Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, honourable members.
I would like to begin by thanking you for allowing me to share my observations and comments on a sensitive topic that, in my opinion, directly affects the maintenance of a healthy democracy: the future of news media, specifically, independent commercial radio stations located outside major urban centres. This invitation means a lot to me, so thank you.
My name is Sylvain Chamberland and I have been working in media for over 35 years. I worked at Éditions Transcontinental and as the general manager of news and information at TVA. I was also the president and CEO of Radiomédia, a network owned at the time by Astral Media. After that, I was the news director at Radio-Canada, so I handled francophone services, and vice-president of business development at Quebecor. Twelve years ago, I founded ARSENAL MEDIA, and I've been the president and CEO of ARSENAL MEDIA since its inception. Lastly, I'm also the president of the Association des radios régionales francophones, an association of regional radio stations in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.
I'd like to say a few words about ARSENAL MEDIA, a fully independent media company that has built a unique business model. The company is not publicly traded, does not belong to a conglomerate and receives very little in the way of government subsidies.
With ARSENAL MEDIA, I wagered on regional news and media when nobody else was really interested in it. Over the past 12 years, ARSENAL MEDIA has become Quebec's largest independent group of commercial radio stations outside the Montreal and Quebec City markets. ARSENAL MEDIA has 75 employees located everywhere from Abitibi, Sept-Îles, Lac-Mégantic and Témiscouata to central Quebec, the Lower St. Lawrence, the Gaspé, the Saguenay and beyond. We are present across Quebec.
ARSENAL MEDIA also includes 10 regional digital news platforms, several other websites on various topics of interest, two e-commerce stores and a digital creation studio.
Of course, ARSENAL MEDIA is also the voice of 18 radio stations and seven transmitting stations. Last week, we acquired seven former Bell Media stations, the entirety of Bell's assets sold in Quebec. If the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approves this transaction, we'll have 25 stations and seven transmitting stations all across Quebec, in addition to 15 regional news platforms. This will make ARSENAL MEDIA Quebec's largest broadcaster.
Needless to say, some of the communities we serve are media deserts, where we are one of the few news and information sources. Our arrival on the Quebec communications scene disrupted the status quo in the province's media landscape. We are now more determined than ever to be the local and regional news leader. We want to ensure that all Quebeckers can get relevant information that matters to them. I would add that it should be that way for all Canadians. They should be getting their news from all the radio stations that already exist in Canada.
I would also add that ARSENAL MEDIA is very involved in the communities we serve, donating tens of thousands of dollars to schools and community organizations every year.
It's time for the federal government and all elected officials to support local radio stations outside major urban centres, which do essential work providing news and information to the local population. I believe that support for journalism should not be limited to a single type of media, nor should it benefit those operating in just a few large regions of the country. That's the problem, in my opinion. Now, more than ever, support for news and information needs to help all the people working to keep all Canadians informed.