As the national voice of Canada’s private broadcasters, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is disappointed that the announced Online News Act regulations do not reflect the significant role private broadcasters of all sizes play in the Canadian news marketplace.
“The Online News Act is one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the critical mission of supporting news in this country,” says CAB President Kevin Desjardins. “There needs to be more urgent action taken to support broadcast news if we are to have a healthy journalism ecosystem that can continue to adequately keep Canadians informed.”
Commercial radio and TV stations, while being Canadians’ largest source for news, continue to be overlooked for critical supports for the news sector, including the Canadian journalism labour tax credit.
The division of funds outlined in the regulations released today does not align with each sector’s respective investment in news, nor with Canadians’ patterns of consumption. According to research undertaken by Communications Management Inc., private TV broadcasters are the largest financial contributors to news.
“All news organizations, regardless of their origin, now exist in an online, multimedia universe,” says Desjardins. “Canada’s private broadcasters need equitable supports to continue to provide important, fact-based reporting that is trusted by the communities they serve.”