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EthnicChannelsGroupLimited
Applicationforanationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceofferingnewsandinformationprogrammingaswellasotherhigh-qualityprogrammingforCanada’sdiversecommunities
Fordistributiononthedigitalbasicservicepursuanttosection9(1)(h)oftheBroadcastingAct
BroadcastingNoticesofConsultationCRTC2017-154and2017-154-1
6November2017
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TableofContents
A. EXECUTIVESUMMARY 3
B. INTRODUCTION 7
C. ABOUTETHNICCHANNELSGROUPLIMITED 9
D. CANADA’SMULTICULTURALCOMMUNITIES 15
E. THECRTC’SCALLFORAPPLICATIONSFORA 19NATIONALMULTI-ETHNICTELEVISIONSERVICEOFFERINGNEWSANDINFORMATIONPROGRAMMINGASWELLASOTHERHIGH-QUALITYCONTENT
F. EXTRAORDINARYNEEDFORANEWNATIONAL 20
MULTILINGUALMULTI-ETHNICTELEVISIONSERVICE
G. ECGL’SPROPOSEDNATIONALMULTILINGUAL 21MULTI-ETHNICTELEVISIONSERVICEFORCANADIANS
H. DIGITALSTRATEGYFOROURPROPOSEDSERVICE 30
I. ADVISORYCOUNCILFOROURPROPOSEDSERVICE 31
J. STRONGBUSINESSPLANTHATSUPPORTSECGL 32
NATIONALMULTILINGUALMULTI-ETHNICTELEVISIONSERVICE
K. ECGL’SPROPOSALMEETSALLOFTHECRITERIAFOR 34MANDATORYDISTRIBUTIONONTHEDIGITALBASICSERVICE
L. CONCLUSION 36
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A. ExecutiveSummaryi) EthnicChannelsGroupLimited(“ECGL”)isverypleasedtofilethisapplication
withtheCanadianRadio-televisionandTelecommunicationsCommission(“CRTC”or“Commission”)foranexcitingnewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice,entitledVoices,thatwilloffernewsandinformationprogrammingaswellasotherhigh-qualityprogrammingreflectiveofCanada’svibrantandgrowingmulticulturalcommunities.
ii) ECGLisaleadingindependentCanadianmulticulturalbroadcaster.Establishedover12yearsago,wehaveextensiveexperienceofferingawiderangeofhigh-qualitythird-languageethnictelevisionservicestoCanadiansinmorethan20languageseachweek.ECGLcurrentlyowns,operatesandmanagesmorethan80ethnicandthird-languagetelevisionprogrammingservicesinCanadaandaroundtheworld.
iii) Canada’smulticulturalcommunitiesareanimportantandintegralpartofour
country’sdemographicandculturallandscape.Theyverymuchneed,deserveandrequireadedicatednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.
iv) ECGL’sproposednewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicewill
beanopen,accessibleandrelevantmediaspaceforallCanadians,acrossallprovincesandterritoriesinCanada.OurservicewillconnectCanadianstooneanother,andwillpromoteinclusiveness,tolerance,awarenessandvisibilityforCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesonanationalplatform.
v) Toreachabroadaudience,weproposenationaldistributionofourserviceonamandatorybasisondigitalbasic,forCanadiansacrossthecountry,pursuanttosection9(1)(h)oftheBroadcastingAct.Weproposeaseven-yearlicencetermforournewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.
vi) ECGLhascarefullydesignedauniqueandimportanttelevisionservicethat
willcontributeinaverymeaningfulandexceptionalwaytothefulfillmentofthepublicpolicyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingAct.Wehavedevelopedacomprehensiveprogrammingstrategythatwillmakean
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exceptionalcontributiontoCanadianexpression,aswellastothereflectionofCanadianattitudes,opinions,ideas,valuesandartisticcreativityontelevision.
vii) Toachievethis,wewilltakeadvantageofthecapabilitiesofexistingdistributiontechnologies–whichareideallysuitedtoservingCanada'smulticulturalcommunities.Inthisregard,akeyelementofourproposalisthatVoiceswillprovideanimportantportionofourprogramminginmultiplelanguagessimultaneouslyusingmultiplelanguagefeeds.
viii) Wewillbeginbyofferingprogrammingin10differentlanguagesusingthemultiplelanguagefeedsinthefirstyearofoperation,quicklyincreasingto15inthesecondyearand20inthethirdyear.Bythefourthyearofoperationandthereafter,weproposetoofferprogrammingin25differentlanguagessimultaneouslyusingthemultiplelanguagefeeds.NoothermulticulturaltelevisionserviceinCanadaoffersthislevelofmultilingualserviceordedicationtoCanada’sdiverseaudiences.
ix) Weproposetomanage,operateandbroadcastthreedistinctregional
programmingfeeds.Thethreelocalfeedswillbe:EasternCanada,WesternCanadaandCentralCanada.ThiswillensureextensivelocalandregionalreflectionofCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesonVoices.Atleast40hoursofcontenteachweekoneachprogrammingfeedwillbelocalorregionalnewsandinformationprogrammingtargetedtocommunitiesineachapplicableregion.
x) ECGLwillensurethatatleast90%oftheprogrammingonourservicewillconsistofethnicprograms,asdefinedintheCommission’sEthnicBroadcastingPolicy.And,atleast25ethniccommunitieswillbeservedbyourserviceduringeachbroadcastmonth.Ourprogrammingwillbeavailableinatleast25languagesduringeachbroadcastmonth.
xi) ECGLwillmakeanexceptionalcontributiontoCanadianexpression,throughbothexhibitionandexpenditurerequirements.ECGLwillexceedminimumobligationsthatarenormallyrequiredofdiscretionaryservices,andwillensurethatnolessthan75%ofthebroadcastdayand85%oftheeveningbroadcastperiod(6:00p.m.tomidnight)willconsistofCanadianprograms.
xii) WithregardtoCanadianprogrammingexpenditures,ECGLproposestospendaminimumof60%ofrevenuesonCanadianprogramming
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throughoutthelicenceterm.Weproposetospend3%ofthepreviousyear’srevenuesonCanadianprogramsofnationalinterest(“PNI”or“ProgramsofNationalInterest”)toensurethatCanada’sethniccommunitieshaveaccessto-onanationalandcost-effectiveplatform-Canadianprogramsofnationalimportance,includingdocumentaries,musicandvarietyandanationalannualmulticulturalawardsashow.
xiii) ECGL’sproposedservicewillmakeanexceptionalcommitmenttothecreationandpresentationoforiginalfirst-runCanadianprograms.Tothatend,ournewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnicserviceiscommittedtobroadcastingapproximately170hoursperweekoforiginalfirst-runCanadianprogramsthroughoutthelicenceterm,acrossallthreeregionalfeeds.
xiv) Ourproposedservicewillcontributeinanexceptionalmannertotheoverallobjectivesofthedigitalbasicservicesetoutinparagraph10ofCriteriaforassessingapplicationsformandatorydistributionofitsserviceonthedigitalbasicservice,BroadcastingRegulatoryPolicy2010-629,andwillcontributeinanexceptionalmannertoanumberofkeyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingActincluding:maintainingandenhancingCanadianidentityandculturalsovereignty,aswellasreflectingethno-culturaldiversityandIndigenouspeoplesinCanadiansocietyontelevision.
xv) Ourexcitingnewmulticulturalandmultilingualtelevisionservicewillfocusonthird-languagelocal,regional,nationalandinternationalnewsandinformationprogramming.Itwillshowcaseengaging,entertainingandenlighteningmulticulturalandthird-languagepremiumandchildren’sprogrammingfromCanadaandaroundtheworld.Ourservicewill,therefore,provideavariedandcomprehensiveprogrammingschedulethatpresentsabalanceofinformativeandentertainmentprogramming,atanaffordablecostforCanadiansacrossthecountry.
xvi) ECGLhasdevelopedadigitalstrategythatwillcomplementournational
multiculturaltelevisionservice.Itwillprovideouraudienceswiththeopportunitytoaccess,discoverandenjoytheprogrammingonourserviceacrossplatformswhereandwhentheywant.Itwillallowaudiencestoremainconnectedtotheprogrammingonourservicethatisimportanttothem.
xvii) TheCommissionhasrecognizedthatthereisanexceptionalneedfora
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national,multi-ethnictelevisionservicethatcanprovideCanadianswithprogramming,includingnewsandinformationprogramming,inmultiplelanguagesfromaCanadianperspective.1ECGLagrees.WecommendtheCommissionformakingthisdeterminationandforinitiatingthispublicproceeding.
xviii) TheconsumersurveypreparedbyEthnicityMulticulturalMarketingInc.for
ECGLinviewofthisapplicationshowsthereisstronginterestanddemandforanewnationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceinCanada.TheEthnicityStudyisattachedasAppendixAtothisSupplementaryBrief.
xix) TheEthnicityStudyshowsthatCanada’sethniccommunitiesarenotableto
accesssufficientlocal,regionalornationalnewsandinformationprogramming,inmultiplelanguages,fromaCanadianperspectiveontelevisiontoday.Additionally,theEthnicityStudyshowsthereiswidespreadacceptabilityforECGL’sproposedmonthlywholesalerateof$0.23forournationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.
