With modern technology, it is now possible for anyone with passion and creativity to create their very own internet radio station. Unlike traditional terrestrial radio, which is limited by geographical boundaries, an internet radio station allows you to reach a global audience, sharing your unique voice and music with listeners worldwide.
Creating an internet radio station provides an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, showcase your favourite music genres, discuss topics of interest, or even promote local talent. Whether you aspire to be a radio host, a DJ, or simply want to share your love for music and entertain others, the possibilities are endless. Here is a step by step guide for creating and launching an internet radio station.
1. Pick a Format and Content of Your Station
Before diving into the technical aspects, having a clear vision of your radio station’s format and content is crucial. Consider the genre(s) of music or topics you want to focus on, whether you want to include live shows, pre-recorded segments, or a combination of both, and the overall tone and style of your broadcasts. Understanding your target audience and what they would enjoy listening to is also essential in shaping the direction of your radio station.
2. Get the Necessary Equipment and Software
You’ll need the right equipment and software tocreate radio station and bring it to life. Start with a computer or laptop that meets the minimum requirements for broadcasting and ensure it has enough storage capacity for your music library and broadcasting software. Invest in a good-quality microphone to ensure clear and professional-sounding broadcasts. Additionally, you will need broadcasting software such as SAM Broadcaster, Virtual DJ, or RadioDJ to manage and stream your content.
3. Setup a Reliable Internet Connection
A stable and reliable internet connection is crucial for uninterrupted broadcasting. Ensure you have a high-speed internet connection with sufficient bandwidth to handle the streaming demands of your radio station. A wired Ethernet connection is generally more reliable than a wireless connection, so consider connecting your broadcasting computer directly to your modem or router if possible. Test your internet speed and address any issues before going live to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted streaming experience for your listeners.
Additionally, it is advisable to have a backup internet connection or contingency plan in case of any unforeseen interruptions or outages. This could involve having a backup ISP or a mobile data plan as a backup option to keep your radio station on the air during any internet service disruptions.
Remember to consult with your internet service provider (ISP) to understand any data usage limits, bandwidth restrictions, or special requirements for hosting an internet radio station. Ensuring a reliable internet connection is vital to providing a seamless listening experience for your audience.
4. Select a Streaming Hosting Provider
Once you have your equipment and internet connection in place, it’s time to select a streaming hosting provider. These providers specialize in delivering your audio content to your listeners over the internet. Consider factors such as the provider’s reliability, scalability, pricing plans, and features they offer, such as analytics and customizable players. Popular streaming hosting providers include Shoutcast, Icecast, and Live365. Evaluate different options to find the best fit for your needs and budget.
5. Create a Website or Webpage for Your Radio Station
A dedicated website or webpage for your radio station is essential for building an online presence and attracting listeners. You can create a simple website with information about your station, including the schedule, DJ profiles, and a player to stream your broadcasts. Alternatively, you can utilize platforms such as WordPress or Wix to design a more comprehensive website with additional features and functionalities. Make sure your website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and reflects the branding and style of your radio station.
6. Setup Your Broadcasting Software and Configure the Audio Settings
Your chosen broadcasting software will be the central tool for managing and streaming your content. Set up the software by inputting the information provided by your streaming hosting provider, such as the server details and login credentials. Configure the audio settings to ensure optimal sound quality, considering the bit rate, audio format, and recommended settings from your streaming hosting provider. Test the audio levels and ensure your microphone, music, and other audio sources are balanced and clear.
7. Come Up with a Schedule for Your Radio Programs
Establishing a schedule for your radio programs helps maintain consistency and provides a framework for listeners to tune in regularly. Decide on the days and times when your shows will air and plan out the duration of each program. Consider the different time zones of your target audience and aim for a schedule that accommodates a broad range of listeners. Be sure to promote your schedule on your website and social media platforms, allowing your audience to anticipate and engage with your upcoming broadcasts.
8. Test Everything and Stream Before Going Live
Testing your equipment and stream before launching your radio station is crucial to identify and address any technical issues. Ensure your broadcasting software, microphone, audio sources, and internet connection work properly. Test the quality of your stream, ensuring that it is stable and delivers clear audio to your listeners. Conducting test broadcasts and gathering feedback from a small group of listeners can help you fine-tune your setup and resolve any potential issues.
9. Promote Your New Station
To reach a wider audience and build a listener base, promoting your radio station through various channels is vital, with social media being a powerful tool. Create accounts on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and regularly share engaging content related to your station, such as updates, behind-the-scenes insights, playlists, and upcoming shows. Engage with your audience, respond to comments, and encourage them to share your station with their networks. Additionally, expand your reach by collaborating with other online communities, music blogs, or local events.
Conclusion
Gone are the days of needing costly broadcasting equipment and licenses to launch a radio station. Thanks to the accessibility of streaming technology and online platforms, setting up your internet radio station has become more achievable and cost-effective. Armed with a computer, an internet connection, and a passion for broadcasting, you can create a digital hub that resonates with listeners across the globe.
Take a deep breath Britney Spears’ fans: her memoir, The Woman In Me, finally has a publication date. You only have to wait until 24 October to get your hands on a copy.
She’s one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century, scaling the heights of fame with mammoth hits such as “Toxic” and “Womanizer”. She’s conquered acting roles, raked in the Grammy nominations, and ultimately shaped what it means to be a modern celebrity.
But the almost quarter of a century she’s been in the entertainment business has been rocky, to say the least.
In 2021, she was finally freed from her controversial, 13-year conservatorship, which had seen her father, Jamie Spears, take control of her finances, personal life and career. She’s had a tumultuous relationship with her family since, including her teenage sons Jayden and Sean.
Her nine studio albums, although cherished by fans, have left many with questions about Britney’s creative control. Her team have cancelled tours in strange circumstances, while music videos have been scrapped.
Now, for the first time in her career, the star will finally have her say. It’s time to see who the real Britney, b**ch is. These are just some of the questions fans want answered in her book.
What really happened with Britney Jean?
Although fans see her discography as golden, there is unanimously one outlier: 2013’s uninspired, commercial flop, Britney Jean. While the lead single, “Work B**ch” remains a fan-favourite and permanent feature on gay gym playlists worldwide, the album as a whole was poorly received.
