Over 50 Ethnic Communities in Canada at Risk of Losing their Television Programs due to Government's Inaction

TORONTO, June 13, 2024 /CNW/ - The creators of community television programming in Ukrainian, Korean, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish, Iranian, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Czech, Tagalog, Somali and many other communities are facing closure unless the government immediately opens doors to funding for independent third-language producers.

Independent third-language producers of programs for the OMNI channel are currently airing public service announcements urging the government to provide immediate funding to save independent ethnic community television in Canada.

The campaign titled 'This Show is Made with Zero Support from the Government was launched in reaction to the government's inaction. The producers emphasize that revenues generated from advertisements are insufficient to maintain quality coverage of topics significant to their communities. Unlike English and French-language independent producers, they do not have access to existing funding mechanisms like the Canada Media Fund (CMF).

"Politicians and government like to talk about diversity, but the shocking paradox is that in a country as diverse as Canada, programs like ours receive absolutely no government support," said Kiu Rezvanifar, President of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association and producer of two weekly programs targeting the Iranian community.

"Many of us are wondering if we shall be closing this summer. Because of that, in the past few months, my colleagues and I have discussed the lack of access to funding directly with more than twenty officials from the Department of Canadian Heritage. We spent many hours talking and explaining the challenges we face. However, it feels that the Canadian Heritage officials don't take ethnic community television seriously and are deaf to our calls for a lifeline," said Igor Malakhov, producer and editorial director of TV Vestnik.ca (a weekly show in Russian).

Some ethnic television producers have 30 years of experience presenting television programming targeting underserved communities whose language of comfort is neither English nor French, providing critical access to news and information that fosters engagement in Canadian society and preserves cultural traditions.

"Our shows serve those who can't attend community events and newcomers seeking to connect with their culture. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, we provided vital health information to many voiceless communities who would not have had access to important information intended to protect and support their communities. There is also a big difference between locally produced content and satellite television from the country of cultural origin," said Kiu Rezvanifar.

"One in three Canadians report being ethnic Canadians, and one in four Canadians speak a language at home other than French or English. The systematic marginalization and lack of support for this ethnic media sector contradict the official policy of multiculturalism, which is cemented in legislation and our constitution, and is contrary to the spirit and reality of Canadian diversity," stated Madeline Ziniak, C.M., O.Ont., Chair of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association.

"We are urging the government to recognize the crucial role independent ethnic community television producers play by directing the CMF to allocate a minimum of $6 million of its existing funding per year to local ethnic and third-language productions that support informational community programming. Without immediate and meaningful support, the rich tapestry of ethnic media in Canada is at risk of unraveling," said Kiu Rezvanifar.

Interesting Facts about Diversity in the Canadian Television sector:

62 independently produced third-language community programs are currently airing on OMNI

$0 funding is available to independently produced ethnic community television programs in Canada

$336m were allocated by CMF to support Canada's television and digital media industry inn 2023-24

Only 0.0128% of CMF's funds were allocated for the 'Diverse Languages' program ($4.3m)

Only 7 companies benefited from the CMF's 'Diverse Languages' program in the past year 

$35m were assigned for staff retention by ethnic media in New York State and to pay half of a reporter's salary (up to $68,000 each year) with a cap of $410,000 per newsroom in this year's New York State budget

Bill C-11 unequivocally mandates the government to uphold and bolster the production and broadcasting of content in a multitude of languages, reflecting the diverse ethnocultural composition of Canadian society.

Links to campaign spots:

Spot A: https://youtu.be/lJ4fzII_og4

Spot B: https://youtu.be/ANXS4GLiex4

Links to campaign website:

https://EmpowerEthnicMedia.org/

SOURCE Canadian Ethnic Media Association

For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Kiu Rezvanifar, President, the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA), Executive Producer of Iran Zameen and Pasargad Today (OMNI): [email protected]; Igor Malakhov, Editorial Director, The Russian Herald of Toronto, TV vestnik.ca, (OMNI): [email protected]