xx) Tohelpsupportandimplementournationaltelevisionservice’sbroad
mandate,ECGLwillestablishacross-culturalAdvisoryCouncilforourproposednationaltelevisionservicethatwillbecomposedofmembersofCanada’sethniccommunitiesfromacrossthecountry.OurAdvisoryCouncilwilladviseonprogrammingstrategymattersaswellasethnicandlinguisticcommunitiestobeserved.TheAdvisoryCouncilwilldiscusskeyissuesrelevanttoCanada’sdiversecommunitiesandserveasanoutreachforethniccommunities.
xxi) ECGLisveryexcitedaboutthisnationalbroadcastopportunity.Asaleading
multiculturalbroadcasterinCanada,wehavedevelopedclosetieswithinCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,thebroadcastinganddistributionindustries,themulticulturalindependentproductioncommunityandtheglobalmediaenvironment.
xxii) Weunderstandtheprofoundimportanceofacomprehensivemultilingual
multi-ethnictelevisionservicetoourcountry’scultural,political,socialandeconomicfabric.AccordingtodatarecentlyreleasedbyStatisticsCanada,
1Callforapplicationsforanational,multilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceofferingnewsandinformationprogramming,BroadcastingNoticeofConsultationCRTC2017-154,15May2017.
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fully78%ofrecentimmigrantstoCanadaidentifya"third-language"(i.e.alanguageotherthanEnglishorFrench)astheirmothertongue.
xxiii) Morethan60%ofrecentimmigrantsuseathirdlanguagemostoftenathome,ratherthanEnglishorFrench.2ConnectingwithnewCanadians,andwithmoreestablishedimmigrantpopulations,andprovidingaprimarylevelofrelevantCanadiannewsandinformationprogrammingtothesecommunitiesshouldbeapriorityforourbroadcastingsystem.OurservicewillfulfillthisfunctionforCanadiansinallprovincesandterritoriesofourcountry,in25differentlanguages,atanaffordablecost.
xxiv) ECGL’sproposednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicemeetsallofthecriteriaformandatorydistributiononthedigitalbasicservicesetoutinBroadcastingRegulatoryPolicyCRTC2010-629.Indeed,ourproposednationaltelevisionservicewillcontributeinameaningfulandexceptionalwaytothefulfillmentofthepolicyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingAct.
xxv) ECGLiswell-positionedtoprovideaforward-looking,importantandexceptionalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionexperienceforCanada’sethniccommunities.WeurgetheCommissiontoapproveourapplicationforanationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionservicetobedistributedondigitalbasicacrossthecountry.
B. Introduction1. EthnicChannelsGroupLimited(“ECGL”)isverypleasedtofilethisapplicationfor
anewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicethatwillofferhigh-qualitynewsandinformationprogramingaswellasotherengagingprogramming,fordistributionondigitalbasicacrossCanada,3atanaffordablerate.OurnewnationalservicewillbecalledVoicesandwillfocusonthe
2StatisticsCanada,LinguisticintegrationofimmigrantsandofficiallanguagepopulationsinCanada,CensusofPopulation,2016.http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016017/98-200-x2016017-eng.cfm
3DigitalbasicincludesallDTH,cableandIPTVservices,includingBDUskinnybasicpackagesestablishedpursuanttoBroadcastingRegulatoryPolicy2015-96.
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presentationofinformativeandentertainingprogrammingthatisrelevanttoandreflectiveofCanada’svibrantmultilingualandmulti-ethniccommunities.
2. ECGLisapremierCanadianindependentethnicbroadcasterandhasproudlyservedethniccommunitiesacrossCanada–andaroundtheworld–forover12years.Wecurrentlyown,operateandmanagemorethan80ethnictelevisionservicesthatofferprogramminginmorethan20languages.Assuch,wehavedevelopedadeepunderstandingoftheneeds,interests,challengesandaspirationsofCanada’smanymultilingualandmulti-ethniccommunities.ECGLisveryexcitedaboutthisnationalbroadcastopportunity.
3. ECGLhascarefullydesignedaunique,forward-lookingandexceptionallyimportanttelevisionservicethatwillcontributeinameaningfulwaytothefulfillmentofthepublicpolicyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingAct.WehavedevelopedaninnovativeandcomprehensiveprogrammingstrategythatwillmakeanexceptionalcontributiontoCanadianexpression,andreflectsCanadianattitudes,opinions,ideas,valuesandartisticcreativityontelevision.
4. AkeyelementofourproposalisinclusivenessforallCanadians.Indeed,Voices
willserveasahubforCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,andwillbeanopen,accessibleandrelevantmediaspaceforallCanadiansacrossallprovincesandterritoriesinthecountry.OneoftheimportantandinnovativewaysinwhichECGLwillachievethisisthroughthebroadcastofprogramminginmultiplelanguagessimultaneouslyduringkeytimeslotsthroughoutthebroadcastday.Ourproposalreliesentirelyonthecapabilitiesofexistingdistributiontechnologies,whicharecurrentlynotbeingusedtotheirfullpotentialinCanada.
5. ECGLapplaudstheCommissionforinitiatingthispublicproceeding.Asleaders
andmembersoftheCanadianethnicmediasector,wefirmlybelievethereisanexceptionalneedanddemandforanewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingserviceforCanada’sethno-culturalcommunitiesthatfocusesonnewsandinformation,andprovidesotherengagingentertainmentcontenttomulticulturalcommunities,atanaffordablerate.ThegrowingandvibrantmulticulturalcommunitiesinCanadaverymuchneed,requireanddeserveanationaltelevisionservicethatreflectsCanadianattitudes,opinions,ideas,valuesandartisticcreativityonaregularbasis,atanaffordablecost.
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6. ThefollowingoutlinesindetailourproposalforanationalmultilingualmultiethnictelevisionserviceforCanadians.
C. AboutEthnicChannelsGroupLimited
Ø ECGL’sTelevisionServicesandProgramOfferings7. ECGLisaleadingethnicbroadcasterinCanadathathasfocusedonserving
Canada’sethniccommunitiessinceitsinceptionover12yearsago.Webeganoperatingin2004withonlyfourCategory2televisionservices4inRussian,Tagalog,VietnameseandArabic.Today,ECGLowns,operatesorrepresentsover80ethnicandthird-languagetelevisionservicesthatprovidehigh-qualityinformativeandentertainingprogramminginover20differentlanguagestoCanadiansincluding:Arabic,Bengali,Croatian,Farsi,German,Greek,Hebrew,Hindi,Italian,Macedonian,Mandarin,Marathi,Polish,Portuguese,Punjabi,Russian,Serbian,Spanish,Tagalog,Tamil,Ukrainian,UrduandVietnamese.
8. ECGLprovidesawiderangeofscreen-basedcontenttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesincludingnews,information,currentaffairs,magazine-styleprograms,politicalcommentary,debates,interviews,documentaries,dramaticseries,telenovelas,featurefilms,lifestyleprogrammingincludingcookingandtravelshows,musicvideos,sportsandeducationalprogramming.PleaseseeattachedatAppendixBatablesettingoutthelistofECGL’sCanadiantelevisionprogrammingservices(exemptanddiscretionaryCanadiantelevisionservices).
9. WeknowofnootherbroadcasterinCanadawithsimilarexperienceinmulticulturalbroadcastingasECGL.
10. WehaveattachedatAppendixClettersfrommulticulturalcommunityleadersaffirmingourstrongleadershiproleasapremiermulticulturalbroadcaster.Thefollowingsetsoutanumberofexcerptsfromtheattachedletters:
• “EthnicChannelsGroupLimitedisaleadingCanadianmulticulturalbroadcasterthatishighlycommittedtoprovidingqualitymediaservicesto
4Category2servicesweresubsequentlydesignatedCategoryBservices,andarenowreferredtoasdiscretionaryservicesundercurrentCRTCpolicies.
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Canada’sethniccommunities.ThismediacompanyisalsoaleaderinprovidingawiderangeofprogrammingandtelevisionservicestoCanada’sSouthAsiancommunities.Atpresent,EthnicChannelsGroup’sextensiveethnicmediaportfolioincludesovertwentySouthAsianChannelsofferingprogramminginHindi,Punjabi,Tamil,MarathiandBengali.ECGLknowsandunderstandstheimportanceofmulticulturalbroadcastinginCanada,andtheneedsfornewCanadianstostayconnectedwiththeirhomelandandheritage.”SringeriVidyaBharathiFoundationCanada,Dr.V.I.Lakshmanan,President.
• “Asanindustryleaderinmulticulturalbroadcasting,EthnicChannelsGroupLtd.certainlyhastheknowledgeandexperiencetoofferafirst-ratenationalmultilingual,multi-ethnicnews,informationandotherprogrammingtelevisionstation.WestronglysupportECGL’sapplication.”KapisananPhilippineCentreforArtsandCulture,NicoleCajucom,ExecutiveDirector.