Besides the music itself, fans had one big concern: who was actually singing on it? There are a long, complex web of fan theories and semi-revelations, but to put it simply: fans have always suspected that much of the lead vocals on the album were actually recorded by long-time Britney backing singer, Myah Marie.
Some songs, including “Work B**ch” as well as “Body Ache” and “Til It’s Gone” are rumoured to be almost entirely sung by Marie.
The Britney Jean era remains one of the most mysterious of the pop star’s career. (YouTube)
While Marie has never publically confirmed it, and Britney’s team denied it at the time, others involved in Spears’ work have hinted that the album was not Britney at all.
Also in 2021, a former assistant of Miley Cyrus – who was on the same management team as Britney, and worked with the star in 2013 – alleged that a member of Spears’ management team confirmed that Britney’s voice was not used on her songs.
The Britney Jean era remains one of the largest mysteries of the singer’s career, and fans are hoping she will clear the situation up.
What happened with the cancellation of her second Vegas residency?
Following the success of her first Las Vegas residency Piece of Me, which ran from 2013 to 2017, a second residency entitled Domination was announced in 2018.
In early 2019, however, Britney revealed that the residency would be cancelled, because of her father, and his “life-threatening health issues”. However, during the 2021 battle to free herself from his conservatorship, she admitted that she’d asked for the cancellation, due to feeling overworked.
Britney Spears’ Domination residency was cancelled. (Facebook/@BritneySpears)
Her father obliged, but according to the singer, she feared “punishment” for making the request. She alleged that she was then forced to undergo four-hour-long psychiatric evaluations, made to take the mood-stabiliser drug lithium, and eventually placed in a rehab facility against her will.
Now, fans want to see Britney expand on what really went down: who decided to blame the cancellation on her dad’s health? Who decided she should tour again, despite clearly not wanting to? What else happened in the following months?
Piece of me tour/Domination residency/ 2019 rehab era
— 𝔍𝔞𝔠𝔬𝔟𝔢 (fan acc) The Woman In Me (@badkidsfame) July 11, 2023
Did Original Doll ever really exist?
One of the earliest entries into the book of Britneylore was her potentially real, potentially mythical, fifth studio album, Original Doll.
While fans know that her actual fifth studio album is Blackout, released in 2007, she had supposedly created another between 2004’s In The Zone and Blackout, set for release in 2005.
Britney herself kicked the rumour mill into action in 2004 by turning up unannounced at the Los Angeles’ Kiss-FM radio station studio, asking to play a new, unreleased song entitled “Mona Lisa.”
“Well, thanks for hanging tonight. Good luck with your album. It’s untitled,” radio host Jesse Lozano said when she came on air.
“It’s probably going to be called Original Doll… it’s halfway done right now,” she responded.
While “Mona Lisa” eventually went on to be released on the Britney & Kevin: Chaotic EP as part of her reality TV series of the same name, fans have long speculated that it was destined for Original Doll, but the album was scrapped.
Her former, long-time manager Larry Rudolph previously slated the rumour as a “bulls**t story with zero factual basis,” and her label at the time, Jive Records, also rubbished the claims.
Even some fans doubt there’s any truth in it. “Mona Lisa” is one of just two potential songs that were destined for the rumoured album, while some believe she made the impromptu announcement in a bid to spite her management.
Original Doll. Like what was the deal, what’s the story behind getting that version of Mona Lisa to radio, why was it this whole covert thing etc. https://t.co/xb4sql88Hi
Britney’s seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, was deemed a success by fans: “Hold It Against Me” and “Till The World Ends” were two of her top pop smashes to date, the music videos were fierce, and she was back on the road touring.
Yet something was amiss, so much so that some fans dub the 2010-2012 time of Britney’s career “the Robotney era“.
Interviews seemed staged and awkward, and, sometimes, she appeared on the brink of tears. Her live performances were stiff, with low energy, and some fans still find them unbearable to watch back.
One clip from the Femme Fatale era, in which Britney announced she’d be performing live on Good Morning America, frequently goes viral because of how spaced-out she seems, and how different her voice sounds.
Some fans believe that her dissociation at the time was due to her conservatorship being extended in 2010, and this era was the first time she realised that it would “kill her dreams” of having control of her career.
So, while the music was fun, Femme Fatale was evidently a difficult time in Britney’s life.
The Femme Fatale Era. Seems like there was a lot going on during that time, the voice change and mannerism changes seems like Team Con was really up to no good during that time.
— Stephen, “The Woman In Me” 📚 (@luckySGM) July 11, 2023
Why did the visuals for the Glory era change so dramatically?
Britney’s 2016’s album, Glory, was a surprising return to form. Following on from the dismal Britney Jean and with the singer still locked into her conservatorship, fans expected the worst.
But, against all odds, the record produced some of the freshest, most experimental pop songs of her career.
The stage was set: Glory would be Britney Spears’ pop superstar comeback. The lead single, “Make Me…” was set to have a video directed by Dave LaChapelle, who recorded the video for her 2003 smash hit “Everytime” – often lauded as one of the best of her career.
The final music video for “Make Me…” was a lot duller than the original version appeared. (YouTube)
Leaked stills from the video appeared to show Britney in a bathing suit, surrounded by shirtless backing dancers. It promised to be one of her more risqué videos, sending fans into a spiral of anticipation.
However, the video was reshot at the last minute with a different director, and the final result seemed very far removed from the original concept. Similarly, fans believe an album cover shot for Glory was scrapped, and replaced with a borderline blurry close-up of her face.
You asked for a new Glory cover and since it went to number one we had to make it happen !!!! Couldn’t have done it without you all 💞😘🌹✨!!!! pic.twitter.com/uWzIXHR6cR
There’s a lot to unpick, and perhaps The Woman In Me will get to the bottom of it.
What’s the backstory behind her VMA performance?
In September 2007, just six months after Britney had checked into rehab following her public mental-health crisis, she was back on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Performing her new single “Gimme More”, Britney appeared to lip-sync poorly, and move around listlessly. The performance was panned by critics and viewers, and became instantly notorious as one of the most unsettling routines to ever grace the VMA stage.
