As much as the on-air product is important, there is another key service that local television provides. We are a training ground for the television industry. Our dedicated employees work hard to teach volunteers the art of television through practical experience with technology, helping students to gain a broad working experience that is not available anywhere else. In some cases, colleges turn down applicants to their broadcasting course because of a lack of experience. Students with a good academic standing and experience in local television tend to fare much better.
Successful volunteers have gone on to complete their post-secondary training and have found employment in the broadcast television industry across the country, while others have returned to their roots, preferring to stay in the type of media that introduced them to their love of television. In fact, with the Peterborough TVCogeco channel as a model, all employees are former volunteers, some of whom have returned to our industry after graduation, either immediately or after a taste of broadcast.
Our unique structure and flexibility enables us to cover aspects that are of importance to our community in a greater depth than most local broadcasters are able to provide. For instance, most regional broadcast stations are not able to provide the same full local coverage of municipal elections as we do. During federal elections, many regional broadcast entities have quick inserts as part of their national coverage, provided by their parent networks.
We cover most ridings in their entirety, with interviews and analyses from our studios or mobile facilities. In the most recent municipal election in Peterborough, TVCogeco was the first to declare winners in each race. We are a credible media entity, so much so that candidates, local political junkies, and high-profile citizens visit the studio during election coverage to watch, to take part, or simply to be where the most up-to-date information can be found.
TVCogeco and our colleagues in other cable companies have also stepped in to pick up events that are not covered by broadcast but that still hold considerable interest to our viewers. We are adept at utilizing multiple transmission formats to provide our viewers live coverage of sporting events that are of specific interest to them. Events such as provincial curling championships draw a very vocal and active audience. Our cooperative efforts to provide sports fans live coverage of their home teams playing away games is hugely appreciated.
TVCogeco Peterborough is also an active partner with other media entities within the municipality. Politically Speaking is a program involving three media partners: two from print and one from radio. Additionally, the local broadcaster regularly uses footage produced by us in its news, and we've even co-produced coverage of the local Christmas parade with CHEX-TV.
We believe that our local television is an important part of the television landscape in Canada, providing a very valuable asset to the communities we serve.