• “EthnicChannelsGroupLtd.’scurrentportfolioboasts19+ArabicservicesinArabic-andFrench-language,offeringviewersinCanadaawiderangeoftheverybestprogrammingreflectiveofourcommunity.ECGLhasbeenservingmulticulturalcommunitiesacrossCanadaforover10years,andhasalwaysbeenhighlyrespectfulofCanada’sdiversity.ForthisreasonandmanyotherswearehopefulthatECGLwillobtainthenational,multilingual,multiethnictelevisionservicelicenseaswefeelthereisnobettercompanyinourmarkettobestservetheneedsofCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.”ArabCommunityCentreofToronto,HudaBukhari,ExecutiveDirector.
• “ProvidingCanadianswithaccesstonewsandinformationintheirnativelanguagewithaCanadianperspectiveisimperativetoourimmigrantcommunities,particularlyourMandarinspeakingpopulation,whichcontinuestobethetopmother-tonguespokenathomeoutsideofEnglishandFrench[inCanada].ECGLhastheprovenexpertisetoexecutethistaskwithrespectandintegrity.”Asian-CanadianSpecialEventsAssociation,CharlieWu,ManagingDirector.
• “Withmanyethnicandthird-languagetelevisionchannelsintheirmediagroup,webelievetheirdepthofknowledge,dedicationandknow-howinprovidingmulti-ethnicandmultilingualmediaservicestoCanadianswouldhelpmakethenewstationagreatsuccess.”AfroGlobal,PartriciaBebiaMawa,ExecutiveVicePresident.
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Ø ECGL’sBDUPartnerships
11. Sinceinception,ECGLhaspartneredwithCanada’slargeandsmallbroadcastingdistributionundertakings(“BDUs”)–acrossCanada–tobringourdiversemultilingualandmulti-ethnicprogramofferingstoCanadiansinallregionsofthecountry.WeunderstandtheimportanceofworkingincollaborationwithourBDUpartnerstoensureCanadianaudiencescanaccesshigh-qualitymulti-ethnicprogrammingservicesonadailybasis.OurBDUpartnersincludeAtop,BellFibe,Cogeco,Comwave,Eastlink,Frontline360,BellMTS,RogersCable,Sasktel,ShawCable,ShawDirect,Telus,Videotron,VMediaandZazeenTV.
Ø ECGL’sPartnershipsintheInternationalBroadcastMarket12. ECGLhasestablishedastrongpresenceintheinternationalbroadcastmarket.
Wehavedevelopedimportantpartnershipswithethnic,third-languageandmainstreambroadcastersinallregionsoftheworld.ThishasallowedustoofferCanadianaudiencessomeofthebestprogrammingtheworldhastooffer.Ourinternationalpartnersincludesomeoftheworld’sleadingmulticulturalmediacompanies,distributors,producersandcontentcreatorsincludingZeeTV(India),RaiInternational(Italy),ProsiebenSat1.Welt(Germany),beINSports(MiddleEast),GazgolderRecords(Russia),Zodchie(Ukraine)andMultimedios(Mexico).
13. ECGLhasputconsiderableeffortintopromotingthestrengthofCanadiantelevisionmediaplatforms,high-techservicesandscreen-basedcontentininternationalmarkets.Asaresultofourstrongandactiveparticipationintheworld’smediaenvironment,wefullyappreciatethatintoday’sglobaleconomy,Canadianbroadcastersmustalsolooktotheinternationalmediamarketstoensuresuccessathome.Ø BackgroundofECGL’sFounders
14. SlavaLevinisoneofthecofoundersandCEOofECGL,andisafirstgeneration
immigranttoCanada.SlavaandhisfamilyimmigratedtoCanadainthemid-1970s.Overtheyears,hehasexperiencedfirsthandtheimportantandessentialrolemediaservicesplayinthelivesofCanada’sethnicandimmigrantcommunities.Asayoungadult,Mr.Levinobservedthelimitednumberofthird-languagemediaoptionsavailablefornewCanadians,includinghisparents.Hesawanimportantculturalopportunitytoexpandmedia
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offeringsforCanada’sethno-culturalcommunities.
15. Overthelast12years,ECGLhasexperiencedtheindispensibleandgrowingroleethnicmediaservicesplayforimmigrantandethniccommunitiesinCanada.Ethnicservicesarethekeysourcefornewsandinformationandentertainmentprogrammingforthird-languageaudiences.ECGLhasseentheimportantculturalbridgesethnicmediaservicescreatebetweenoldandnewcountries.ECGLhasalsoseenhowethnicserviceshavehelpednewCanadiansintegrateintoCanadiansociety,whilemaintainingtheirculturalheritage,aswellashowethnicmediaserviceshavecreatedagreaterunderstandingandtoleranceofminoritycommunitiesinCanada.
Ø ECGLProductionFacilities,Productions&MulticulturalIndependent
ProductionCommunity16. ECGLoperatesstate-of-the-artproductionstudiosfromournewlybuilt
broadcastandproductionfacilitiesinMarkham,Ontario.Inthesefull-servicefacilities,ECGL’swhollyownedproductioncompany,ECGProductionsLtd.,overseestheproductionofawiderangeofscreen-basedcontentincludingnewssegments,magazineshows,currentaffairs,interviewswithcommunityleaders,politicians,artistsandforeigndignitaries,documentaries,musicalcontent,andcommercialmessages.In2016and2017,weproudlyproducedmorethan1,000hoursofawiderangeofmulticulturalCanadianprogramming,includingnewsandcurrentaffairsprogramming,artsandentertainmentcontent,documentaries,faith-basedcontentaswellasprogrammingthatcelebratesandreflectsCanada’sdiversecommunitiesthroughnationalholidays,festivals,concerts,exhibitions,publicperformances,sportsandchildren’sevents.
17. AnotherimportantareaofECG’sproductionactivitiesisthecreationofprogrammingaimedsolelyatacquaintingmembersofdifferentethnicgroups,particularlynewcomers,withinformationaboutCanada.ThisoriginalcontentfocusesonCanada’shistory,culture,traditions,urbancentresandruralcommunities,provinces,flora,opportunitiesfortravelandrecreation.
18. WehavealsoproducedanumberofimportantproductionswiththesupportofandincollaborationwiththeCMFandTelefilmCanada.Forinstance,werecentlycompletedamusicaldocumentaryseriesentitledSoundsofCanada.ThisdocumentaryseriesshowcasesthemusicalcultureofvariousethnicgroupsandnationalitieslivinginCanada.Thisprojectisdesignedtorun
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forseveralseasons.ThefirstseasonfeaturedmusicinArabic,Russian,Ukrainian,Yiddish,Hungarian,Hindi,Spanish,Tagalog(Filipino)andItalianlanguages,aswellasanepisodeinEnglishdedicatedtoCelticmusic.5WearenowfilmingthesecondseasonofSoundsofCanada,whichwillpresentthemusicalcultureofIndigenousPeoples,Portuguese,Germans,Vietnamese,Greeks,Japanese,Poles,Iranians,Romanians,andpeoplefromAfricancountries.
19. Wehavebegunworkingontwoadditionallarge10-episodeproductions.OneisentitledtheTastesofCanadawhichshowcasesmultinationalcuisinepresentedtodayinCanada.Anotherrecentprojectshowcasesthestoriesof10immigrantwomenfromdifferentcountrieswhohavesucceededinCanada.Asweoutlinefurtherbelow,weplantoairtheseproductionsonVoicesforCanadiansacrossthecountrytoenjoy,intheeventourapplicationisapproved.
20. Wehavepost-productionandeditingsuitesaswellasmultiplesoundstages.ECGLofferstheuseofitsstudiofacilitiestoindependentproducersincludingnumerousindependentproducersfromCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.
21. ECGLhasproducedprogramminginthefieldforbroadcastonourmulticulturalservicesandforinternationaldistribution.Wehaveproducedandfilmedawiderangeofeventsincludingcultural,performingarts,nationalholidays,communityandbreakingnewseventsinthefieldformanyofourservices.
22. ECGLhasdevelopedstrongrelationswiththemulticulturalindependent
productioncommunityinCanada.WehaveworkedwithCanadianmulticulturalindependentproducerstocreateprogrammingforourservices,aswellasotherbroadcastersinCanadaandaroundtheworld.WehaveassistedCanadianproducerswiththedistributionoftheircontentintheinternationalmarketplace.WelookforwardtocontinuingtoworkwiththeCanadianmulticulturalindependentproductioncommunity,shouldourapplicationbeapproved.
5Formoreinformationaboutthisproduction,pleasesee:www.soundsofcanadaseries.com.
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Ø ECGLisaTechnologyCompany
23. ECGLisaninnovativecommunicationsandtechnologycompanythatstrivesto
remainatthecuttingedgeoftechnologicaldevelopments.Inadditiontocreatingground-breaking,high-qualityscreen-basedcontentatournewbroadcastandproductionfacility,ECGLofferstransportanddistributionservices,usingleadingedgetechnologiesdevelopedbyECGL,tomediacompaniesinCanadaandaroundtheglobe.ECGLhasmanufacturedhardwaretostreamlinebroadcastcostswhileensuringthehighestlevelofqualityfortelevisionbroadcasting.
