Policy
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.
Paper: "Public-Community Partnerships to Improve Local Media"
Research paper presented by Karen Wirsig of the Canadian Media Guild and Catherine Edwards of the CACTUS at the Journalism Strategies conference at McGill April 19-22, 2012.
An 'Ecology of Games' Approach to Understanding Canadian Community Channel Policy
In 1997, the CRTC de-regulated community access television in Canada, suggesting in its policy that access television, or the project of access television, had been a “success” and that it had “matured” past the point of regulation. In 2002, the CRTC proposed new regulations for community television and called for comments. They received interventions and comments from well over 100 stakeholders. In 2003, the CRTC proposed amendments to the regulations, and in 2004, the proposed regulations were made put into effect.
Using an ‘ecology of games’ approach to policy formation, this paper focuses on the de-regulation, public policy process and re-regulation of community access television in Canada circa 1997 to 2004. The paper explores why access television was de-regulated and how strategies within stakeholder "games" unfolded into the current policy regime.
Our Cultural Sovereignty: The 2nd Century of Canadian Broadcasting
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage report on Canadian broadcasting industry. Comprehensive "snapshot" of radio, television and telecommunications in Canada as of date of the report (June 2003). Excellent review of community television policy problems. Makes favourable recommendations for community television funding - see Chapter 9.