What remains largely unknown, though, is why the performance was so poor. Besides the obvious – no one should be forced back on stage within months of a traumatic, public crisis – several rumours have persisted on the internet in the years since.
Some say she’d missed rehearsals, although apparent rehearsal footage has since leaked online. Others say she had heard Sarah Silverman rehearsing cruel jokes about her career and children, which the comedian later used live on air.
Silverman’s team denied anyone had heard the jokes in advance.
Other believe Britney had become upset after seeing herself on camera during rehearsals. All this, however, is pure internet speculation – only Britney knows how she felt that night. Will she finally tell us?
I can’t say it’s the ONE thing I’d like her to address, but I’ve always been curious about the 2007 VMA’s. Too many conflicting stories about everything – from Cris Angel’s involvement/creative direction to issues with her hair/wardrobe.
— Weird Introvert Oddball (@britsbaker) July 11, 2023
The VMA 2007
— 🌹📚 the woman in me 24/10 (@_MonnaLiisa) July 11, 2023
What really transpired during her most famous relationships?
While Britney appears to be a happily married woman now, to model Sam Asghari, her other relationships have not been so sweet.
Her break-up with Justin Timberlake in 2002 is arguably one of the most high-profile celebrity separations of our generation, but neither party has ever clarified exactly why they split up.
Rumours swirled at the time that Britney had cheated on the former *NSYNC star, with the latter implying so in his 2002 music video for single “Cry Me A River”.
In 2021, Timberland offered a public apology to Britney for “contributing to the problem” of misogyny in the entertainment industry.
Tbh everything but most importantly to me: Her entire relationship with JT, like were there stuff behind the scenes we weren’t aware about, cheating scandals, the thing abt her virginity etc etc
The early days of her career and ALL the tea on her relationship with Justin Timberlake
— MikeyGilbyStreamsBritneySpearsAndReadsHerBooks (@GilbyMikey) July 12, 2023
Meanwhile, when it was revealed earlier this year that Britney had finished writing her memoir, some publications reported that Timberlake was “desperate” to get a hand on an advance copy.
Then, there’s Kevin Federline, her former backing dancer turned husband and father of her two children. Their relationship history is long and winding, with ups and many, many downs.
Despite divorcing 17 years ago, Federline appears to still entangled in Britney’s life, but there have been few opportunities for her to have a say on how their marriage ended – until now.
Little wonder fans can’t wait to read The Woman In Me.
The future of radio presents a paradox. For a long time after Independence, public-service radio shouldered the twin tasks of informing and entertaining the country. It served up the best audio content and was our collective national watercooler — the common cultural and information reference point for the country.
PREMIUM (HT Illustration: Mohit Suneja)
Then, new avenues for entertainment and information became available. Embracing each generation of new technology — television, the internet, smartphones, social media, streaming — was a matter of pragmatic progress.
It is now 100 years since India’s first known broadcast, by a group of enthusiasts at the Bombay Presidency Radio Club, powered by a low-range transmitter. And today, everybody has a relationship with the radio but few are listening in on a radio device.
According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, Akashvani (formerly All India Radio or AIR) ranks among the top three most-trusted news brands in India, but Indians get their news mainly from newspapers, websites, TV and social-media platforms. Radio has great reach and penetration, covering 92% of land area and reaching 99.2% of the population, but accounts for less than 2% of the advertising market, according to media investment company GroupM.
In many ways, it’s a case of the portal having changed. In an age of new media and splintered channels, even the show with the highest reported listener numbers, prime minister Narendra Modi’s monthly Mann Ki Baat, isn’t primarily listened to “on the radio”.
A study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Rohtak this year revealed that, of the show’s regular audience of about 230 million, 17.6% use radio sets. The rest are listening in via a TV set (the broadcast is also aired by Doordarshan), smartphone or computer. The show was in fact researched, produced and marketed as a multiple-medium offering.
The future of broadcast radio is omnichannel.
The magic audio box has been unbundled, personalised, decentralised and democratised, into FM radio, music-streaming apps, podcasts, websites, audio apps and more.
Our national broadcaster continues its mission of public service. Akashvani offers the largest multilingual programming bouquet anywhere in the world. At the remote corners of India, it erects radio towers and ensures that the airwaves carry the Indian imprimatur. A recent example is the radio transmitter installed in remote, mountainous Hamboting La near Kargil in Ladakh, in September 2021.
Akashvani has also ventured beyond the shores of India, with apps and programming that cater to the growing diaspora audience.
So have FM radio stations, the cool cousins of the traditional broadcast. Head-scratching regulations ban them from broadcasting their own news and current affairs programs (they can only air Akashvani news bulletins; though there is hope, as of this year, that this policy may be revisited). Their city-specific, hyperlocal nature, however, increases the FM stations’ relevance, and the breezy nature of their offerings — music, stories, interviews and local updates — are aimed neatly at city-dwellers commuting in cars.
But the big draw, through the years, has been music. And one of the wonders of the modern world is the availability of large libraries of music on the phone and the computer. AI-driven algorithms recommend new music one is likely to enjoy, and serve as a different kind of watercooler, offering access to the playlists of friends and strangers, and information on what is trendy or what someone else is listening to in the moment.
What, then, is the role of radio broadcasts today?
Well, the world of audio broadcasts is a promising one. The podcaster Joe Rogan, for instance, is one of the biggest media personalities in the US. His show, The Joe Rogan Experience — a mix of commentary on current events, comedy, pop philosophy and personal anecdote — actually transitioned from a video platform to audio ones.
It was launched on YouTube in 2009, found its feet as one of the world’s most popular podcasts by 2015, and was licensed to Spotify in a $200-million deal in 2020. It now averages 11 million listeners per episode.
Closer home, Amit Varma of The Seen and the Unseen podcast is proof that audio can very clearly be a medium for unpacking complex subjects with nuance and panache. The weekly show launched in 2017 has evolved into a longform interviews series. Episodes often exceed three hours, as they break down subjects relating to economics, politics and behavioural science.