24. Inaddition,ECGLwasoneofthefirstmediacompaniesinCanadatoembraceover-the-top(“OTT”)technologyandoneofthefirstmediacompaniestoofferOTTservicestoCanadianconsumersthroughourNexTVservice.WehaveOTTplatformsforethnicprogrammingservicesinCanada,andforinternationalethnicbroadcasters,suchasZeeTV,theworld’slargestandleadingSouthAsianbroadcasterbasedinIndia.Moreover,throughthisexperience,ECGLhasdevelopedinternet-basedtransportservicestoassistbroadcastersinCanadaandaroundtheworld.
Ø EthnicRepresentationonandofftheScreenatECGL
25. ApointofgreatprideforourcompanyisthatasignificantportionofECGL’sworkforceandexecutivecolleaguesaredrawnfromCanada’sdiverseculturalcommunities.ThisallowsECGLtohaveadeepunderstandingoftheethnicexperienceinCanada,andtoprovidethebestpossibleandhighlyrelevantservicetoouraudienceson-air,acrossallplatforms.Itallowsustorespondtothechangingneedsofthecommunitiesandcitizensthatweserve,andensuretheirexperiencesarewellreflectedinthecontentandservicesweprovide.ThisallowsECGLtobeabletoadapttotheever-changingmakeupofCanada’sethno-culturaldemographicsinatimelyandresponsivemanner.
26. On-air,ECGL’stelevisionservicesofferthousandsofhoursofethnicandthird-languagecontentthatreflectsCanada’sdiversecommunitiesduringeachbroadcastyear.Behindthescenes,ECGLemploysapproximately75individuals,thevastmajorityofwhomarefirstgenerationimmigrantsfromaroundtheworldincludingIndia,Russia,thePhilippines,theUkraine,Italy,Israel,Croatia,Romania,Moldova,Poland,Serbia,SriLanka,Kazakhstanand
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Guatemala.
27. Ourcompany’s,background,workforceandvisionforthefuturepositionsusverywelltolaunchanexcitingnewandinnovativenationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingservicethatwillserveasahub,andanopen,accessibleandrelevantmediaspaceforCanadiansofallculturalandethnicbackgrounds,atanaffordablerate.
D. Canada’sMulticulturalCommunities
28. Canada’smulticulturalcommunitiesareanimportantandintegralpartofCanadiansociety.AsthelastSpeechfromtheThronerecentlypointedout:
“DiversityisCanada’sstrength…Canadaisstrongbecauseofourdifferences,notinspiteofthem.Asacountry,wearestrengthenedinmanyways:byoursharedexperiences,bythediversitythatinspiresbothCanadaandtheworld,andbythewaythatwetreateachother.”
…
TheGovernmentwillmakeiteasierforimmigrantstobuildsuccessfullivesinCanada,reunitetheirfamilies,andcontributetotheeconomicsuccessofallCanadians.”6
29. ECGLfullyagrees.Ourcountry’sstrengthisgroundedinitsdiversity.Basedonthe2016Census,Canadahasapopulationofapproximately7,540,830foreign-bornindividuals.Theyrepresent21.9%ofthetotalpopulationinCanada.Indeed,1in5CanadianstodayisbornoutsideofCanada.Thisisthesecondhighestlevelofforeign-bornindividualssinceconfederation.Further,amongtheG8countries,Canadahadthehighestproportionofforeign-bornpopulation.ThiswaswellaboveGermanyat13%ofthepopulationin2010,andtheUSwith12.9%ofthepopulationin2010.StatisticsCanadaalsoprojectsthatby2031,theproportionofforeign-bornpeopleinCanadawillincreasefrom21.9%in2016tobetween25and28%by2031.
6SpeechfromtheThronetoOpentheFirstSessionoftheForty-secondParliamentofCanada,24November2016.
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30. ThefollowingtableshowsthebreakdownofCanada’slargestmulticulturalcommunitiesbasedonthe2016StatisticsCanadaCensus.
Table1:Top30LanguagesinCanadabyMotherTongue
Language Population
1 Mandarin 5920402 Cantonese 5652703 Punjabi(Panjabi) 5016804 Spanish 4588505 Tagalog(Filipino) 4313806 Arabic 4198907 German 3840358 Italian 3756359 Iranianlanguages 24280510 Portuguese 22154011 Persian(Farsi) 21420012 Urdu 21081513 Russian 18825514 Polish 18171015 Vietnamese 15642516 Korean 15342517 Tamil 14072018 Hindi 11064019 Gujarati 10878020 Greek 10652521 Ukrainian 10248522 Dutch 9902023 Romanian 9666524 Bengali 7312525 Creole;n.o.s. 6410526 Hungarian 6123527 Serbian 5735028 Croatian 4820029 Japanese 4364030 Somali 36755Source:StatisticsCanadaCensus2016
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Table2.Canada’sVisibleMinorityPopulation
Totalvisibleminoritypopulation 7,674,580SouthAsian 1,924,635Chinese 1,577,060Black 1,198,540Filipino 780,125
LatinAmerican 447,325Arab 523,235
SoutheastAsian 313,260WestAsian 264,305Korean 188,710Japanese 92,920
Visibleminority 132,090Multiplevisibleminorities 232,375Notavisibleminority 26,785,480
Source:StatisticsCanadaCensus2016
31. ItisimportanttoappreciateCanada'sextensivelanguagediversity.Fully78%of
recentimmigrantstoCanadaidentifya"third-language"(i.e.alanguageotherthanEnglishorFrench)astheirmothertongue.Morethan60%ofrecentimmigrantsuseathirdlanguagemostoftenathome,ratherthanEnglishorFrench.Inotherwords,ahigherproportionofnewcomerstoCanadanowspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishorFrenchthanhaspreviouslybeenthecase.TheoveralllanguagecompositionisdifferentinQuebeccomparedtotheotherpartsofCanada,butevenstill,68%ofmorerecentimmigrantsinQuebechaveathird-languageasamothertongue(comparedtomorethan80%inotherpartsofCanada).ThefollowingtablepreparedbyStatisticsCanadaillustratesthephenomenonoftheincreasingpresenceofthirdlanguagesintheimmigrantpopulationovertime:
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Table3:Distributionoftheimmigrantpopulation,bymothertongueandperiodofimmigration,Canada,QuebecandCanadaoutsideQuebec,2016
TablesummaryThistabledisplaystheresultsofDistributionoftheimmigrantpopulation.TheinformationisgroupedbyMothertongue(appearingasrowheaders),Periodofimmigration,Before1981,1981to2000,2001to
2010,2011to2016andTotal,calculatedusingpercentageunitsofmeasure(appearingascolumnheaders).
Mothertongue Periodofimmigration
Before1981 1981to2000 2001to2010 2011to2016 Total
Percent(%)
Canada
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
English 39.1 19.9 16.7 15.7 23.3
French 3.5 3.2 4.8 5.9 4.1
Otherlanguage 57.3 76.9 78.5 78.5 72.5
Quebec
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
English 13.8 6.9 4.9 5.1 7.5
French 20.9 18.8 22.9 26.6 22.0
Otherlanguage 65.3 74.3 72.2 68.3 70.5
CanadaoutsideQuebec
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
English 42.7 21.9 19.0 17.9 26.0
French 1.1 0.9 1.3 1.4 1.1
Otherlanguage 56.2 77.3 79.7 80.7 72.9
Note:Tosimplify,multiplesresponseshavebeenequallyredistributedbetweenlanguagecategories.Source:StatisticsCanada,CensusofPopulation,2016.
32. ItisECGL'sexperiencethatnewcomerstoCanadagravitatetoprogrammingintheirmothertongue–whetherthisprogrammingisfoundinthebroadcastingsystem,orfromnon-Canadiansources.Giventhesize,strength,importanceandexpectedgrowthofmulticulturalcommunitiestoCanadaandCanadiansociety,anewandpermanentnationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionservicethatfocusesonnews,informationandotherentertainingandinformativeprogramming–withsubstantivelevelsofcontentinmultiple
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languages–ishighlyappropriateandverymuchneeded.
E. TheCRTC’sCallforApplicationsforaNationalMulti-ethnicTelevisionserviceofferingNewsandInformationProgrammingaswellasotherHigh-qualityContent33. On15May2017,inissuingitslicencerenewaldecisionsforthelargestation
groups,theCommissionrecognizedthereisanexceptionalneedforanational,multilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicethatcanprovideCanada’sethno-culturalcommunitieswithprogramming,includingnewsandinformationprogramming,inmultiplelanguagesfromaCanadianperspective.7TheCommissioncametothisconclusionfollowingarequestbyRogersMediaInc.(“Rogers”)forabroadcastinglicencetooperateanational,multilingualmulti-ethnicdiscretionaryservicetobeknownasOMNIRegional.
