financing available to each of the broadcasting system’s elements and their responsibilities with a view to ensuring that Canadians in all markets receive a sufficient level of high-quality local news, information and other programming on the most appropriate platform”, it reads. “The Commission will place special emphasis on initiatives that seize opportunities offered by digital platforms for dissemination, discoverability and, where applicable, monetization.”
The online forum poses questions around the role local and community programming plays in the lives of Canadians through questions including:
– Do you consider that local events in your area are sufficiently covered on television, in terms of quantity and quality? If not, give us ideas of what could be done to improve such coverage;
– What information sources, other than local TV, do you consult to stay informed of local events and why?
– What type of programming available on the community channel is of interest to you and why?
– What could be done to improve your community channel? For example, should community channels operating in smaller markets broadcast professional local news to ensure that they cater to the diverse needs of their communities?
“To ensure that all Canadians be well-informed, fully-engaged members of their communities, we must make sure not only that local and community television is viable, but also that it adapts to the digital age in which we are living and where we are bombarded with both information and content”, said CRTC chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Blais, in a statement. “Please join us on the discussion forum and share your views to help us revitalize local and community programming.”
The oral public hearing portion of the policy review will begin January 25 in Gatineau.