Elsewhere, Neelesh Misra, founder of the Gaon Connection rural media platform, had a popular daily show called Yaadon Ka Idiot Box, in which he brought vivid stories of everyday India to life, in Hindi, with a mix of music and storytelling. It ran from 2011 to 2019.
In its golden age, public radio brimmed with audio stories, conversations and interviews. It was the town square and the public arena of ideas. Today, the best audio broadcasts retain the ability to inform, delight, engage, and spur debates.
We have remixed and remade the radio in the last 100 years. How it retains its place in our crowded media diet, in the omnichannel era, will depend on how well it can make use of all the channels its listeners use; how well it can invite them to be part of the show too.
Traditional, linear broadcast radio is already reinventing itself to remain relevant in a world of on-demand, time-shifted narrowcasting. The radio is dead, long live the radio.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially voted to go on strike today, meaning Hollywood’s actors will join the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines as soon as tomorrow morning. The news was announced by SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in a press conference, in which Drescher launched into a passionate speech – earning the approval of many on social media.
Drescher, who’s best known to the general public as the star of ’90s sitcom The Nanny, slammed the Hollywood studios for what she called “insulting” responses to their asks in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise,” she said. “At some point you have to say ‘no, we’re not going to take this anymore. You people are crazy. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?’ ”
“Our hearts bleed to make this decision,” Drescher later continued. “But we can’t not get what these members deserve because it’s only going to get worse. This is where we drew the line in the sand, and it’s a terrible thing to have to do. But we were forced into it.”
Watch part of her speech below.
SAG-AFTRA President @FranDrescher‘s message to studios: “You share the wealth, because you cannot exist without us.”
Much of Hollywood, for its part, has expressed support for the strike as SAG-AFTRA pushes for better working conditions, compensation, and protections in its negotiations with studios. The U.K. premiere of Christopher Nolan’s Oppeneheimer was taking place just as the strike was being announced, and Nolan told the audience that the cast left the premiere in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA.
Speaking to Indiewire, Jessica Chastain – who might’ve otherwise been on the Emmy campaign trail for her Showtime limited series George & Tammy – addressed the issues that SAG-AFTRA is concerned about.
“There’s huge innovations in our industry, content has been incredible, streaming and amazing technology have made huge steps, and quickly,” she said. “But difficult things like contracts haven’t kept up with the innovations that have been made, resulting in huge inequality, people not able to earn a fair wage and support families. The industry has been so separated in terms of who is able to make a living and who isn’t. This can’t continue anymore. My heart breaks.”
Jessica Chastain on #SAGAFTRAstrike: “The industry has been so separated in terms of who is able to make a living and who isn’t. This can’t continue anymore. My heart breaks.”
She discusses what the industry faces going into the festival and award season: https://t.co/xenYS53QpC pic.twitter.com/0WDUjaI9QP
It’s official @sagaftra has voted to strike. We will be joining the WGA on the picket lines starting tomorrow. We all got together last week to create our signs. I was on sticks! When you’re out there without a splinter thanks to the duct tape, think of ya girl! #UnionStrong ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/eQq78go6Ig
Elsewhere, those online cheered Drescher’s speech. While the SAG-AFTRA president was recently derided for photos that showed her with Kim Kardashian in Italy, many were encouraged by her strong words in commitment to fighting for the guild’s members. And, it should be noted, they had a little fun with the star of The Nanny being the face of a major labor movement.
Bro they’re at the Netflix headquarters singing Fran Drescher’s Nanny theme song 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8FXZVItFU8
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) July 13, 2023
I can’t help but feel that the AMPTP may have badly misjudged how it will do in a PR campaign in which it’s David Zaslav and Bob Iger on one side and every TV and film star everybody loves standing on the other. #ActorsStrike
Can’t believe the AMPTP told a bunch of actors they’re not special and thought it would go over well
— Brittani Nichols *Double Strike Version* (@BisHilarious) July 13, 2023
The strike announcement today marks the first time SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have been on the picket lines together since 1960. For more on strikes, check out our breakdown of what the 2007-08 WGA strike changed for film and television.
Thumbnail credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Bob Iger, the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, came under heavy fire on Thursday after he told CNBC host David Fabe from the uber-rich Sun Valley Conference that striking Hollywood writers are being “unrealistic” with their demands, Variety‘s Ellise Shafer reported.
“It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, which the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted to join.
“About 160,000 television and movie actors are going on strike at midnight, joining screenwriters who walked off the job in May and setting off Hollywood’s first industrywide shutdown in 63 years,” per The New York Times. “The leaders of the union, SAG-AFTRA, approved a strike on Thursday, hours after contract talks with a group of studios broke down. Actors will be on the picket line starting on Friday.”
READ MORE: Controversial injunction against Biden hands Disney ‘open and shut’ case against DeSantis: legal expert
Nonetheless, Iger — who according to a November 2022 analysis by Variety‘s Brent Lang “earned a total compensation of $45.9 million in 2021, up from the $21 million he earned in 2020 — exuded very limited sympathy.
“I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver,” Iger continued. “We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
Iger also stated that while he understands why unions want to “get as much as they possibly can in compensation for their people,” they must “be realistic about the business environment, and what this business can deliver.”
Iger added that the strike “will have a very, very damaging effect on the whole business, and unfortunately, there’s huge collateral damage in the industry to people who are supportive services, and I could go on and on. It will affect the economy of different regions, even, because of the sheer size of the business. It’s a shame, it is really a shame.”
READ MORE: ‘A quarter of a billion dollars: Comedian skewers CNN CEO over exorbitant compensation as writers strike
Iger’s remarks were quickly — and harshly — rebuked on social media.
Vice-Chair of the Latinx Writers Committee of the Writers Guild of America West Jorge Rivera: “His salary alone would cover what we’re asking to create a sustainable income for 10K writers.”
Writer-producer Bryan Behar. “This kind of patronizing, anachronistic, blame the writers while making 46 million dollars in 2021 approach exactly frames everything we’re fighting against. May be time for Iger to send his tired talking points back to the ’88 strike.”