34. TheCommissionfoundinBroadcastingDecision2017-152,thatRogers’proposedmulti-ethnicservicedidnotfullymeettheCommission’sexpectationsforsuchaservice,particularlywithrespecttolong-termviability,thesmallportionoftheprogramscheduleallocatedtonewscastsandthelackofspecificamountsofregionallyreflectiveprogrammingintheproposal.Inlightoftheextraordinaryneedforanationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingserviceforCanada’sethniccommunities,theCommissionapprovedRogers’applicationonaninterimthree-yearbasis,withnochanceofrenewal,whiletheCommissionconductsacompetitiveproceedingtoconsiderapplicationsfornationaltelevisionprogrammingservicesthatmeettheneedsofCanada’sthird-languagecommunities.
35. ECGLisverypleasedtheCommissionhaslaunchedthispublicproceeding.We
arealsoverypleasedtoparticipateinthefirstcompetitivelicensingproceedingforanationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceforCanadians.AsabroadcastercommittedtoservingCanada’smanyethnicandthird-languagecommunitiesformorethan12years,weunderstandtheneedandimportanceofprovidinganationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingservicetoCanada’sdiversecommunities.Suchanationalmulticulturalservicewillmeet
7Callforapplicationsforanational,multilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceofferingnewsandinformationprogramming,BroadcastingNoticeofConsultation2017-154,15May2017(“BNC2017-154”).
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keypublicpolicyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingAct,inparticularsection3(1)(d)(iii)whichstates:
“Throughitsprogrammingandtheemploymentopportunitiesarisingoutofitsoperations,servetheneedsandinterests,andreflectthecircumstancesandaspirations,ofCanadianmen,womenandchildren,includingequalrights,thelinguisticdualityandmulticulturalandmultiracialnatureofCanadiansocietyandthespecialplaceofaboriginalpeopleswithinthatsociety.”
36. Licensinganationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingserviceis
consistentwiththeCommission’sEthnicBroadcastingPolicy,whichstates:“TheCommissionconsidersthattheprimarygoalofthe[EthnicBroadcasting]policyistoensureaccesstoethnicprogrammingtotheextentpracticablegivenresourcelimitations.Thepolicywillcontinuetoprovideaframeworkforbroadcastingthatfostersopportunitiesforgreaterunderstandingamongpeoplewithdifferentculturalbackgrounds.TheCommissionhasdesignedthepolicytoincreaseflexibilityforethnicstations,toreduceregulationwherepossible,andtorespondtotheevolutionwithinethnicgroupsandinCanadiansocietyatlarge.”8
37. Indeed,Canada’smulticulturalcommunitiesareanimportantandfast-growing
segmentofourcountry’spopulation,andshouldmostcertainlyhaveadedicatednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnicservicethatfocusesonnewsandinformationaswellasotherprogramming,availableatanaffordablerate.
F. ExtraordinaryNeedforanewNationalMultilingualMulti-ethnicTelevisionService
38. ECGLretainedEthnicityMulticulturalMarketingInc.(“Ethnicity”),aleadingCanadianmulticulturalmarketingandresearchfirm,todeterminethelevelofinterestanddemandforanewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice,distributedbroadlyonthedigitalbasictier,atanaffordablerate.We
8EthnicBroadcastingPolicy,PublicNoticeCRTC1999-117,par.5and6.
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haveattachedatAppendixAacopyoftheEthnicityresearchreportpreparedinAugustandSeptember2017(“EthnicityReport”).
39. AstheCommissionwillnote,theEthnicityReportshowsthereisanextraordinaryneedandinterestinanewmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceinCanada.Inthisregard,nearly80%ofsurveyrespondentsstatedtheywishedtherewasmoreethnicandmulticulturaltelevisionprogrammingavailableontelevision.Nearly90%ofsurveyrespondentsindicatedtheybelievedhavingaccesstonewsandinformationprogramminginone’smothertongueisanimportantCanadianvalue.TheEthnicityReportshowsthatonlyabout25%ofsurveyrespondentsareverysatisfiedwithcurrentethnictelevisionprogramming,with77%sayingtheywishthereweremoreethnic/multiculturalTVprogrammingavailable.
40. TheEthnicityReportshowsthatmostrespondents(93%)believethatdiversityisafundamentalcharacteristicofCanadiansociety,thattheyareproudtoliveinacountrythatishometomanydifferentcultures(93%),andthatitisimportanttoknowaboutdifferentculturesintheircommunities(92%).ThestudyconductedbyEthnicityshowsthatsurveyrespondentsbelieveethnictelevisionprogrammingwillhelpbuildawarenessofotherculturesinCanadaandwillpromotecross-culturalunderstanding.
41. Moreover,averystrongmajorityofthesurveyrespondentsfoundanewtelevisionservicesuchasECGL’sVoiceswasappealing,andsaidtheyarelikelytowatchit(85%).Hence,thestudypreparedbyEthnicityforECGLconfirmsthereisindeedanextraordinaryneedforanewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionserviceavailableatanaffordablerate.
G. ECGL’sProposedNationalMultilingualMulti-ethnicTelevisionServiceforCanadians
42. InrespondingtotheCRTC’scallforapplicationssetoutinBNC2017-154,ECGL
hascarefullydesignedauniqueandinnovativenationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionprogrammingservicethatfocusesoninclusiveness,tolerance,awarenessandextensiveaccessforCanadiansacrossthecountry.OurinnovativetelevisionservicecelebratesthemulticulturalnatureofCanadiansocietyandensuresCanadiansfromabroadrangeofethnicand
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multiculturalbackgroundswillhaveaccesstoengaging,informative,enlighteningandentertainingcontentonCanadiantelevisiononaregularbasis,atanaffordablerate.
43. ThefollowingoutlinesourproposalsforVoices,ournewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.ForeaseofreferencewehavesetoutatAppendixDasummaryofourproposals,andatAppendixEproposedconditionsoflicencethatwouldbesuitablefortheservice,shouldtheCommissionapproveourapplication.
44. Ourproposednationalservicewillprovideanimportanthubinmainstream
mediaformulticulturalcommunitiesacrossCanada.ItwillbeameetingplaceforCanada’sdiversecommunitiesprovidingaccesstorelevant,informative,empoweringandinspiringCanadianandinternationalprogramming.ItwillservetoincreaseawarenessandunderstandingaboutthemanymulticulturalcommunitieswhocallCanadahome.
45. Voiceswillfocuspredominantlyonthird-languagelocal,regional,nationalandinternationalnewsandinformationprogramming.Ournationaltelevisionservicewillprovidehigh-qualityinformativeandengagingcontentforCanadiancitizenswhoareeagertolearnmoreaboutournation’svibrantmulticulturalcommunities.
46. Inaddition,ourproposednationaltelevisionservicewillshowcaseengaging,entertainingandenlighteningmulticulturalandthird-languagepremiumprogrammingfromCanadaandaroundtheworld.Ourbalancedanddiverseprogrammingschedulewillincludecommunityaccessprogrammingaswellaseducationalcontentforourviewers.PleaseseeattachedatAppendixFforadetailedsample7-dayschedule(forthreeregionalfeeds)forourproposednationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.Ø ANationalServicewithAtLeastThreeRegionalFeeds
47. TomeettheneedsofCanada’sgrowinganddiversemulticulturalcommunities
acrossallprovincesandterritories,weproposethatVoicesoperateandbroadcastatleastthreedistinctregionalprogrammingfeedsthatwillprovideoriginallocalandregionalCanadianprogrammingrelevanttoCanadianmulticulturalaudiences,throughoutthebroadcastday.ThethreelocalfeedswillserveaudiencesinEasternCanada,WesternCanadaand
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CentralCanada.48. Inaddition,subjecttoECGLenteringintoaprogrammingsharingarrangement
withthesoleexistinglocalethnictelevisionservicelicensedintheprovinceofQuebec(ICITélévision),ECGLwouldofferafourthlocalfeedtargetedspecificallytoethniccommunitiesinthatprovince.ThisservicewouldincorporateECGL'snationalandregionalnewsprogramming(includingnewscontenttargetedspecificallytotheQuebecmarket),andotherlocalandregionalcontentforQuebec'sspecificethnicallydiversecommunities.
49. ECGLwillestablishofficesandstudiosineachoftheregionsinwhichwewilloperate.Wewillengageindividualsineachregionincludingjournalists,contentcreatorsandsalespeopletoensureourstationreflectstheinterests,concernsandissuesofimportancetoouraudiences.Wewillestablishfacilitiesineachregiontoensureourservicehasindividualscloselyconnectedtothecommunitiestoallowourservicetoadapttotheever-changingmakeupofCanada’sethno-culturalcommunities.
50. ToensurethatCanada’sethniccommunitiesacrossthecountryhaveaccesstolocalandregionalprogramming,ECGLiscommittedtoensuringthatVoicesoffersatleast40hoursoflocalandregionalprogrammingforeachoftheinitialthreeregionalfeedsthatwewillprovide.ThisprogrammingwillconsistinlargepartofnewsandinformationprogrammingdedicatedtoCanada’slargestethno-culturalcommunities.
