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High Media Concentration in N.B. Threatens Democracy
Canada has one of the highest concentrations of media ownership out of all the democratic nations in the world. With that idea in mind, it's even more startling for New Brunswickers to learn that their province has the highest concentration of media ownership of all the Canadian provinces. Kevin Arseneau, MLA for Kent-North, tabled a motion that would seek to end the concentration of media ownership in New Brunswick.
“Having a free, competitive, and diverse media landscape is absolutely crucial to a well-functioning democracy,” said Arseneau. “The level of media concentration in this province is unheard of in the rest of the developed world. That fact has been made especially evident in light of the closures of 9 of the Irving-owned Brunswick News offices recently.”
New Brunswick's newspaper landscape is particularly troubling given that all English-language daily newspapers in New Brunswick are currently owned by Brunswick News, which constitutes 84% of all daily newspaper circulation. Brunswick News also owns 71% of weekly newspaper circulation in the province, with all of their physical offices closed permanently. Brunswick News is owned by James K. Irving, who notably also owns J.D. Irving, Limited.
“The fact that a major employer in the province, who is directly tied to many industries would have control of the media is beyond concerning,” said Arseneau. “What we have here is an industrial-media complex and it’s holding us back as a province.” The motion presented by Arseneau seeks to institute a 40% cap on the concentration of print media ownership in the province and prohibit the cross-ownership of media and non-media businesses, a commitment made in the 2018 Green Party Platform.
Canada's TV landscape also has high media concentration, with big telecoms such as Bell, Shaw and Rogers dominating the market. Arseneau believes that government needs to step in to diffuse the media giants from having complete control of the marketplace. Big telecoms also make it nearly impossible for independent community television stations like CHCO-TV in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick is survive. CHCO-TV is one of just a handful of community stations left in Canada, and notably the only one in New Brunswick, to survive the vertical integration strategies of big telecoms in Canada--business strategies that have allowed them to syphon off funding intending for community television to fund and promote their own commercial productions.
“The media landscape is like a farm; diversity contributes to its strength and resilience,” said Arseneau.
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Charlotte County television is New Brunswick's only source for independent community television. Since 1993, CHCO-TV has been providing Southwest New Brunswick with locally-produced content made by community it serves.
The mission of CHCO-TV is to promote community media and to encourage, educate and engage residents in Southwestern New Brunswick, to use new media and technology, to improve civic involvement, learn new media skills and enhance the culture, the economy, health and quality of life in New Brunswick.
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