Actor-filmmaker Siddhant Adlakh: “Lost in all the talk of Iger calling strike demands unrealistic is his statement about workers being compensated based on the value they deliver—inadvertently the strongest argument for overhaul of the studios (and capitalism in general) because the CEOs aren’t creating sh*t.”
Writer David Slack: “Dude demands $45 million a year plus a golden parachute in case he fucks it all up — and we’re the ones being unrealistic? If studios making $30 billion in profit every year are really struggling, take a pay cut, Bob. Then #PayYourWriters.”
Stunt man Derek Russo: “You make $27,000,000 PER YEAR. I was #6 on the callsheet for #Loki, and have grossed less than $1K in residuals.”
Writer/producer Susan Hurwitz ArnesonSusan Hurwitz Arneson: “Love that this interview was given at the Sun Valley Conference of billionaires where they all flew in on their private jets. Yeah, we’re the unreasonable ones for demanding fair compensation for our work.”
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially voted to go on strike today, meaning Hollywood’s actors will join the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines as soon as tomorrow morning. The news was announced by SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in a press conference, in which Drescher launched into a passionate speech – earning the approval of many on social media.
Drescher, who’s best known to the general public as the star of ’90s sitcom The Nanny, slammed the Hollywood studios for what she called “insulting” responses to their asks in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise,” she said. “At some point you have to say ‘no, we’re not going to take this anymore. You people are crazy. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?’ ”
“Our hearts bleed to make this decision,” Drescher later continued. “But we can’t not get what these members deserve because it’s only going to get worse. This is where we drew the line in the sand, and it’s a terrible thing to have to do. But we were forced into it.”
Watch part of her speech below.
SAG-AFTRA President @FranDrescher‘s message to studios: “You share the wealth, because you cannot exist without us.”
Much of Hollywood, for its part, has expressed support for the strike as SAG-AFTRA pushes for better working conditions, compensation, and protections in its negotiations with studios. The U.K. premiere of Christopher Nolan’s Oppeneheimer was taking place just as the strike was being announced, and Nolan told the audience that the cast left the premiere in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA.
Speaking to Indiewire, Jessica Chastain – who might’ve otherwise been on the Emmy campaign trail for her Showtime limited series George & Tammy – addressed the issues that SAG-AFTRA is concerned about.
“There’s huge innovations in our industry, content has been incredible, streaming and amazing technology have made huge steps, and quickly,” she said. “But difficult things like contracts haven’t kept up with the innovations that have been made, resulting in huge inequality, people not able to earn a fair wage and support families. The industry has been so separated in terms of who is able to make a living and who isn’t. This can’t continue anymore. My heart breaks.”
Jessica Chastain on #SAGAFTRAstrike: “The industry has been so separated in terms of who is able to make a living and who isn’t. This can’t continue anymore. My heart breaks.”
She discusses what the industry faces going into the festival and award season: https://t.co/xenYS53QpC pic.twitter.com/0WDUjaI9QP
It’s official @sagaftra has voted to strike. We will be joining the WGA on the picket lines starting tomorrow. We all got together last week to create our signs. I was on sticks! When you’re out there without a splinter thanks to the duct tape, think of ya girl! #UnionStrong ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/eQq78go6Ig
Elsewhere, those online cheered Drescher’s speech. While the SAG-AFTRA president was recently derided for photos that showed her with Kim Kardashian in Italy, many were encouraged by her strong words in commitment to fighting for the guild’s members. And, it should be noted, they had a little fun with the star of The Nanny being the face of a major labor movement.
Bro they’re at the Netflix headquarters singing Fran Drescher’s Nanny theme song 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8FXZVItFU8
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) July 13, 2023
I can’t help but feel that the AMPTP may have badly misjudged how it will do in a PR campaign in which it’s David Zaslav and Bob Iger on one side and every TV and film star everybody loves standing on the other. #ActorsStrike
Can’t believe the AMPTP told a bunch of actors they’re not special and thought it would go over well
— Brittani Nichols *Double Strike Version* (@BisHilarious) July 13, 2023
The strike announcement today marks the first time SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have been on the picket lines together since 1960. For more on strikes, check out our breakdown of what the 2007-08 WGA strike changed for film and television.
Thumbnail credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Commissioner of Police (ag), Clifton Hicken and other senior ranks of the Police Force
By Editor
As part of efforts to improve its relationship between the public and its ranks, the Guyana Police Force is working to establish a studio to boost its public relations (PR) drive, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken said on Thursday.
The facility, according to Hicken, will be used to produce radio programmes to highlight the work of the various sectors within the Force.
Hicken made the disclosure as he was addressing the GPF’s 184th-anniversary awards ceremony at Eve Leary, Georgetown.
“We want to want to be data-driven.
“If we are to transition from a Guyana Police Force to a Guyana Police Service, we will have to be data-driven…and so it is very important to us as we contemplate these initiatives to improve our efficiency and to ensure that we bridge the gap between members of the public and police,” Hicken told the gathering.
San Francisco-based company Astranis recently signed a deal to provide satellite internet for the Philippines. The satellite will launch in 2024 to serve underserved communities in the archipelago. As a result, it could bridge the “digital divide” and add $100 billion to the Philippines’ economic value by the end of the decade.
The Philippines spends the highest amount of time online in the Asia Pacific. However, few Filipinos use the internet productively for education and employment. Consequently, DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said the country must expand connectivity to encourage more productive internet usage.
Astranis could be the key for millions of Filipinos to harness the power of the Internet. This article will elaborate on the space internet company’s plans to improve online access in the Philippines. Later, I will cover other projects that could enhance connectivity further.
How will Astranis improve Filipino online access?
Incredibly excited to announce today a new @Astranis satellite for the Philippines, their first-ever dedicated satellite. This is where all the hard work pays off. Getting 2 million people online in one fell swoop.@thesheetztweetz at CNBC has the storyhttps://t.co/LScCrNDxAN
Astranis partnered with satellite services provider Orbits Corp, which will purchase capacity with its sister company HTechCorp. The latter is a Philippine internet service provider.
TechCrunch said the tech firms did not share the financial details of their contract. Also, CEO John Gedmark’s Medium blog says former Congressman of the Philippines legislature, Atty. Augusto Baculio supports his project.