Ø MultipleLanguageFeedsDuringEachBroadcastDay
51. AnimportantandkeyelementofourprogrammingstrategyforVoicesisthatwe
willofferprogramminginmultiplelanguagessimultaneouslythroughoutthebroadcastday.Wewillbeginbyofferingthisprogrammingin10differentlanguagesinthefirstyearofoperationusingthemultiplelanguagefeeds.Wewillincreasethenumberoflanguagefeedsto15inthesecondyear,20inthethirdyearandto25bythefourthyearofoperation.
52. Wehavedevelopedthisinclusiveandinnovativeapproachtoprovidingmultilingualandmulti-ethnicprogrammingtoCanadianstoensurethelargestnumberofCanadiansfromdiversecommunitiescanaccessprogrammingonourchannel,intheirlanguage,onaregularbasis.
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53. Currently,multi-languageethnicbroadcastingservicesarelimitedinthescopeofthird-languagecommunitiestheycanservebytheuseofasingleaudiofeed.Thisisthecaseeventhoughexistingtechnologiespermittheuseofmultiplelanguagefeedstoaccompanyacommonvideosignal.Becauseexistingethnicservicescurrentlyuseonlyasingleaudiofeed(withperhapsasecondfeedfordescribedvideo),thereisadirectbutinverserelationshipbetweenthenumberoflanguagesofferedonanethnicservice,andtheamountofprogrammingtimedevotedtoeachlanguage:themorelanguages,thelesstimeperlanguage.
54. However,existingdigitaltechnologymakesthistraditionalapproachoutdated.It
isastraightforwardprocesstoofferdifferentaudiotrackstoaccompanyasinglevideosignal.Infact,thisisalreadydoneonaregularbasistoofferadescribedvideoaudiofeedintandemwitha"standard"audiofeed.Theprogrammingservicedeliversacommonvideofeedoftheservicetogetherwithtwodifferentaudiotracks.TheBDUthendistributesthesetrackstotheviewers,whoselectbetweenthem,typicallyusingasecondaryaudioprogram(or"SAP")buttonontheviewer'sremotedevice.
55. Voiceswouldovercometheinherentlimitationsofthetraditionalapproachby
offeringmultipleaudiotracksindifferentlanguagessimultaneouslytoaccompanyourprogramming.Wewillofferthesemultipleaudiotracks,focusingmainlyonournewsandinformationprogramming.Asnotedabove,thenumberoflanguagesformultiplelanguagetrackprogrammingwillincreasesteadilyyear-to-year,resultinginatleast25differentlanguagefeedsbythefourthyearofthelicenceterm.
56. ThetechnologyusedbyECGLtodelivertheaudiocontentonVoicesisalready
deployedacrossthebroadcastingindustryinCanadaandisavailableforuse.ThekeydifferencebetweenECGL'sproposalandtheexistingusemadetodeliverdescribedvideocontentisthatBDUsmaynotwishtoofferthecontentonthesamenumericchannel–withseparateaudiosaccessedthroughtheremotecontroldevice(asdescribedvideoisnowoffered).Rather,itmaybetechnicallysimplerfortheBDU,andeasierfortheconsumer,toofferthesamevideofeedwithseparateaudiofeedsondifferentassignednumericchannelswithintheEPGchannellineup.WenotethismethodresultsintheuseofnoadditionalbandwidthbytheBDUbeyondwhatwouldtypicallybeusedtodistributeastandardtelevisionprogrammingservice.Theassignmentofdifferentchannelnumberstothedifferentlanguageversionsoftheservicedoesnotrequirethedistributionofmultiplevideofeeds.
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57. Newsandinformationprogrammingiswellsuitedtotheproductionofmultiple
languagefeeds.Productiontechniqueswillbeemployedtoemphasizevoiced-overvisualcontentratherthanatraditionalanchorformat.
58. WeknowofnoothermulticulturalserviceinCanadathatoffersthislevelof
multilingualservicetoCanadianaudiences.Byofferingmultiplelanguagefeeds,theproposedservicewillovercometheinherentlimitationofasingleaudiochannelandmultiply,bymanytimes,thelevelofserviceavailabletodifferentlanguagecommunities.Whereasthetraditionaltelevisionmodelallowsonlytheverylargestthird-languagegroupstoreceivedailyprogramming,ourmodelallowsthedeliveryofasignificantlygreaternumberofprogrammingindifferentlanguages,toprovideameaningfullevelofservicetoafullrangeofthird-languagecommunitiesinCanada.
Ø ECGL’sProposedServiceFocusesonNewsandInformationProgramming
59. Ourproposednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicewillbe
weightedtowardsprovidingaudienceswithlocal,regional,nationalandinternationalnewsandinformationprogramming.Inthisregard,weanticipatethatapproximately80%ofVoices’schedulewillconsistofnewsandinformationprogramming,onaweeklybasis.
60. ECGLhasalsodevelopedauniqueandinnovativeapproachtoprovidingnewsandinformationprogrammingtoCanadians.Inthisregard,wewillproduceandbroadcasttwothree-hournewsprogramsdaily,MondaytoFridaythatwillfeaturethekeyissuesoftheday,usingthemultiplelanguagefeeds.Wealsoproposetoofferonethree-hourofsuchnewssegmentsonSaturdayandSundaymornings.ThisnewandfreshapproachtothebroadcastofnewsprogrammingwillensureCanadiansacrossawidespectrumofculturalgroupsarekeptapprisedofCanada’sandtheworld’sleadingissues,fromaCanadianperspective.
61. Asstatedabove,thenewsprogrammingonVoiceswillincludeatleast40hoursperweekoflocalandregionalnewsdirectedtoeachregion.Wehavereservedtheprime-timeportionofourweekdayscheduleforlocalandregionalethnicnewsandinformationprogrammingcreatedineachoftheregionsforwhichafeedisoffered.Wewillreserveaportionofourweekendscheduleforprogrammingdirectedtovariousdistinctethno-culturalcommunitiesin
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Canada,asshowninoursampleprogramscheduleattachedatAppendixF.
62. ThelocalnewsandinformationbroadcastonVoiceswillcoverawiderangeoftopicsimportanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesincludinginformationaboutkeyissuesandeventsofthedayrelevanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.Itwillprovideupdatesonculturaleventstakingplaceinthelocalcommunitiesacrossthecountry.
63. Indeed,VoiceswillbeatrustedandreliablesourceofnewsandinformationforCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.WewillcovernewsstoriesandissuesthatareimportanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesacrossthecountryfromaCanadianperspectivesuchas:
• Housing• Education• Employment• Employmentequity,payequity• HealthandHealthcare• Drugepidemics• Theeconomy• Politics,atalllevelsofgovernment• Environmentalissues• Technologytrends• Businessnews• Financialnews• Entertainmentandthearts• Culturaleventsandfestivals• Accesstoservices• Women’sissues
64. WehaveattachedatAppendixGadescriptionofthetypesofprogramsthatwe
proposetobroadcastonVoices(thesamplescheduleisattachedasAppendixF).Ø SampleProgramstobeBroadcastonourNewNationalMultilingualMulti-
ethnicTelevisionService
65. Thefollowingprovidesanoutlineofsomeofthekeyprogramswewilldevelop,produce,commissionandlicenceforournewnationaltelevisionserviceVoices.Inadditiontothenewsandinformationprogramming
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outlinedabove,ourschedulewillincludeaone-hourdailycurrentaffairsandculturalmagazineshowthatwillbebroadcastdailyMondaythroughFriday.ThisprogramwilldiscussissuesimportanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,andwillincludein-depthanalysisandinterviewswithleaders(community,business,politicalleadersandotherwise)fromabroadrangeofbackgrounds.ThisprogramwillallowCanadianstolearnmoreaboutissuesimportanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,whileatthesametimelearningmoreaboutthesecommunitiesandwhattheyvalue.
66. WeproposetoproduceandbroadcastaprogramentitledWelcometoCanada
thatwillassistnewCanadianswiththeirintegrationintoCanadiansocietyandCanadianlife.Arrivinginanewcountryasanimmigrantorrefugeeofcourseprovidesmanyopportunities,butalsopresentsmany,manychallenges,stumblingblocksanddifficultiesfornewCanadians,particularlyforthosewhodonotspeakEnglishorFrench.Weproposetooffertipsonhowtonavigatethehealthcaresystem,howtoobtainprovincialhealthinsurance,howtoopenabankaccount,theeducationsystemsinCanada.Howonemightgoaboutobtaininganewemploymentpositionoranewhome.
67. Aspartofthenewsandinformationprogrammingbroadcastonournationalmultilingualandmultiethnicservice,weproposetoproduceandbroadcastanewprogramentitledHerVoice.Thisprogramwillbeproducedandhostedbywomenfromdiversecommunitiesforwomenofethnicdescent.Itwilldiscussawiderangeofissuesrelevanttowomensuchasemployment,Canadianlaw,Canadianpolitics,financialplanning,educationfromearlychildhoodeducationtopost-secondaryeducationandgraduatestudies,politics,literature,spousalabuse,housing,travel,cookingandthearts.
