From our friends and Partners at the NCRA (National Campus and Community Radio Association)

Community Broadcasting Fund

The future of community broadcasting will rely on stable and consistent funding which can be used to support the daily core operations. Because community radio stations are all not-for-profit entities, every dollar of this support will be reinvested in the communities they serve.

FACTOR and Musicaction collectively rely on nearly $30 million in stable funding to support Canadian artists and they all rely on community radio to break, play and feature the artists they discover. These groups also benefit from CCD (Canadian Content Development) funding to a much greater degree than community stations. Last year, FACTOR and Musicaction received $16.3 million from CCD while community radio stations received $2.8 million. There are over 220 stations in competition for this $2.8 million, and by the terms of the CCD, it can only be used on projects, not operations. Some level of financial support to sustain community stations is reasonable in this context.

We are asking for an annual Community Broadcast Support Fund of $24.2 million dollars which will provide critical support to all 235 community, campus, and Indigenous radio stations.

How can I help?

Glad you asked! You can help CJTR and the broader campus and Community Radio industry by voicing your support to your local member of Parliament. You can copy paste and customize this message, and email it to your local MP which you can find here and CC’ing the following: hon.pablo.rodriguez@pch.gc.ca, chrystia.freeland@fin.gc.ca, minister-ministre@infc.gc.ca, president-presidente@tbs-sct.gc.ca, pm@pm.gc.ca, radius@cjtr.ca

The Message:

Dear MP [Inset Name]

I am an active and dedicated listener to 91.3FM CJTR, Regina Community Radio, located in your riding.  This station provides critical local news, information and entertainment to me which I cannot access through any other medium.  I am writing to ask that you support this very important station that serves this community. You can do so by Establishing a 25 million dollar annual Community Broadcasting Fund to be distributed among all community radio stations, including this one.

Without access to my local community radio station, I would not be able to stay connected to the community that I live in and love.

Thank you;

[Your Name, Your Contact Information, Your location]