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CRTC wants all Canadians to receive News/Langue/program in multilingual langues?

11K views 62 replies 18 participants last post by  smallmj 
#1 · (Edited)
CRTC wants Canadians to get News/programing in multi langues?

http://www.canada.ca/en/radio-telev...tohaveaccesstotelevisionnewsandinformati.html

Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-154

Good luck :frown :rolleyes:

With so many langues spoken in Canada this will be impossible to do?

Now grant you I;m not sure oif the break down of ethnic langues besides English,French & First Nation & Inuit langues, that I don't know, don't have the percentages of ethnic langues spoken n Canada.

I'm not sure of other providers but with Bell Fibe they offer at least 20+ different langue ethnic langue services with multiple channels in each ethnic group.
 
#4 ·
The CRTC recognizes, however, that there is an exceptional and immediate need for Canada’s ethnically diverse communities to have access to multilingual programming, and in particular news and information programming, made from a Canadian perspective, without having to pay for additional services and packages.
If this Quango really recognised a need for Canadian's to have news services in any language at all they would be advocating for a national OTA/FTA strategy with no end user fees at all, let alone "without having to pay for additional services and packages."

Also, I demand a Welsh language service. Thank you. ;)
 
#5 ·
Here is the Rogers OMNI Regional approval I posted yesterday. The licence was only approved for 3 years because the CRTC wasn't really satisfied - all the other licences were renewed for 5 years.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/12-...7-tv-licence-renewals-2017-a.html#post2916385

@Viper550 I expect that the CRTC will only licence one mandatory multi-ethnic Canadian news service, so if another one is approved, OMNI Regional will be dropped from basic and will probably disappear.

I agree with @Tridus. While the wholesale cost for OMNI Regional will only be 12 cents/month, I expect a new channel would be more expensive and I don't see it as being an essential service for the Canadian public that justifies a mandatory status.
 
#7 ·
This is exactly the issue I have with limited basic. All the local channels don't have a carriage fee so essentially the fees associated with channel carriage goes to channels that the majority of people outside of Quebec never watch; TV5, Unis, TVA, Ice Radio-Canada Tele, RDI and AMI Tele. Really? Cable customers outside of Quebec need 6 french channels? Make that 7 if you live in Ontario and 9 for Ottawa.

Starter Basic should be local channels only, public access channel, government access channels (CPAC, Legislatures) and that's it. No APTN, no specialty channels, no extra french channels, no ethnic channels. Additionally the fees for starter basic should go to the local channels not to prop up channels like APTN and RDI that have low viewership.
 
#8 ·
As long as it is on their own dime, I don't care what language or what programming anyone wants to broadcast - as long as I have a choice not to pay for it, and it isn't subsidized.

If someone wants to spend their own cash to start an all Japanese language channel focused on Swiss underwater basket weaving all the power to them!
 
#9 ·
Here is Rogers official announcement. Note that the programming will be a duplication of the existing OTA OMNI stations in Ontario, Alberta and B.C.

OMNI Regional Debuts with New National Multilingual Newscasts, Sept. 1
Canada's diverse language communities will now have more access to vital news and information programming when OMNI Regional launches on Friday, Sept. 1 across the country. Offered nationally on all digital basic television packages, OMNI Regional will deliver a vibrant slate of news and current affairs, lifestyle, and entertainment programming in multiple languages.

The language newscasts – OMNI News: Cantonese Edition, OMNI News: Italian Edition, OMNI News: Mandarin Edition, and OMNI News: Punjabi Edition – will bring viewers stories of national and regional interest each day of the week. Complementing the televised newscasts, top stories from the day will be available online shortly after broadcast at OMNI | www.omninews.ca.
The schedules for the 4 regional networks are in the press release.
EAST (broadcasting in ON, NB, NFLD, NS and PEI)
PACIFIC (includes BC)
PRAIRIES (includes AB, MB, and SK)
QUEBEC
 
#11 ·
Can someone please explain to me how this New Regional Omni channel is considered to represent the more then 100+ different langues spoken in Canada(according to the last senses report)how its news reports are done.

I only see about 5 or so langues represented? What about they other 95+ languages spoken in this country? If you state you channels is suppose to represent different ethnic langues(more then the ones represented on the channel), then represent them all not just a few and say SCREW the rest?:mad:

What total BS? :frown:
 
#12 ·
no idea, but its just the same ol' omni channel from before, and the same news cast being resurrected from before. They laid off these people what, about a year ago or more? i can not remember exactly but I used to actually enjoy watching Omni News Italian on Omni TV. Too bad they probably wont have the same news anchors from before, who knows I guess I better watch and see.
 