It plans “to connect unconnected regions, providing them with the tools necessary to thrive in the digital age.” Moreover, Gedmark emphasized his company will provide the country’s first dedicated satellite internet.
His orbital internet will provide reliable to disaster-prone areas like Barangay Caagutayan. Filipinos spend roughly 10 hours online, but most rely on fiber internet.
It relies on microwave towers and cables susceptible to floods and earthquakes. As a result, Gedmark says only 11,000 of the country’s 42,000 barangays (local communities) have coverage.
The Filipino government allegedly identifies these areas as Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA). Moreover, these places typically lack healthcare access and earn less than $5,000 annually.
Gedmark expects his first satellite to link 5,000 sites to the Internet, providing access to two million people. Also, Astranis plans to work with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to serve the nation’s goals.
The CEO explained to CNBC what sets his company’s services apart from other satellite internet programs. Astranis satellites merge the small form factor of Starlink satellites with geosynchronous orbital ones from conventional companies like Viasat.
Geosynchronous orbit (GEO) means remaining roughly 22,000 miles from the Earth’s surface. That position allows a spacecraft to match the planet’s rotation. As a result, Astranis said it can “cover the entire Philippines with this one satellite.”
Other internet services for the Philippines
Photo Credit: arstechnica.com
Astranis is not the only satellite internet company that will serve the country. The most famous one, Starlink, already offers “high-speed, low-latency internet country-wide, even in the most rural and remote locations.
Its product webpage usually offers the installation kit for ₱29,320. At the time of writing, the company slashed the price to ₱19,999 until August 31, 2023.
Starlink also charges ₱2,700 monthly. Moreover, another major company is developing a unique method of providing internet access to rural areas.
Google’s Project Taara uses small, camera-like devices to beam internet access to remote locations via lasers. General Manager Mahesh Krishnaswawmy said, “This is as simple as a digital camera with a laser pointer.”
You may also like: How does satellite internet work?
A transmitter fires a laser containing data to the receiver’s camera so the latter can decode and turn them into bytes. Contrary to popular belief, the internet beam works in harsh conditions.
Google says Taara works in forested regions, urban areas, bodies of water, and railway tracks. Also, it provides internet speeds of up to 20 Gbps within a radius of 20 km. Network operators can deploy Project Taara to the following:
Cross challenging terrain
Relay high-capacity backbone
Provide redundancy path
Extend fiber backhaul
Augment radio backhaul
Improve network resilience
Conclusion
Astranis signed a deal to bring satellite internet to the Philippines. As a result, CEO John Gedmark will close the digital divide for roughly two million Philippines.
The Internet is essential for modern education, employment, and businesses. Expanding online connectivity could significantly boost the national economy.
You can read the tech leader’s Medium blog for more information. Moreover, learn about the latest tips and trends in online technology and more at Inquirer Tech.
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ONTONAGON — Tiny little radio station WOAS was just sitting at its frequency, minding its own business, when a bigger station came along and took away its spot on the dial.
“This guy reluctantly sent me an email last April, basically saying, ‘Oh, by the way, we bought up your frequency and you’re gonna have to find a new frequency,’ ” said Ken Raisanen, the 69-year-old manager of WOAS 88.5-FM, the student-run radio station that’s been broadcasting from the Ontonagon High School building in the western Upper Peninsula since 1978.
WOAS is very small — just 10 watts of broadcasting power, so faint it’ll dissolve into static on a car radio when a driver rounds the hills just outside of town. It’s one of only two radio stations in the village. Funding comes largely from two snack vending machines inside the school. Everyone who works there is a volunteer. And the format is usually whatever that afternoon’s high school DJ or that night’s village resident feels like playing.
By contrast, WHWL 95.7-FM has 10,000 times the broadcasting power of the school station. At 100 kilowatts of strength, and with 10 translator stations that carry its broadcasts even farther across the Upper Peninsula, the Marquette-based station boasts that its signal “covers the straits area and the northern tip of Lower Michigan, and our Sault Ste. Marie transmitter beams the good news of Jesus Christ north into Canada.” It’s funded by donations. And its programming is unvarying.
“Our format is a combination of Bible-teaching programs and traditional, conservative music,” the station notes. “The blend is a unique one, and has inspired many positive comments from loyal listeners.”
Almost two years ago, WHWL applied to the Federal Communications Commission for construction permits for two more stations — one of which will be in Rockland, right next door to Ontonagon. In February, the FCC approved the request, granting a license for a new station on 88.5 FM, the longtime home of WOAS. Now, the student-run station either needs to find itself a new place on the dial, or else go off the air.
“They said, ‘By the way, our consultant sent us a list of all these frequencies available for you that you can look at,’ ” Raisanen said. “I said, ‘OK, then why are you taking 88.5? Why, when you sent me all the other frequencies that are available, why that one?’ ” He said, ‘Our consultant says that’s the best one for us.’ ’”
His station’s size is what made it vulnerable. WOAS is a Class D station, the lowest FCC classification for low-power, noncommercial radio stations, and these are deemed “unprotected” from other broadcasters, which can legally overpower its signal or simply apply to take over the station’s place on the dial. Thanks partly to this system, there are only about a dozen high school stations left in Michigan, and barely 200 nationwide.
The manager of WHWL, which is a Class A radio station, insists he never set out to displace someone else. His station, he said, needs to expand and they’re just following the rules set up by the FCC.
But that doesn’t make it any easier for the people at WOAS to swallow.
“Ontonagon has this long history of people in boardrooms in far-off places like New York and Cleveland and Boston and Chicago making decisions about the economy here, and it goes on today,” Raisanen said, referring to the village’s early years, when distant barons ran the town’s lumber and mining interests and controlled its future.
“This is just a smaller version of that,” he said. “It’s some guy sitting 120 miles away saying, ‘Hey we can take that.’ And they did.”
***
WOAS was founded just before Christmas 1978 by the librarian at Ontonagon High School, who thought it’d be nice to have a radio station in town, back when there were none. He rounded up some used equipment, outfitted a studio in a small backroom in the library and launched the station with two turntables and a microphone. These days, the station has upgraded to CD players and laptops, and can be heard on the radio, over the internet and as the background music at Pat’s Foods IGA on the outskirts of town.
