| RCI ACTION COMMITTEE Seven Days a Week - Defending Radio Canada International - Canada's Voice to the World |
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| RCI Press Release Montreal, February 2, 2004—Radio Canada International (RCI), CBC/Radio-Canada’s international radio service, is repositioning its programming to provide listeners with a unique North American perspective that embraces the world, with an eye to better meeting the expectations of foreign audiences. This new direction reflects the role RCI intends to play on the international broadcasting scene and is based on an analysis of global trends. Starting in March, for instance, RCI’s lineup will include new Portuguese programming specially tailored to Brazilian audiences. Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world and the eighth most prevalent language on the Internet. This will bring RCI’s number of broadcasting languages to nine, along with English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Cantonese and Portuguese. RCI will target its audiences and strengthen lines of communication with them, helping it adapt and enrich programming produced for these markets. For example, specific programs will be aired for French-speaking listeners in North and sub-Saharan Africa, and for English-speakers in sub-Saharan Africa and India. RCI will also expand its rebroadcast agreements with local partner stations in target countries, while continuing to consolidate existing partnerships. RCI is already carried in more than 75 countries by some 300 public, private, community and university radio stations. In addition to original productions, RCI offers a selection of CBC and Radio-Canada Radio programs most likely to interest foreign listeners—The Sunday Edition, Sounds Like Canada, Dimanche magazine and Indicatif présent, to name but a few. “RCI’s repositioning represents a major milestone in the history of our international radio service. At a time when audiences face a proliferation of news and information sources, the Canadian point of view is still valued and appreciated,” said Sylvain Lafrance, CBC/Radio-Canada’s Vice-President, French Radio, in charge of RCI. RCI is available almost anywhere on the planet via state-of-the-art transmission technologies: by satellite in Europe, North Africa and Middle East; over digital and analog short-wave; and on the Internet at www.rcinet.ca. For details on the impact of these changes please go to: http://www.oocities.org/Repositioning20040202 |