CRTC should start with defining community radio and its objectives, says community and campus radio

The future of community radio came into focus at a CRTC hearing Monday, where community radio representatives said new media cannot be their replacement and that the CRTC should start with a good definition of the sector and its objectives. Brian Burchell, station manager and CEO of University of Toronto Community Radio, argued that community radio has often been defined by what it is not, as opposed to what it is. “It’s a bit like being the middle child and being described as the one that is not as responsible as your big sister, and not as cute as your little brother,” he said before the commission. Burchell went on to say that community radio’s primary objective, as it is defined by the CRTC, is to be different than commercial or public radio. The commission’s definition of the sector should highlight the importance of community ownership and access. A joint submission from the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA), the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada, and the Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Quebec, supported Burchell’s proposal. The NCRA stated in its written submission that “defining a station should be based less on the station’s on-air content, and more on its role in the community as an institution that fills the needs of the community it serves.” The NCRA took issue with the different definitions of campus and community radio. According to the CRTC, there are currently two types of community radio stations: Type A and Type B. Type A stations must ensure that 15 per cent of their weekly content is spoken word, and Type B stations must ensure 25 per cent. The NCRA recommended that the spoken word requirements for both types of stations be harmonized at 15 per cent because smaller stations with fewer resources have difficulty producing enough local spoken word content each week. Burchell said that he sees new media as an adjunct to his station’s core programming. The Internet, he said provides value when it comes to creating archives of old programs that listeners can access on demand. Although social networking can drive listeners to the station’s terrestrial signal, not many people listen to the station’s streaming broadcast on their websites, he said. The University of Ottawa’s CHUO station manager Stephanie Kepman appeared before the commission, arguing that community and campus radio is not ready to abandon terrestrial radio for new media. Community terrestrial radio still serves its communities, she said. Many listeners do not have access to online media, Kepman added, while most people have access to a radio. In its submission, to the commission, the NCRA said that “arriers to access may include poverty, disabilities, and remote locations without affordable access to high speed Internet. Many listeners also prefer listening to the radio at home, in their cars, or using portable devices.” In a discussion over the spectrum scarcity issue, the NCRA proposed that the CRTC reserve frequencies in communities that are not yet served by campus or community radio stations. The association noted that it was most important to protect low power stations that have been bumped from the airwaves in the past when competitors with more powerful signals entered their markets. Representatives from community and campus radio said the sector has always suffered from funding shortfalls. The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) is proposing greater funding through a national community radio skills development program. “CHUO feels that funding for the CRFC should be coming from the commercial sector, who are regularly eating up spectrum space and limiting access to community media,” Kepman said. The CFRC is scheduled to appear before the commission Wednesday, where it is expected to argue that it should receive Canadian Content Development (CCD) funding like the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR). Under this program, Canadian private broadcasters are required by law to give a small portion of their revenues toward the CCD. The CFRC currently only receives voluntary donations from the private sector. The mandatory requirements would ensure a more secure flow of funding, it argues. The Wire Report contacted the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) for comment late Monday, but no one was immediately available. The CAB and other commercial broadcasters are scheduled to appear before the commission Tuesday. The CAB said in its CRTC submission that it opposes the CRFC’s funding proposal and that the commission “must not take steps that will further jeopardize the financial health” of the commercial radio sector.

CRTC should start with defining community radio and its objectives, says community and campus radio

Broadcast | January 18, 2010

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