#14 ·
I have 2 answers for you JamesK. If you came to Canada from another country such as Italy then your primary language might me in Italian and it would be easier to watch the news in your mother tongue instead of a language you are new to and struggling with such as English. The second reason is the kids of immigrant parents probably want to learn their parents language a little better and watching news in that language helps understand the language better and u learn what goes on in this world. I am Italian so I don't mind watching a movie or news in my parents mother tongue. I actually enjoy it. Why do u think we have multi cultural channels for? Oviously there is a demand for them.
 
#17 ·
The thing that puzzles me is how there are two Omni multicultural channels here while the CBC claims it can't afford to operate similar French or English channels and CTV claims they cannot afford to produce local programming such as news in English. Southwestern Ontario has immigrants and people who speak other languages but it's not like Toronto or Vancouver that have large Asian populations and many other immigrants. The economics just don't seem to make sense.

I have no issue with the recent ruling since it will, hopefully, provide Canadian news to people who do not speak English well. Since Omni was licensed to serve audiences with multiple ethnic backgrounds, I also think the CRTC should make it live up to that license.
 
#21 ·
The economics just don't seem to make sense.
The CRTC agrees with you:
the proposed service does not appear sustainable and would likely experience financial difficulties in the near future, even with mandatory distribution on the digital basic service.
Source: Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-152 and Broadcasting Order CRTC 2017-153 | CRTC

The wholesale rate of 12 cents per basic subscriber per month works out to just over $16 million/year that we all pay to OMNI Regional.
 
#20 ·
Thanks. Im not sure of the reasoning behind the CRTC ruling but people who are NOT Italian have always said silly stuff to me like "why do we need those silly stations/programs I will never watch them" which is a silly closed minded mentality of someone who has no clue about having immigrant parents who came to this country for a better life. The multicultural news is Canadian news but in a language that immigrants are comfortable with such as Italian, its very much different than my dad watching the other channel which shows italian news FROM ITALY.

Anyways I fully support it, and it did exist before but the parent company of Omni layed off the news staff due to financial reasons from what I remembered. So it looks like they hired all new reporters they probably pay them minimum wages now so im sure it costs them less.
 
#22 ·
I've got to question the wisdom of licensing two Omni channels as well. Omni 1 appears to run a lot of English language syndicated programming in the evening. Omni 2 seems to reflect what Omni 1 did before they watered it down in prime time. Maybe the CRTC needs to take a look at how well Omni 1 fulfills its mandate.
 
#23 ·
The fact that OMNI (A Division of Rogers) was financially struggling when they cancelled the multicultural news broadcasts and laid off a lot of hard working journalists some time a year ago or so was also a good indication how successful this is or not.
 
#24 ·
My grandparents were from Germany and Ukraine, Both sets were not exceptional genius like folk (just like me) but they learned enough English to listen to news and converse with anyone. And read newspapers. There were schools available to learn the mother tongues and friends of mine attended. If there are tax dollars involved in this I do not understand either. A little independence, initiative and avoiding spoon feeding used to be the Canadian way. (Suit on now)
I know of kids who were happy to teach their parents basic English. Probably was a good family activity. :)
 
#25 ·
Don't want to turn this into a ethnic debate, but remember we're all immigrants at some point. Be it ourselves,parents,grandparents, great grandparents,ect coming from different countries in the world.

Yes there are tons of ethnic channels available on various providers, and some are from the actual country while others are Canadian/US based.

The thing is ethnic channels and packages are expensive some cost anywhere from $5 to $15 each and packages range from $10 to $50 with vaious channels in those packages, so there are many ethic individuals out there that simply can't afford these channels hence they can turn to Omni(at least those langues Omni supports) for there news and some programming.

Like I said don't want this thread turning into a ehnic debate.
 
#26 ·
The main issue is that ethnic channels are the original feed and don't carry any Canadian news or programming. If they were licensed like most English language channels, that is required to carry Canadian programming, then those channels could be required to produce Canadian news in the original language. At the rate they charge, I'm sure it could be done.

While we are on the topic, why don't we have more English language channels, such as BBC, as an original feed instead of some hacked up Canadian version that is next to useless for UK immigrants?
 
#27 ·
^
Not true.

You probably wouldn't know this as you don't sub to this channel, but Odyssey from OTN does. They provide mainly programming from ANT1 from Greece, but also provide Canadian programming from Toronto,Ottawa & Montreal . They have news about Greece & Canada. They also show Greek events(GreekFest from Toronto from Danforth, as well from Ottawa's Greekfest.

I can't comment on other ethnic channels whether they provide programming from Canada or not.
 
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