Raisanen was a science teacher at the school, who also had his own oldies show during afternoons. When the station manager was promoted to another building in the district, Raisanen volunteered to take over to keep WOAS from folding. Twenty-five years later, long after retirement, he still comes in almost every day to help manage the station and teach new students how to be broadcasters.
Even as the world has moved on to algorithms, playlists and preprogramming, he still loves the kind of old-fashioned radio that involves real people.
“To me, the fun part about radio is when they start talking about stuff or they get silly about something,” Raisanen said. “That’s why I’m always telling the kids, ‘You gotta do more than just play tunes. If you wanna just play tunes then I don’t need you. What I want is the human element. You gotta have a personality.’ And if you get the right two kids in there who start talking about stuff, it sucks you in. It’s funny to listen to when kids start talking about school and stuff. It’s a lot better than listening to CNN.”
More:Upper Peninsula man works to save historic club from dying
For decades, the afternoon slots have been filled by students. At night, to avoid dead air, shows were offered to locals who jumped at the chance to share their favorite music with their neighbors in town.
“I’ve always liked radio,” said Lee McCaffrey, 71, host of “Eclectic Fridays” on WOAS. He met Raisanen at the local animal shelter where both are volunteers. Raisanen told him the station had openings and offered him a time slot.
“Music was so big in our lives growing up, and we had some of the best music then,” McCaffery said. “And I say that on the air: ‘You know, you haven’t heard a lot of this stuff, but I just want to expose you to it.’ And everyone’s like, ‘Really? Who is that?’ I always give the name of the song, the group and also the album it’s on, like they used to do. You don’t have that anymore.”
The station has long faced challenges. In an era of tightening school budgets, funding has been intermittent. If an unexpected expense arises or a piece of equipment breaks, Raisanen has to either take up a collection, dig into his own pockets, or else make an appeal in the local newspaper where he writes an occasional column.
Then came the pandemic, when all the student DJs were learning remotely and the school building was empty. Raisanen and McCaffrey essentially kept the station on the air themselves, taking turns coming in and playing music. “There were no kids in school, and we didn’t want to just disappear,” Raisanen said. “He’d do a couple nights and I’d do the day programming. But it was weird having a student-run radio station and no students.”
And now comes the station’s biggest threat so far.
“It’s really strange, particularly when this isn’t a commercial entity,” said Jim Bradley, 75, the retired radio engineer who helped set up the station years ago. He still comes in when Raisanen needs technical help. “It’s a nonprofit, essentially, struggling from year to year to get by. I don’t get it.”
***
Andy Larsen says he knows what it’s like to be bumped from your spot on the radio dial. It happened to him before.
“There was a station that was increasing in power and it was on the first or second adjacent channel to ours, and so our translator frequency got bumped,” said Larsen. He’s the general manager of WHWL, the station that was granted the use of 88.5 by the FCC. “We were fortunate that we were able to just bump it up a notch on the dial, and we were back on the air. But it happens.”
WHWL 95.7-FM was founded in 1975 in Marquette. It’s the flagship station of the Gospel Opportunities Radio Network along with two other U.P. radio stations and 10 low-power translators, which copy a station’s signal onto another frequency, thereby spreading it a greater distance. Those translators, though, can be bumped from their frequency just like a Class D station can. WHWL wants to avoid that. That’s why it’s building the new station in Rockland so it can lock in a location on the FM dial.
More:A Black Civil War soldier’s unmarked grave Up North finally gets a headstone
This wasn’t, Larsen said, a deliberate act of aggression. He said that 88.5 was chosen by a consultant hired by the station, and there are only so many spots on the FM dial, and noncommercial stations like his are further limited to the narrow range of 88.1-91.9. So when a Class A station wants a channel, the FCC says any unprotected, low-power stations that are in the way must move.
“WOAS-FM is a secondary service,” said Katie Gorscak, an FCC representative, in a statement. “Under our rules, all secondary service stations must accept interference from primary stations and may not cause interference to primary stations, even if the secondary station predates the primary station. … That means the new station will be entitled to cause interference to WOAS and WOAS may not cause interference to the new station. That is the longstanding nature of secondary services.”
In other words, if WOAS doesn’t move, WHWL can simply drown out the school station’s signal with its far greater strength.
Twenty years or so ago, when the FCC was trying to eliminate low-power Class D stations entirely, the agency recommended that WOAS buy a new transmitter, upgrade from the unprotected range and protect itself from this outcome. But Raisanen explained that the station had just been refurbished with a rare grant from the district, and that more money was unlikely to be forthcoming. Plus, he never imagined something like this could happen.
“I inherited the station. And me being the newbie at this, I didn’t realize that Class D is unprotected like this,” he admitted.
Larsen points out that he sent Raisanen a message informing him of the change, even though notification is not mandated by the FCC. And, he noted, he asked his industry consultant to send over a list of available frequencies that WOAS could switch to, which also wasn’t required. Plus, he said, he promised to hold off his station’s changeover as long as possible to give WOAS time to find a new home first.
“We just want to be a good neighbor,” Larsen said. “It’s unfortunate that they were on that frequency, but we do want to help them out. They’re only 10 watts, but it’s right in town, so they do serve that community, and so we want to make sure we help them stay on the air and do what they’re doing. But it’s just an industry thing. It is what it is.”
***
It was late morning. The students were in their classrooms. The hallways were quiet. The walls were lined with class photos going back to 1968. Each photo had fewer students pictured than the year before, a decline that eventually led all the schools in town to merge in response to the dwindling population. Streamers still hung from the ceiling of the cafeteria where prom had been held the week before.
Deep in the library, inside the booth of the radio station, the morning DJs began their show during their short break between classes.
“I’m a huge music person,” said senior Halle Floyd, 18, filling out the day’s log as she began her shift with Austin Razmus, 18. “I love listening to music, so now I get to come in here and do my own show my own way, and listen to my music and share it with everybody else. It’s a really cool thing that not a lot of people get to experience. To say that you had your own radio show in high school is a pretty cool thing to say, in my opinion.”