68. ECGLalsowishestocreateaweeklytime-slotinVoicesscheduleforthe
broadcastofinformative,engagingandenlighteningCanadiandocumentaryprogrammingrelevanttoCanadianmulticulturalcommunities.TheCommissionhasidentifiedlong-formdocumentariesasprogramsofnationalinterest.ECGLagreestheseproductionsareanimportantpartofourcountry’sculturallandscape,andshedimportantlightonaplethoraofimportantissuesandtopicsforCanadians.Wewillusethistime-slotinourscheduletobroadcastCanadiandocumentaryproductionstoallowCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiestohavetheopportunitytoaccessprogrammingthatdelvesintoissuesimportanttothesecommunities.
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69. ProgrammingthatwewillfeatureinourCanadiandocumentarytime-slotwillincludebothprogrammingproducedin-houseandbyCanadianindependentproducers.
70. Asnotedabove,ECGLhasextensiveexperiencewiththedocumentaryformat.Asoutlinedabove,wehaverecentlycompletedadocumentaryseriesthatshedsaclosespotlightonmusicalartsandperformancesfromaroundtheworldfromaCanadianperspectiveentitledSoundsofCanada.WearealsoworkingonadocumentaryseriesonCanadianwomenimmigrantswhohaveachievedsuccessintheirprofessionallives.Itisthesetypesofproductionsthatwewouldfeatureinourdocumentarywindowonournewproposednationalservice.
Ø ExtensiveEthnicReflectiononourNationalMultilingualMulti-ethnic
TelevisionService
71. Moreover,ECGLproposestoensureatleast90%oftheprogrammingbroadcastonVoiceswillconsistofethnicprogramming.Thisiswellabovethe60%requirementsetoutintheCommission’sEthnicBroadcastingPolicy.Moreover,oureveningandprime-timeweeknightscheduleswillfocusonprogrammingthatspeaksdirectlytoethniccommunities,andthatisreflectiveoftheirexperiences.
Ø ExceptionalSupportforCanadianProgramming:Expenditures,Exhibition
andPNIprogramming
72. ECGL’sproposednationalservicewillprovideexceptionalsupportforCanadianprogrammingthroughbothcommitmentstoexhibitionandexpenditures.Inthisregard,weproposetoensurenolessthan75%ofthebroadcastdayand85%oftheeveningbroadcastperiod(6:00p.m.tomidnight)willconsistofCanadianprograms.Wealsoproposetoexpendatleast60%ofthepreviousyear’srevenuesonCanadianprogramexpenditures(“CPE”)throughoutthelicenceterm.Thisexpenditureleveliswellabovemostlicensesdiscretionaryservicesincludingmainstreamandmulti-ethnicservices.
73. Canadianprogramsonournationalservicewillinclude:
• Newsandinformationprogramming(local,regional,nationalandworldnews)
• Magazineprogramming
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• Documentaries• Musicandvariety• Awardsshow(s)• Children’sprogramming.
74. ECGLisalsohighlycommittedtosupportingthecreationoforiginalfirst-run
programmingforournationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.Tothatend,weanticipatethatthebulkofourCPEexpenditureswillbespentonoriginalCanadianprograms.
75. ECGLproposestoprovidestrongsupportforprogramsofnationalinterestorPNIonournationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.Inthisregard,weproposetospend3%ofrevenuesonPNIprogramming.ThesenationallyimportantprogramswillincludeCanadiandocumentariesbroadcastonourserviceonaweeklybasis.WeproposetoproduceandbroadcastmusicandvarietyPNIprogrammingforallCanadianstoaccesscontentthatcelebratesthemusicaltraditionsofmanyofourmulticulturalneighbours,fromacrossthecountry,aswellaschildren’sprogramming,forouryoungerviewersasoutlinedfurtherbelow.
76. Weplantoproduceandbroadcastanannualmulticulturalawardsshowthatwillshowcaseexcellenceinmultilingualandmulti-ethnicbroadcasting.ThiswillbethefirstofitstypeinCanadaandwillfeatureCanadiantalentandleadingfiguresinbroadcastingfrommulticulturalcommunities.9WenotetheCRTChasrecognizedanumberofCanadianawardsshowsasProgramsofNationalInterest.Noneoftheseawardsshows,however,specificallycelebrateorfeaturemembersofCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.ECGLwill,therefore,seekCRTCauthorizationforourproposedawardsshowtoberecognizedasaformalCanadianProgramofNationalInterest,ifourapplicationisapproved.10
9TheCRTC’sexistinglistofawardsshowsthatqualifyasprogramsofnationalinterestconsistofthefollowingshows:AlbertaMotionPictureIndustryAwards,Canada’sWalkofFame,CanadianAboriginalMusicAwards,CanadianVideoGameAwards,Galadel’ADISQ,GaladelaTrilled’Or,GaladesOliviers,L’autreGaladel’ADISQ,LesprixEloizes,LesprixGémeaux,MuchMusicVideoAwards(MMVAs),SoiréedesJutra,SoiréeExcellenceLaPresse,theAboriginalPeoplesChoiceMusicAwards,theCanadianCountryMusicAwards,theCanadianScreenAwards/LesprixÉcranscanadiens,theEastCoastMusicAwards,theGillerPrize,theIndspireAwardsandtheJunos.Seehttp://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv15.htm.
10ThisrequestwillbemadeinaccordancewithDefinitionsfortelevisionprogramcategories,BroadcastingRegulatoryPolicy2010-808.
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Ø PremiumInternationalContenttobeShowcasedonourNationalService
77. Toroundoutourprogramschedule,ourproposednationalservicewillbroadcastsomeoftheworld’sbestinternationalentertainmentandlifestyleprogramming.Asmentionedabove,ECGLhasdevelopedstrongpartnershipswithbroadcastersfromaroundtheworld.Thesepartnershipsprovideuswithaccesstosomeoftheworld’sbestmulticulturalandmultilingualprogramming.We,therefore,proposetoshowcaseprogrammingfromtheinternationalbroadcastcommunityincludingprogramsdistributedbyZeeTV,RAIInternational,RTVi,Rotanaandmanyothers.Ø Children’sProgramming
78. WeproposetoscheduleChildren’sprogrammingdailyonourservicetoallowchildrentoaccessprogrammingthatspeakstothemintheirmothertongue.ThiswillallowyoungCanadiansfromdiverseculturestodevelopandmaintainthelanguagefromtheirortheirparents’homelands.Thechildren’sprogrammingfeatureonourservicewillincludeCanadianandnon-Canadianprograms.Anexampleofthetypeofchildren’sprogrammingthatwouldbebroadcastonourserviceincludesthedelightfulCanadianindependentlyproducedprogramMiaomiao,whichhelpschildrenlearnandpracticeMandarin.
H. DigitalStrategyforourProposedService
79. ECGLhasdevelopedacomprehensivedigitalstrategythatwillcomplementourVoicesandallowouraudiencestoaccessleadingcontentfeaturedonournationaltelevisionserviceacrossmultipleplatforms,whereandwhentheychoose.Indeed,asolidonlineandmobilepresencewillbeintegraltoournewmultilingualmulti-ethnicnationaltelevisionservice.ECGLhasastrongtechnicalteamofengineersandprogrammers.Assuch,wewillusetheirexpertiseandcreativitytofurtherconnectwithaudiencesandallowourprogrammingtoreachabroaderaudience.
80. Ourdigitalstrategywillincludedevelopingandmaintainingawell-curatedwebsite,richincontent,withextensiveinformationaboutourprogramming,leadingnewsstoriesfromCanadaandinternationally,
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detailsaboutimportantlocal,regionalandnationalevents,aswellasinformationaboutartsandculturerelevanttoCanada’smulticulturalcommunities.Ourwebsitewillalsofeatureprogrammingdetails,updatedbroadcastschedules,aswellasprogramsegmentsfeaturedonournationalservice,whererightspermit.Ourwebsitewillofferpodcastsofourleadingprograms.
81. ECGLwilldevelopamobileappforourservicetoallowouraudiencestoenjoyourprogrammingonthedeviceoftheirchoice,wherevertheychoose.Ourmobilefunctionalitywillallowouraudiencestoaccessshortvideoclipsofkeynewssegmentstakingplaceintheircommunities.Voiceswillhaveaveryactivepresenceinsocialmedia,andwillregularlyengagewithouraudiencesthroughFacebook,Instagram,Twitter,RedditandSnapchat.Wewillexploremeaningfulwaystocapitalizeonemergingsocialmediaplatformstoensureweareconnectedandremainrelevanttoouraudiencesatalltimes.
I. AdvisoryCouncilforourProposedService
82. ECGLishighlycommittedtoensuringthatournationaltelevisionserviceisreflectiveofCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,andwillbeaccessibletoCanada’smanydiversecommunities.Tohelpmeettheseimportantobjectives,ECGLwillcreateanationalAdvisoryCounciltostrengthenournationaltelevisionservice’smandateofinclusiveness.OurAdvisoryCouncilwill,therefore,adviseournationaltelevisionserviceonarangeofimportantmatters,including:
• theservice’sprogrammingstrategytoensureunderrepresentedgroupsarewellreflectedon-air;
• ethnicandlinguisticcommunitiestobeservedtoreflectregionaldemographicsthroughoutthelicenceterm;
• issuesofsignificantimportancetoCanada’sdiversecommunitiesandhowtheymaybeincorporatedintoourservice’sprogramming;
• communityoutreachtoensureethniccommunitiesacrossCanada
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haveaccesstoandareinvolvedwithECGL'snationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.
