When our consultant was working on the white paper, he looked at the conditions in which all the organizations operated, the television stations and community radio stations. With those people, he discussed funding and what they would need in order to provide their services, make the digital shift, and do their jobs to ensure the vitality of the communities. It is all well and good to have a community radio station, but, if it is only hanging on by a thread and no one is providing secretarial support, and all that remains are a few hosts to sell advertising, perform hosting duties, and answer the telephone, it's hard to focus on what you have to do.
We need that to ensure the vitality of the communities. We want to improve the quality of the information we provide and to make it uniform everywhere. The community radio stations want to be able to work together on that.
The MICRO organization had to fire its secretary. The executive director cut her own hours and is now working out of her basement because the association can't even pay for a small office.
It is essential that we have efficient structures that help the francophone community remain vibrant. Every time a media outlet finds itself in difficulty or disappears, we have just taken another step toward assimilation.
I would add that three elements work together in a community: the school system, community organizations, and the media. Those three elements must be able to do so constantly in order to keep the community vibrant and informed. The schools organize all kinds of things, and community organizations do the same. Media organizations are thus essential because they pull everything together, make the community vibrant, and encourage it to participate.