Chapter 9: The State of the System – Community, Local and Regional Broadcasting

Community Broadcasting

In this chapter, the Lincoln Report describes the difficulties and challenges faced by community broadcasters and how they have come to meet their requirements to maintain their license as community broadcasters. This chapter also explains how the CRTC has taken an active role in policy-making. In 2002, according to the Lincoln Report, the CRTC wrote a television policy document describing the roles of the community broadcaster and the regulations bound to it. In this document, they determine the requirement of the community broadcaster based on the assumptions that the community broadcaster will also air conventional broadcasting content. According to the CRTC, community broadcasting is a realm of broadcasting that encourages free expression and cultural practice. To accommodate the rise in community broadcasts, the Commission created a class of community-based television they called Community-based television programming undertakings. While the commission only requires that BDUs contribute 5% of their annual revenues to the Canadian Television Fund, community broadcasters may only contribute between 2-5%, depending on their annual revenues.

While conventional BDUs have shareholders to respond to and address their concerns in an immediate fashion, community BDUs have instead volunteers that comprise of an important and highly integral factor in the success of those broadcasters. However, according to witness statements gathered by the Lincoln Report, concerns about the increasing professional pressures placed on community BDUs is taking a toll on volunteering opportunities and citizen involvement.

In terms of radio policy, the Commission has deemed it appropriate for community radio be transmitted in a fashion that would promote community concerns exclusively. However, it must be diverse. In order for radio broadcasters to be served under the policy act, they must satisfy two types: 1) that their broadcast will be in the sole language of that community and 2) that their language will have another competing radio broadcaster in the same market.

Local broadcasting, according to the CRTC is defined as a broadcaster that meets three requirements: 1) programming be drawn from regional, local, national, and international sources, 2) carry local stations and give priority to them, 3) set goals to meet the requirements of the broadcasting act and policies arranged for the success of community programming.

According to the CRTC, local television station is defined as an over-the-air broadcast undertaking that is received by an audience a particular distance away from the source of the transmission signal, that is 15 km. In terms of radio policy, the CRTC expects that relevant material to be broadcasted through local communities. However, concentration of media ownership has prompted concern over the expected requirements that local/community radio/television stations must maintain. As such, the CRTC has now regulated the number of cross-ownerships.