83. OurAdvisoryCouncilwillbecomprisedofeightto12individualsfromacrossthe
countryandwillberepresentativeofCanada’sethno-culturalcommunities.Eachindividualwillbeappointedforatwo-yearperiod.WehavehaddiscussionswithanumberofcommunityandbusinessleadersfromCanada’sdiversecommunities,manyofwhomhaveindicatedtheywouldbeverypleasedandinterestedinparticipatingonourAdvisoryCouncil.
J. StrongBusinessPlanthatSupportsECGLNationalMultilingualMulti-ethnicTelevisionService
84. ECGLhasdevelopedastrong,soundandviablebusinessplanforourproposednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservice.Toachievetheabove-mentionedambitiousprogrammingandbroadcastingplans,ECGLproposesamonthlywholesalerateof$0.23permonth.Thiswillensure:
• atleast25ethnicgroupswillbeservedduringeachbroadcastmonth;
• bythe4thyearofoperation,programminginatleast25languagesbroadcastsimultaneouslyinourscheduleduringeachbroadcastweek;
• programminginatleast25languagesduringeachbroadcastmonth;
• atleast90%oftheprogrammingbroadcastonourservicewillconsistofethnicprogrammingduringeachbroadcastmonth;
• atleast90%oftheprogrammingbroadcastonournewnationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnicservicewillconsistofthird-languageprogramming;
• anexceptionalcommitmenttoCanadianprogrammingthroughbothexpendituresandexhibitionproposals;
• anexceptionalcommitmenttothecreationoforiginalCanadian
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programming,withatleast170hoursoforiginalCanadianprogramsbroadcastonourserviceduringeachbroadcastweek,acrossallthreeregionalfeeds;
• CanadianprogramsofnationalinterestincludingaCanadiandocumentaryseries,aCanadianmulticulturalperformingartsseriesandanationalmulticulturalbroadcastingawardsshow;
• astrongcommitmenttobroadcastingprogrammingthatfostersawarenessandunderstandingofotherculturesinCanada,includinganoriginalweekdaymagazineshow,artsandentertainment,amulticulturaldocumentaryseriesandlifestyleprogramming;
• afocusedmandatetopromoteinclusivenessandtoprovideprogrammingthatwillassistnewCanadianstoestablishtheirnewlivesinCanada;
• accesstopremiuminternationalscreen-basedcontentincludingfeaturefilms,children’sprogramming,dramas,telenovelasandinformation-basedcontent.
85. Toachievetheabove-notedexceptionalcommitments,broaddistributionof
VoicesonthedigitalbasictierinallprovincesandterritoriesofCanadaisessential.ThemarketresearchconductedbyEthnicityforECGLalsoshowsCanadiansareverycomfortablewithawholesalerateof$0.23forourproposedservice.Asasophisticatedandhighlyexperiencedmulticulturalbroadcaster,wearecertainweareabletomeettheextensiveprogrammingcommitmentswehaveoutlinedinthissubmissionifamandatorydistributionorderisgrantedrequiringBDUstocarryourserviceonthedigitalbasicserviceacrossthecountry.
86. Withanadequatewholesalerateandrevenuesderivedfromcommercialair-time,itisourrespectfulsubmissionthatourbusinessplanisreasonableandattainablewithmandatorydistributionpursuanttosection9(1)(h)oftheBroadcastingActforaninitiallicencetermofsevenyears.WehaveattachedatAppendixHourseven-yearfinancialprojections,whichshowwidespreaddistributionofournationalmultilingualandmulti-ethnicprogrammingserviceisessentialtomeetourextensiveandexceptionalprogramming
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commitments.
K. ECGL’sProposalMeetsalloftheCriteriaforMandatoryDistributionontheDigitalBasicService
87. ECGL’sproposednationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicemeetsallof
thecriteriaformandatorydistributiononthedigitalbasicservicesetoutinBRP2010-629.Indeed,ourproposednationaltelevisionservicewillcontributeinameaningfulandexceptionalwaytothefulfillmentofthepolicyobjectivesoftheBroadcastingAct.TheseincludethefollowingkeypublicpolicyobjectivesoftheAct:
3(1)(d)“TheCanadianbroadcastingsystemshould
(i) Servetosafeguard,enrichandstrengthenthecultural,political,socialandeconomicfabricofCanada,
(ii) EncouragethedevelopmentofCanadianexpressionbyprovidingawiderangeofprogrammingthatreflectsCanadianattitudes,opinions,ideas,valuesandartisticcreativity,bydisplayingCanadiantalentinentertainmentprogrammingandbyofferinginformationandanalysisconcerningCanadaandothercountriesfromaCanadianpointofview,
(iii) Throughitsprogrammingandemploymentopportunitiesarisingoutofitsoperations,servetheneedsandinterests,andreflectthecircumstancesandaspirations,ofCanadianmen,womenandchildren,includingtherightsoflinguisticdualityandmulticulturalandmultiracialnatureofCanadiansocietyandthespecialplaceofaboriginalpeopleswithinthatsociety,and
(iv) Bereadilyadaptabletoscientificandtechnologicalchange;…
(e)eachelementoftheCanadianbroadcastingsystemshallcontributeinanappropriatemannertothecreationandpresentationofCanadianprogramming;
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…(f)eachbroadcastingundertakingshallmakemaximumuse,andinnocaselessthanpredominantuse,ofCanadiancreativeandotherresourcesinthecreationandpresentationofprogramming…
(g)theprogrammingoriginatedbybroadcastingundertakingsshouldbeofhighstandard;
…(i)TheprogrammingprovidedbytheCanadianbroadcastingsystemshould
(i) Bevariedandcomprehensive,providingabalanceofinformation,enlightenmentand,
(ii) entertainmentformen,womenandchildrenofallages,interestsandtastes,
(iii) bedrawnfromlocal,regional,nationalandinternationalsources,
(iv) Includeeducationalprogramsandcommunityprograms,
(v) Provideareasonableopportunityforthepublictobeexposedtotheexpressionofdifferentviewsonmattersofpublicconcern…”
…
(r)theprogrammingprovidedbyalternativetelevisionprogrammingservicesshould
(i)beinnovativeandbecomplementarytotheprogrammingprovidedformassaudiences,(ii)catertotastesandinterestsnotadequatelyprovidedforbytheprogrammingprovidedformassaudiences,andincludeprogrammingdevotedtocultureandthearts,reflectCanada’sregionsandmulticulturalnature…”
88. InadditiontomakinganexceptionalcontributiontoCanadiancultural
expressionandoriginalfirst-runprogramming,ourproposednational
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multilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicewillalsosatisfytherequirementssetoutatparagraph10ofBRP2010-629,whichstatesthataservicegrantedamandatorydistributionorderpursuanttosection9(1)(h)oftheBroadcastingActshouldachievethefollowing:
• Servestosafeguard,enrichandstrengthenthecultural,political,socialandeconomicfabricofCanada;
• Isvariedandcomprehensive,providingabalanceofinformationandentertainmentprogrammingatanaffordablecost;
• Isdrawnfromlocal,regional,nationalandinternationalsources;• Includeseducationalandcommunityprograms;and• ReflectsandcontributestoCanada’slinguisticdualityandethno-cultural
diversity,includingthespecialplaceofAboriginalpeoplesinCanadiansociety.
89. Indeed,ourproposedservicewillachievethisthroughthebreadthofour
programmingscheduleasoutlinedabove,ourextensivereflectionofCanada’smulticulturalcommunities,ouractiveinvolvementinthecommunitiesthatwewillserveandthesagedirectionofourAdvisoryCouncil.
L. Conclusion
90. Inlightoftheabove,ECGLrespectfullyrequeststheCommissiontoapproveourrequestforanewnationalmultilingualmulti-ethnictelevisionservicethatwillserveCanada’smulticulturalcommunitiesinallprovincesandinallterritoriesofthecountry.Ourunique,innovativeandinclusivemediaservicewillmakeanexceptionalcontributiontothefulfillmentoftheobjectivesoftheBroadcastingActandtoCanadianculturalexpression.Asoutlinedabove,ourproposednationalservicewillprovidearich,diverseandbalancedprogrammingschedulethatwillincludehighlyinformative,engaging,compellingandentertainingprogramming.
91. Asalsodemonstratedabove,ourserviceverymuchmeetsthecriteriaformandatorydistributiononthedigitalbasicservicesetoutinBRP2010-629.IndeedourproposednationaltelevisionservicewillhelpstrengthenandcelebrateCanada’sdiversity,democracyandmultifacetedcultural
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fabric.
92. ECGLverymuchappreciatestheopportunitytofilethisapplication.WearehopefultheCommissionwillapproveourapplication.
Allofwhichisrespectfullysubmitted.
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