[comradio-l] Fwd: CRTC DECISION PROVIDES BOOST

[CMA-L]

For Immediate Release:

CRTC DECISION PROVIDES BOOST FOR CAMPUS-COMMUNITY RADIO, BUT A LOT OF
WORK STILL TO BE DONE

A First for the Sector: $775K annually from broadcasting industry

Ottawa, July 22, 2010 -- The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) is
pleased to announce that the campus and community radio sector will
receive vital funding following the decision released today by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on
the Review of the Campus and Community Radio Policies.

The Commission approved part of the CRFC’s request for mandatory funding
from the private broadcasting sector through contributions to the
Canadian Content Development (CCD). Once in place, this will mean that
the CRFC will likely receive $775,000 annually. This funding will then
be distributed through the CRFC’s programs to more than 140 stations and
their representative associations.

"This is a encouraging step in funding for the sector,” said CRFC
President Ian Pringle. “With this funding, we will be able to begin
providing more meaningful support to stations across the country as they
work to better serve their communities, tackle the challenges of
21st-century broadcasting in innovative ways and give voice to Canada’s
diverse experience where it is the richest – at the local level.”

Since its inception in 2007, the CRFC has already distributed more than
$300,000 to support 42 local programming and training initiatives across
the country. From youth radio camps, to a series about local history, to
training immigrant women to tell their own stories, these projects have
had immediate and direct impact for stations and Canadian communities.

The CRFC thanks the Commission for recognizing the importance of campus
and community stations, both in the broadcasting system and for
Canadians. With this funding, our stations will be able to better serve
their local communities by producing strong locally relevant Canadian
content.

However, this funding is just a start in helping the CRFC fulfill its
mandate. Pringle notes: “We did not get everything we asked for, but
this decision remains a step forward in the growth of community
programming. There is a lot of work still to be done, and we are ready
to take it on.”

The CRFC also believes that this funding will have a significant and
meaningful impact on the promotion of local Canadian talent. For
decades, our stations have been committed to providing exposure and
airplay emerging, independent, local, and/or niche musicians. By
strengthening campus and community stations, the Commission and the
private broadcasters are also directly contributing to the Canadian
music industry.

For more information about the CRFC, please visit:

http://www.communityradiofund.org/

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Media contacts:

Ian Pringle, President
604-775-8235 or 778-889-4426, president at communityradiofund.org

Melissa Kaestner, Executive Director
613-321-3513 or 613-276-7440, m.kaestner at communityradiofund.org