Good morning, everyone. I will preside over the meeting in the absence of the chair, Ms. Fry. She has not arrived yet, but she will probably be here any minute.
I want to thank the representatives of the Canadian Newspaper Association, Bob Cox and John Hinds, and those from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, Bernard Lord and the advisor accompanying him.
I want to remind the witnesses that this morning's study, to which we will dedicate at least 10 meetings, is about the way Canadians, especially those in local communities, are informed about local and regional events through the news, broadcasting services and digital and print media. The study is also about the unforeseen consequences of the news media concentration, as well as the erosion of local journalism and the impact of new media. The committee will make its recommendations to the government.
I wanted to remind you of the study's theme because it is broad and important. Everyone is passionate. All the members who are here to listen to you are truly interested in these issues. They are familiar with local issues and understand perfectly well that there is cause for concern.
Each of you will have 10 minutes to make your presentation. We will then move on to a question period, where each party will have seven minutes.
Mr. Cox, go ahead.