OTTAWA, ON – March 12, 2021
We are thrilled to announce that the CRFC’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) program has been renewed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage. This renewal secures our role as administering organization for the next three years.
In the first 2 years the CRFC was able to fund 35 stations across Canada to hire journalists to create journalistic content in underserved communities. There have been so many successes it is hard to count, but just to highlight a few, CFRO has been covering Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and the specific challenges faced in that community. CJTB in Tête-à-la-baleine, QC is now a trusted source of news for the entire Basse Côte Nord region. The excellent journalistic work done by all of the LJI journalists can be viewed at that program’s national platform – Canada.Info.ca. The site now boasts 3,670 stories which have been viewed 114,758 times by 47,463 visitors since July 2020.
In the coming weeks, we will open up the next call for applications for the LJI program. We understand and empathize with the stations currently funded through this program who may not be able to retain their journalist during this gap between rounds. The good news is that with our three year renewal, for future rounds we will be able to administer the program without gaps between rounds and funded stations will be able to reapply for funding and have a confirmation of their status months before the end of the existing funding round.
We know that the amount of demand will overwhelm the amount of money we have to fund these requests including applications for renewal of funding. We will not be able to renew all currently funded stations nor approve all requests for funding. As with most of our funding programs, it is a competitive process which is subject to the limits of the funding envelope.
We will be sharing the guidelines and application form for the program very soon!
If you have any questions about the LJI program, do not hesitate to contact us!
Emmanuel Sayer
Programs Manager
Community Radio Fund of Canada
emmanuel@crfc-fcrc.ca
613-321-3513