As concerns new media, in the space of less than a decade, cell phones with Internet access, embedded cameras, Wi-Fi connections and other technologies have become more and more common, and this has changed the communications and media sector in ways we never could have imagined. There is also satellite broadcasting, which has also contributed to the decline in the listening audience of over-the-air radio stations by becoming available even in our vehicles and our homes.
In the current context of globalization where major broadcasting players such as Astral and Standard, among others, are merging their activities in order to diversify their supply of products and compete with the phenomenal rise of new media, community radio stations, especially those in official language minority communities, are struggling to prevent the decline of their listening audience and must also fight pitched battles with the Internet, a medium which knows no boundaries or clear rules.
We feel it is important to point out that Canadians' interest in new media is largely due to the fact that it is interactive. Public participation in content is at the very heart of our radio stations' missions. We are also concerned by the operating expenses, and the cost of human resource training and research and development associated with these changes, and about the difficulty of raising enough revenue to offset the losses due to the change in strategy arising from the increased emphasis on new media.
Community and campus radio stations have less than $75,000 per year to cover their broadcasting costs. Many stations do not have enough funding to purchase studio supplies, regularly upgrade programming and production software, provide adequate supervision to volunteers or broadcast quality local and regional news programs. And yet this is part of our mission.
Community and campus radio stations can count on an average of only $300,000 per year to carry out their mission. We will give you more detailed figures a little later. This is an average, but it breaks down to less than $35 per hour of programming. This budget, which represents 11.5% of the average income of commercial FM radio stations, does not allow us to offer enough quality programming, support participation or carry out our mandate in terms of diverse viewpoints, the broadcasting of non-commercial cultural content or local content.