I'll let Alex answer for radio.
For 10 years we've been underscoring to the CRTC and faithfully participating in CRTC hearings about community television, specifically saying that the digital transition has happened; cable companies are consolidated; they're shutting those studios and they're not covering council meetings. All that programming has gone in dumpsters, and we've been getting nowhere.
As Mr. Scott admitted, in 2016 they decided that local news was more important. We can do local news, too, but we can do it in much smaller communities—all the communities where it's not profitable.
We're afraid that there's no specificity about our role. All these reports keep coming out that don't understand our role, but that will continue. These policies will be made that just leave us out, because nobody gets our role. We think that MPs, more than anyone else, get our role, because if you live in a community where there's no public and private broadcaster, you have no way to contact your constituents. Really, we're in your hands.
Other people, frankly, have told us for 10 years that the CRTC is in a situation of regulatory capture. They've said, “The solution to your problem is political. You need to talk to MPs.” We're here begging you, because, as I said, there are 25 struggling little community TV organizations outside Quebec now. Quebec is in a special situation, with 40 in the province, because the province supports them and the CRTC, behind closed doors, has encouraged the Quebec cable companies to support them. There's nothing outside Quebec.
We just think we're going to get more of the same. We've put data that is incontrovertible in front of them, showing that the cable community system does not work.
Also, we're not saying to close the remaining stations. We're just saying recognize that the not-for-profit sector is there. We can go to small communities where cable companies can't and don't want to be anymore.
If we're going to a service contract system with the CRTC anyway, and they want to keep running their stations, recognize them for what they are. They're corporately branded, private, specialty local channels. If they have a value and there's programming, then they'll keep doing them, but we need to have the community empowered to step into the gap in all the places where there isn't cable community TV.
It's over to you, Alex.