Pete Bowers, who created the annual High School Radio Day 13 years ago to draw attention to high school stations nationwide, said that even in an era dominated by streaming podcasts and music apps, there’s still a role for student-run radio stations like WOAS.
“Admittedly there’s a lot of options now, and that makes it a challenge. But what you’re not going to get on Spotify is a high school football game, or these students who are going on the air and talking about what’s going on in their community; events like a festival or something that’s happening at the school,” Bowers, who spent a career in broadcasting in metro Detroit, said. “That’s the one thing that you’re going to get not just on high school radio, but any kind of local radio station as they talk about and promote the things that are happening in their community.”
As the morning turned into afternoon, Raisanen sat in the school library, reading the local newspaper, listening to the kids run the station, but sticking around just in case he might be needed.
“The question I always get is, ‘What’s your demographic? Do you know how many people listen?’ ” he said. “We’ve never done a study like that, but I still run into people at the store who say, ‘Hey, you guys got that fixed up yet?’ Or we put out a fund appeal, and all of a sudden I’m getting money from Florida or from Minneapolis. I was corresponding with a drummer from Scotland for a while who had picked us up on the internet at some point in time or another. So we know people listen.”
This spring, when he learned they’d lose their frequency, Raisanen mentioned in the local newspaper what happened, and noted that the station could use some donations to help keep it going. There was no official fundraiser. No GoFundMe either.
But word spread through town. People came up on the streets and handed him $10 or $20 bills. An anonymous resident gave him $1,000. Before long, he raised enough money to buy a new transmitter for the school this summer so the station can boost its signal strength to 100 watts, the minimum required by the FCC for an upgraded license. It would be a ticket out of the unprotected realm of the dial. It should prevent this kind of displacement from happening again. And it just might guarantee that WOAS remains one of the few student-run stations still broadcasting.
“We’ve got a 45-year legacy, and we’ll be back on the air,” Raisanen said. “And hopefully, 45 years from now, they’ll be talking about this in historical terms like, ‘Hey, remember back when that guy took our frequency?’ ”
John Carlisle writes about Michigan. His stories can be found at freep.com/carlisle. Contact him: jcarlisle@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @_johncarlisle, Facebook at johncarlisle.freep or on Instagram at johncarlislefreep.
The decision by internet behemoths META and Google to drop Canadian news sharing and searches rather than pay for the content created by others outlines one of the curious aspects of the “wild west” frontier and its “free” culture.
Monopolies are one of the inevitable results of a fully capitalist system, that is why even that bastion of capitalism, the US, has put in place combine legislation and other anti-trust laws. It is recognized that the only way capitalism can work is if there is competition. One of the well-recognized consequences of unfettered capitalism is that the rich tend to get richer and the poor poorer. What isn’t so obvious is that the middle class tends to find itself slipping more and more into the latter category—when it comes to joining the one percent, it is still possible to join the ranks, but don’t bother knocking on the door of the super-rich—that portal is locked to outsiders.
As corporations grow larger and larger, with revenues far outstripping all but the largest economies, it becomes more and more challenging for mere governments to reign the robber barons in. This isn’t the first time the world has faced this challenge, it was in the time of the Carnegies, the Rockefellers and Morgans that the worst of corporate excesses and skullduggery were first brought, somewhat, to heel.
Across the globe, national governments have been faced with the challenge anew, as multinational corporations play catch-me-if-you-can by switching jurisdictions to those that favour their bottom line best—with consumers and ordinary citizens paying the price.
Here in Canada and around the globe, news organizations have watched, near helplessly, as giant corporations mine the work news media companies have paid for in order to reap immense profits with no recompense to those who created that content.
Australia, whose legislation upon which Canada’s controversial Bill 18 was based, faced a similar assault on its news media by the very same internet giants who now threaten to hold Canadians hostage. Spoiler alert, Australia won. The giants blinked.
Now it is Canada’s turn in the fray, and it remains to be seen whether our nation will blink first. Let us hope not. A free (that is uncoerced by state or corporate actors) press is essential to the functioning of a democratic state—the founding fathers of our neighbours to the south knew that and took steps to prevent governments or corporations with deep pockets from oppressing the news.
Without real journalism, citizens will no longer have the information they need to make informed decisions when it comes to exercising their democratic rights. True, the current system is far from perfect or safe from undue government or corporate influence, but it does generally function within reason. But a free press is not free. It costs money to pay journalists (in more than “exposure”), to travel to where the news is happening, to print newspapers, broadcast radio and television segments, even to upload articles to be accessed online.
Internet giants claim they pay their share in providing “exposure” to news media outlets. Any creative can tell you how well that pays the bills to keep the lights on and feed the family. The rising tide of misinformation to be found on social media sites makes it clear that so-called “citizen journalism” cannot fill the void that would be left if news agencies were to disappear altogether.
A newspaper subscription generally costs less than a cup of coffee, in the case of The Expositor that’s less than a coffee a week, and we are proud to report local, provincial and national news of interest to Islanders each week. Yes, The Expositor does have a paywall online for many articles—the aforementioned “lights on” issue makes that imperative. Subscribers gain access to both the print and online versions at less than the cost of a coffee a week.
As the battle between the internet giants drags on, Canada has begun to hit back, cancelling its advertising on those sites who are blocking Canadian news. Quebec and many of its corporations are starting to step up as well. That begs the question, will Ontario and the Doug Ford government follow suit?
Upon ascending to power in Ontario, one of the first actions taken by the Progressive Conservatives was to cancel its subscriptions to print media and step back from advertising in print. Where did it send taxpayers’ advertising dollars instead? In case you haven’t guessed, those dollars went south to Facebook and Google—each based in the US, not Canada.
Journalism is important, but today it is under grave threat. Newspapers, television newsrooms and other outlets have been shuttering their doors in droves over the last few years, and the drain of advertising dollars to online giants is the clear culprit.
Take a few moments after reading this editorial to let our governments know you care and voice your support for local news and come visit us at manitoulin.com—and maybe consider buying a subscription.
