I will give you a quick answer, and then maybe I'll turn it over to my colleagues to add their comments.
With reference to your “once bitten, twice shy” comment, Mr. D'Amours, your concern is a legitimate one. I realize that we have not always been perfect in that regard. It is perfectly normal for people to demand more of Radio-Canada in the regions, and I'm never upset by that. I'm happy when people want more from Radio-Canada. I was talking earlier about independent productions, which we have improved over the last five years. RDI's new structure will help in that regard, as well as the fact that the regions will figure more prominently now in radio newscasts. All of that proves that this is a concern for us. We are trying to find a solution--the proper balance that will mean that people everywhere will see themselves reflected in the programs we present.
As we were saying earlier, in radio, 100 per cent of peak listening hours are devoted to local programming. As a result, when the regions ask us to broadcast one of their programs nationally in peak listening hours, we must refuse, given that all the peak listening hours are devoted to local programming. If we carry a program from the Maritimes on the national network, we will automatically cut back the number of regional peak listening hours in the other regions. Radio is very deeply rooted in the regions. We also have to ensure that our services are somewhat complementary. Radio-Canada cannot be everything to everyone, unless it's operating on every single platform. However, we can be everything for quite a few people, because we are able to present many hours of programming on several different platforms in every region of the country. I consider people's concerns in that regard to be perfectly legitimate, and I am not offended at all by them.
As for the deficiencies you mentioned, I would say this: we have sometimes gone a little overboard with special programming, and we would be the first to admit that. Because it was fresh news, we felt that we should put it on quickly. Now I'm not saying that sewer pipes on Highway 40 were a matter of urgent national importance. Sometimes things go too far. But we are thinking about all these issues as we reposition RDI. Our people at RDI are aware of this and want time for reflection.
As regards radio and radio frequencies, we have made a great many improvements. In particular, Espace Musique is now available all across the country, as we mentioned earlier. Up until three years ago, Espace Musique was called la Chaîne culturelle and was only broadcast in part of Quebec and in the City of Toronto. Now Espace Musique is broadcast all across the country.
As regards la Première Chaîne, it is available to 98 per cent of Canadians. I believe that the vast majority of our transmitters are in good shape. If you're driving in your car one day and you see that there are problems, give me a call, and I'll be happy to look into it. There are still some problem areas, because of a lack of FM frequencies, but we are always trying to make improvements. We want it to be available to 100 per cent of Canadians.