Consultation about a temporary fund to support local news production by commercial radio stations

We sought your comments on a temporary fund to be administered by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) that would support local news production by commercial radio stations outside of Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa-Gatineau. This consultation comes after the decision on base contributions, issued on June 4, 2024, and the recognition of the immediate need for funding to help provide timely relief to commercial radio stations. We asked you to share your thoughts on the CAB’s plan to administer the fund.

This consultation ran from November 4 to December 4, 2024.

Who was the focus of this consultation

We were looking to learn from anyone with an interest in local radio news.

This consultation engaged the interest of:

• Radio broadcasters
• Members of the public
• Online streaming services

Key topics for discussion

The CAB submitted a plan for the creation of the Commercial Radio News Fund that would support local news production by commercial radio stations outside of designated markets.

We invited you to provide your comments on the CAB’s plan and on the following topics:

• Fund Governance and Accountability Measures
• The Operation of the Fund
• Meeting Objectives of the Broadcasting Act: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

What we learned

• Interventions (comments we received online, by mail and by fax)

Related information

• The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous content through base contributions, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2024-121

• The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous content through base contributions – Finalization of conditions of service, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2024-121-1 and Broadcasting Order CRTC 2024-194

• Consultation about contributions to the Canadian Broadcasting system
• Canadian Association of Broadcasters

Date modified:

2025-08-01