Federal funding to Native broadcasters

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Federal budget cuts to all programs are affecting the Native broadcasting societies across Canada.

Each of the corporations funded under the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program operated by Heritage Canada is to have its funding cut by 22 per cent over the next three years.

Plans are for a five-per-cent cut this fiscal year, followed by eight per cent and nine per cent, respectively.

"All of the government departments got a whack," says Bert Crowfoot, general Manger of CFWE, operated by the Aboriginal Multi Media Society of Alberta. "So we're not whining about the cuts, but they're a fact of life when you receive government funding and they are going to affect our programming."

CFWE, which broadcasts out of Edmonton to 48 communities across northern Alberta, and to perhaps 290 other communities across the country for part of the broadcast day, has made the dramatic cuts to its programming now, slicing away half of the station's on-air people.

In that way, some $90,000 can absorb this year's cut and the balance will be utilized in expanding the stations' distribution as well as its marketing department.

A similar dollar amount will be lost to CFNR, Canada's First Nations Radio, out

of Terrace, B.C. according to general manager Clarence Martin. The northern British Columbia broadcaster reaches 55 communities. Martin is concerned about where his station is going, and has been part of the planning process since becoming GM some two months ago.

"What we've done is trying to anticipate some of the impact," he says. "We've had to readjust, and we're going to have to take a very close look at the budget. But all is not doom and gloom; it's forced us to be more creative and to, for example, design a new format whereby we can attract new advertisers, particularly from the non-Native community."

Martin would like to modernize, but is concerned that the digitizing equipment, which he describes as "the new thing coming over the horizon," could be too expensive now.

"It's not a problem for us, per se," says Sytukie Joamie, director of network programming for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation of Iqaluit. "It is a new beginning, and we know that. It is a challenge which we are going to meet."

Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television company which employes about 40 people in production. It has relied on government funding for about the same percentage of its revenues as have the radio networks - that is, 80 per cent.

"IBC has been living on federal funds since day one," admits Joamie with candor. "But we know that federal funding will cease to be, sooner or later, and we are trying to tap into other sources of funding which are privately operated, including the international market." Joamie also notes the corporation must tap into the $1 billion cash land-claims settlements in the eastern Arctic over the next 14 years.

"We are the forerunner head of other Inuktitut broadcasting and we are an essential service," he says. "We are the only regular Inuktitut broadcasting in the North, and we will be making a proposal to NTI (Nunavut Tungavik Inc.) to tap into their funds. They know, and people in the North know, that IBC is essential."

"We'll be putting the savings into revenue generation," Crowfoot says. "In the next year we will be increasing our marketing as well as trying to expand so that we reach more of the places in our backyard market - Northern Alberta."

The objective is to make CFWE financially independent of government, he says, remembering the 100-per-per cent cut to Native communications survived by the AMMSA newspaper operating five years ago.

"What we're looking at is doing less TV production less radio production," says Native Communications Inc. chief executive officer Ron Nadeau. "These cuts will include hours and programming both. To raise revenue, we are planning to do more in TV with commercial production."

Nadeau explains that his company has broadened its base to include gaming (raio and TV bingo), a Thompson, Man. cabaret and they are considering buying a Winnipeg FM station. They'd also like to convert to digital production; the cost is high but the technology would open up new possibilities for the stations.

Crowfoot is quick to point out that funding cuts are not responsible for the recent change in direction of his station's management.

He hopes to build a station that is "people friendly," where the community is involved with the radio station and vice versa.

"We have moved away from a national focus and have stated to look after our real audience in northern Alberta," says the station manager. "We've had incredibly successful tours of the station and remotes recently. There are some real success stories out there, such as NCI."

Native Communications Incorporated's initiatives are only some among many potential solutions to the fiscal realities facing Native broadcasters, but across the country, creativity in assuring funding will be key to insuring their survival.