LATEST STORIES:
Why your local news is in crisis
- U.S. tech dominance: Unregulated giants like Meta, Google,
and Amazon now swallow 75% of Canadian advertising dollars. They take revenue out
of the country, profit from local content, and take it to train
AI models without contributing anything to the Canadian communities that create it.
- Abandoned streamer requirements: The Online Streaming Act and
Online News Act were designed to ensure foreign streamers
contribute fairly to Canadian news and other content. However, the federal government
let streamers off the
hook in June and now funding promised to replace this shortfall is nowhere in sight.
- That means: Netflix, Amazon, Apple and the other foreign streamers have no requirements
to spend any money on, or to
offer a minimum amount of, Canadian content in the same way all Canadian
broadcasters do.
- Diluted support for independent stations:
In 2024, the CRTC allowed 15 Corus-owned stations to tap into the Independent Local News
Fund (ILNF) without adding any new money to the pot.
This slashed CHCH’s local funding by more than 45%.
- Journalistic accountability at risk:
Foreign social media platforms have no obligation to air factual content
or support civic life and they have shown they do not
care about right and wrong. CHCH, on the other hand,
invests heavily in verified, accurate, and relevant
reporting for our communities.
The local news crisis by the numbers
- Digital ad monopoly:
~75% of all Canadian ad revenue now goes to U.S. tech giants.
- TV ad revenue drop: Down 25% (a $400 million loss)
across all Canadian television since 2018.
- Streamer windfall:
We estimate $600 million per year that should have been spent on
Cancon will be kept by U.S. platforms after contribution rollbacks.
- Independent news fund cut:
45% reduction in support following CRTC funding reallocations.
Tell us how important local, independent news is to you
We applaud the Prime Minister for standing up for Canada’s culture and sovereignty in trade negotiations with the US. Now that we are no longer trying to appease Trump, it is time for us to re-affirm our commitment to local news.
After walking away from the bargaining table, the Prime Minister declared: “We set our own course. We make our own weather.” So, let’s do that. Let’s stand firm on streamer contributions to Canadian programming and the Online News Act.
We recognize the impact this change has on those who rely on our Saturday broadcasts and we are so grateful to our viewers, readers and listeners for sticking with us. Please let us know your thoughts below.
