Call for Support – Writing a Letter to MP for Local Journalism Initiative / Community Broadcasting Fund

The National Campus and Community Radio Association is asking campus radio stations across Canada to write to their Members of Parliament.

The federal government is currently working on their 2023-2024 budget. One of the top priorities of the current federal administration is “the fight against disinformation.”

The NCRA, along with the Community Radio Fund of Canada, and other main community radio associations will be reaching to the federal government to ask them to add in their budget the extension and expansion of the Local Journalism Initiative and establish a $25 million dollar annual Community Broadcasting Fund. If they are successful, this would bring direct funding to CJAM as well as our fellow community radio stations across the nation.

If you can write a letter to your Member of Parliament and ask your MP to:

1) The extension and expansion of the Local Journalism Initiative as the 5-year program is about to enter its final year without a plan after 2024 to renew the program. We are looking for that program to expand to $20 million a year and make it permanent.

2) Establish a $25 million dollar annual Community Broadcasting Fund to be distributed among all stations. This fund would support all licensed broadcasters, with core and stable funding of around $90,000.

This would greatly help CJAM if the LJI and the CBF gets added into the federal budget. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Walter at statcjam@gmail.com or go to ncra.ca/help!