NCRA concerned new fund will only help commercial broadcasters

    Tuesday, 12 November 2024 07:00

    By Tonya Organ

    Barry Rooke is the Executive Director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association. Rooke says broadcasters have been saying for years that they need support with news production but they get tax breaks and other supports.

    Meanwhile, the fund proposed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters for local radio news will only support commercial radio stations. This means community or campus and Indigenous radio stations will be left out. Barry Rooke is the Executive Director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association. This not for profit sector is an area that needs support which the NCRA gets through the Community Radio Initiative. Rooke says broadcasters have been saying for years that they need support with news production but they get tax breaks and other supports. He says the Local Journalism Initiative is a good start but not a solution for this sector. Rooke says the focus is on news deserts and funding is from the Canadian Heritage program under the Periodical Fund. He says in many cases with commercial radio stations, they are not in the towns they say they are. Rooke is waiting for more announcements coming from the CRTC.

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