by Cathy Edwards
The Alternative Media Assembly at the People’s Social Forum (PSF) held in Ottawa last month provided an opportunity for the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) to meet and receive feedback and tactical support from those interested in the future of community radio and television in Canada.
CACTUS promotes community media as an open-access platform for all, with a specific media literacy mandate to reach out to marginalized groups and help them develop their voices.
In light of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) intention to review both community TV and community radio policy in 2015 or 2016, CACTUS is organizing a conference with the primary goal of bringing together industry stakeholders, the public, academics, government agencies and community media practitioners in order to discuss and design digital-age appropriate policy for community media.
A secondary goal for the conference is to encourage Canada’s fledgling community TV sector by hosting professional development opportunities and giving awards to deserving parties. There are currently only nine independent community TV channels outside cable company control and much knowledge needs to be shared to rebuild Canada’s capacity in this sector.
Community TV has fallen far behind text and radio. No national AGM or industry conference has been held for the sector in more than a decade. In comparison, the NCRA brings together community and campus radio stations on a regular basis and public-access TV in the United States is also regularly united through the Alliance for Community Media.
A third goal for this first conference is to explore cross-sector issues and convergence and pursue policies which would remove barriers between allies. The CRTC and provincial ministries such as Quebec’s Ministry of Culture currently regulate community radio and television separately and this has created barriers and inconsistencies in relation to funding and distribution.
The conference CACTUS aims to organize is a community-media development conference. All are welcome, and input is necessary from all in order to rebuild the nation’s capacity to provide spaces where ordinary citizens have a voice and can get the media literacy training they need to participate fully in the democratic, economic, social, and cultural fabric of their communities and of our country.
This article first appeared in the Leveller Vol. 7, No. 1
