April 22nd Dead-line for Montrealers to Endorse Vision of Citizen-Centred Media
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Mon, 2014-04-14 15:28.Ottawa (April 14, 2014) Montrealers have one more week to support a refreshing vision of truly citizen-centred TV and media. The CRTC is considering an application by a group calling itself Independent Community TV (ICTV) Montreal, to replace the all-professional Videotron MAtv brand with a community channel that really would be run by and for the community. The group’s plan is not just for a traditional TV-only platform but for a multimedia training and distribution hub at the centre of a network of neighbourhood locations. Montrealers of all stripes could access the latest in digital media equipment and training. The bold plan would encourage bilingual content where the public could contribute either as producers or as ‘viewers’ at home or on the go, uploading text, audio or video in an evolving conversation about their city. Sabine Friesinger, the spokesperson for the group of academics, journalists and community groups elaborated, “The discussion of the day could be the arts, politics, the environment, urban renewal, or whatever the community brings to the table.”
The budget to offer these rich media training and delivery services already exists. Montreal cable subscribers pay an average of more than $1 on every cable bill for ‘community TV’, but Videotron’s MAtv channel offers virtually no training or access to the general public nor any content for anglophones, Aboriginals, third-language and ethnic communities. Few Montrealers watch the channel, according to BBMs published by the CRTC in 2010.
CRTC policy states that if the cable company is not offering access to the public (at least 45% of the air time, training, and equitable access to all community members) a not-for-profit group can apply to run the channel using the cable budget.
The Community TV Trade in Canada
This is a community television history extending from West Kootenay Television in 1971 through ICTV in East Vancouver in 1997 up to Campbell River being taken over by Shaw in 2009. The Kelowna CRTC hearing where C.M.E.S. Community Media Education Society applied to provide independent volunteer-oriented channels in BC and Alberta, after TELUS said it did not plan to offer community programming, is covered in detail.
Csur la télé, une télévision à l’image de sa communauté!
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Fri, 2014-02-28 22:36.
CACTUS has been pleased to welcome CSUR La Télé as a member. CSUR is the first community production group in Quebec to join CACTUS.
CSUR is available to Videotron and Cogeco cable subscribers in Vaudreuil-Soulanges (the southwestern part of Montreal) as well as live over the Internet.
CSUR's parent organization (organized as a co-op not-for-profit) also offers rural highspeed Internet.
To check out CSUR's programming and activities, click here:
CSUR sent us the following update in April:
"Fondée depuis le 14 mars 2010, la Coop de solidarité Csur la télé est en opération dans la région de Vaudreuil-Soulanges à l’ouest de Montréal dans la province du Québec.
Notre mission ; produire des émissions POUR PAR et AVEC la communauté. Comme son nom l’indique, Csur la télé est une coopérative de solidarité de télévision communautaire sans but lucratif. Une première au Québec!
Diffusée sur deux canaux; Vidéotron et Cogeco, Csur la télé a parié d’investir dans les nouveaux médias et de prendre d’assaut les réseaux sociaux tels Facebook, YouTube et Twitter et d’être compatible avec Apple Airplay. Vous pouvez voter sur notre site web et y laisser votre appréciation. On compte déjà plus de 400 000 visiteurs!
La région de Vaudreuil-Soulanges vit un boom démographique époustouflant et fait face à plusieurs défis, entre autre reliés à la langue. L’une des particularités de la région est la cohabitation entre francophones et anglophones.
*Nouveauté* Csur la télé a mis sur pied un projet pilote d’un bulletin hebdomadaire bilingue qui traite des nouvelles locales. Les sujets traités sont des exemples authentiques démontrant à quel point la culture vibre sous toutes ses langues.
En effet, le respect mutuel et amical s’étend au-delà de toute plate-forme politique.
Municipal World Article:
An article written by Catherine Edwards about the potential role of public libraries as the nuclei for the digital community media centres of the future.
CMES Community Media Education Society
CMES analyzes community TV and media policy. It was formed in association with ICTV which is the former VanEast neighbourhood community TV office in Vancouver. ICTV produces several shows including the interview series, After Hours.
CACTUS Intervention Against Separate Community Channels in Fredericton and Saint John
CACTUS Intervention Against Rogers' Application to the CRTC to Spend 4% of its revenues in Fredericton and Saint John on dual English and French community channels.
CACTUS Intervention Against Bell Moving Away from Linear Community Channel
CACTUS' intervention against an application by Bell to the CRTC to allocate part of its local expression spending toward an Internet platform, and away from a linear community channel.
CACTUS Intervention Against Separate Anglophone and Francophone Community Channels in Montreal
CACTUS intervened against Videotron's application to the CRTC to use 4% of its revenues in the Greater Montreal area to offer dual community channels, one in English and one in French.
Bell's Application for Bilingual Community Channels in Ottawa and Montreal
CACTUS' intervention to Bell's application to retain 4% of its revenues to offer bilingual community channels in Ottawa and Montreal.
