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Media Beat: APTN Launches a New Channel in 18 Indigenous Languages (Column)
This week also brings news of the Halifax Chronicle Herald's acquisition by Postmedia, and some surprising numbers about Facebook and news following Meta's news Canadian media ban.
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This week, the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) consolidated four channels into two: one with programming in English and French, and another, APTN Languages, completely dedicated to Indigenous languages. The Languages channel APTN Languages is to feature programming in 18 Indigenous languages from coast to coast to coast with subtitles in English and French.
Since its inception in 1999, APTN has broadcasted programming in 54 Indigenous languages.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics, APTN’s Rick Harp was tasked with hosting the world’s first Indigenous language coverage of the event. The network then tracked down fluent speakers of eight languages and gave them a crash course in broadcasting.
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“There was just a real air, I think, a real buzz around that space because we knew we were taking on something at a scale and an intensity we had never quite done before,” Harp said. “We rose to the challenge, and I think we all felt a great sense of pride at having done it and having made it through.”
The program’s success paved the way for broadcaster Clarence Iron to call the shots on Hockey Night in Canada in Cree, which premiered in 2022.
On Oct. 13, the Anishinaabemowin dub of Star Wars (Anangong Miigaading), A New Hope will premiere on APTN Languages.
APTN Languages launched on September 1st on cable and satellite services across Canada.
The channel’s launch coincided with APTN’s 25th anniversary on Sept. 1.
Postmedia Marks An End To Independence & the Start Of A New Chapter For 200 Year-Old Chronicle Herald
On Aug. 26, Postmedia confirmed the closing of its $1-million purchase of SaltWire Network Inc. and the Halifax Herald Ltd. The sale was approved by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge on Aug. 8.
The Halifax Chronicle Herald, acquired by Postmedia in the sale, was an independent daily newspaper founded almost 200 years ago. In 2017, the owners of the Herald created SaltWire Network Inc., which bought more than two dozen newspapers including the Cape Breton Post in Sydney, Nova Soctia, The Guardian in Charlottetown, and The Telegram in St. John's.
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As per a Canadian Press report, it was confirmed during the insolvency court hearing last month that the companies' pension plan would be wound up, a move affecting 426 members. The court heard the plan is 90% funded with a $6-million liability.
As of 2024, SaltWire employed about 800 independent contractors and 390 staff.
On April 13, 2017, The Chronicle Herald announced its acquisition of 27 newspapers in the region from Transcontinental Media which were then merged into parent company SaltWire Network. No price was given although business analysts estimated that the publications were worth approximately $30M in total.
In March 2019, all SaltWire publications introduced metered paywalls to offset revenue attrition from print sales. That same year, SaltWire sold as many as 10 buildings across the region and terminated its affiliation with the Canadian Press newswire service to become a client of Postmedia and Reuters.
Toronto-headquartered Postmedia is a foreign-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest and is best known for being the owner of the National Post the Financial Post, the Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun and Province, and the Toronto Sun.
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The company's strategy has seen its publications invest greater resources in digital news gathering and distribution.
Two-thirds, or 66%, of Postmedia is currently owned by American media conglomerate Chatham Asset Management which is reported to have close ties to the Republican Party and Donald Trump.
Before the SaltMedia acquisition, Postmedia operated a portfolio of brands, some available in print and the majority exclusively accessible online.
According to Postmedia’s Q2 financial filing, revenue for the six months ended February 29, 2024, was $202.0M as compared to $236.0M in the same period in the prior year, a decrease of $34.0M or 14.4%. The revenue decrease was primarily attributed to decreases in advertising revenue of $25.8M (21.5%) and circulation revenue of $11.2M (14.6%).
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How the Online News Act Has Withered News Options For Many Canadians
When it comes to the Online News Act, are there any benefits that are noticeable to average Canadians searching for local news?
In a well reasoned if pointed opinion piece penned by copyright guardian and author of the popular Hugh Stephens’ Blog, HughStephenscites a recent McGill study that notes that many Canadians continue to use Meta as a source of “news” despite the ban and, shockingly, that three-quarters are apparently unaware of the ban.
Meta’s ban on Canadian news outlets, he writes, has resulted in these outlets having lost 85% of their engagement on Facebook and Instagram and almost one-third of local news outlets are now inactive on social media. In rural Canada the fallout has been disastrous, affecting charitable and community organizations from communicating with their constituents. There’s a weird twist to this story that’s all about unintended consequences, and you can read it here.
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