Thank you, Sylvie.
My name is Brad Phillips. I'm responsible for the 22 Astral radio stations in British Columbia, and manager of the Vancouver cluster of stations, Virgin Radio and AM 650.
I've been privileged to work in the Canadian broadcasting industry for over 30 years in both radio and television. Before Astral, I was regional vice-president for CHUM Television. Most of my career has been spent in the radio business. I'm proud to say that I have managed or programmed the number one station in Canada's two largest markets, Vancouver and Toronto. I've worked in large and small markets in four provinces for AM and FM stations in a variety of formats. I've been a CMW program director of the year. Earlier in my career I was a finalist for Billboard magazine's on-air personality of the year. I'm in my eighth year on the board of the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters.
Local radio is the strongest marketing tool for Canadian artists and music. This role needs to be recognized by government and the Canadian music industry. I am here today as the president of the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters. We have a combined audience of close to 4.5 million listeners and a presence in every community, large or small, across our beautiful province. In a number of those markets, we are the only local media.
I am also here on behalf of my company, Astral, the largest radio broadcaster in Canada with 83 stations in 46 communities throughout Canada, serving a total of 14.6 million listeners. Our 2,000 employees are a vital part of the communities they serve, through hundreds of year-round fundraising activities for local charities, coverage and promotion of local events and stories, and dedication of countless hours and energy required to bring people together for a common cause.
Tens of millions of dollars are raised for local charities by private broadcasters every year. An example is Astral's National Day of Caring for Kids Radiothon, through which, for two years in a row, Astral listeners have raised over $7 million for Children's Miracle Network and several of Astral's own children's charities. In Vancouver, my stations broadcast from the lobby of BC Children's Hospital.
On our Vancouver station, we have a program called The Best of BC, which is a cornerstone initiative showcasing new local unsigned artists. Each month we feature a new artist airing for the first time on radio. Each new artist is given on-air exposure with 70 spins aired during the month. Each artist is also featured for one month on our Best of BC web page.
Approximately 60 artists have been supported by the Best of BC feature. Some artists we have supported have gone on to major success. For example, Andrew Allen gained national radio airplay with two singles and signed to Epic Records. The Envy signed to Simmons Records, Gene Simmons' label, and played shows in Los Angeles with Eminem and KISS. Tara Holloway signed to 604 Records. Hannah Georgas played multiple Lilith Fair dates with Sarah McLachlan and signed with EMI.
In addition to these direct contributions to our local artists and local communities, private radio plays a significant role in the national cultural economy. As an industry, we employ over 10,500 Canadians. We raise countless millions of dollars for local and national charities and fundraisers per year, investing both human and financial resources in our communities. Private radio broadcasters spent $64 million on copyright royalties last year, in addition to the $21 million paid for the reproduction right. Those royalties are set as a function of our income, so as we continue to grow, so do the royalties paid out to the copyright collectives. We also invested $51 million in Canadian content development last year. That's money that goes directly to artists to help fund production and promotion of their music.
Mike Keller from Newcap Radio is going to tell you more about our CCD contributions.
Thank you.