Editing Media of Canada

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{{Culture of Canada}}
The '''media of Canada''' is [[Press Freedom Index|highly autonomous]], [[Censorship by country|uncensored]], [[Multicultural media in Canada|diverse]], and very regionalized.<ref>{{cite report |last=Fry |first=H |year=2017 |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/CHPC/Reports/RP9045583/chpcrp06/chpcrp06-e.pdf |title=Disruption: Change and churning in Canada's media landscape |publisher=Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage |accessdate=February 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Freedom of expression and media freedom |website=GAC |date=February 17, 2020 |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/human_rights-droits_homme/freedom_expression_media-liberte_expression_medias.aspx?lang=eng |accessdate=October 30, 2022}}</ref> Canada has a well-developed media sector, but its cultural output—particularly in [[Cinema of Canada|English films]], [[Television in Canada|television shows]], and [[List of Canadian magazines|magazines]]—is often overshadowed by imports from the United States and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vipond |first=Mary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0eDs29g49YC&pg=PA57 |title=The Mass Media in Canada |publisher=James Lorimer Company |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-55277-658-2 |edition=4th |page=57}}</ref> As a result, the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is supported by federal government programs, laws, and institutions such as the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (CBC), the [[National Film Board of Canada]] (NFB), and the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Edwardson |first=Ryan |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiancontentc0000edwa |title=Canadian Content: Culture and the Quest for Nationhood |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8020-9519-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/canadiancontentc0000edwa/page/59 59] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

[[Mass media in Canada|Canadian mass media]], both [[Newspapers of Canada|print]] and [[Canadian online media|digital]], and in both official languages, is largely dominated by a "[[Media ownership in Canada|handful of corporations]]".<ref name="TarasBakardjievaPannekoek20072">{{cite book |editor-first1=David |editor-last1=Taras |editor-first2=Maria |editor-last2=Bakardjieva |editor-first3=Frits |editor-last3=Pannekoek |date=2007 |title=How Canadians Communicate II: Media, Globalization, and Identity |publisher=University of Calgary Press |page=87 |isbn=978-1-55238-224-0 |oclc=1006639327 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2YNNHZlt5cC&pg=PA87}}</ref> The largest of these corporations is the country's national [[public broadcaster]], the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content, operating [[CBC Radio|its own radio]] and [[CBC Television|TV]] networks in both English and French.<ref name="TarasBakardjievaPannekoek2007">{{cite book |editor-first1=David |editor-last1=Taras |editor-first2=Maria |editor-last2=Bakardjieva |editor-first3=Frits |editor-last3=Pannekoek |date=2007 |title=How Canadians Communicate II: Media, Globalization, and Identity |publisher=University of Calgary Press |page=86 |isbn=978-1-55238-224-0 |oclc=1006639327 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2YNNHZlt5cC&pg=PA86}}</ref> In addition to the CBC, some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well, such as [[TVOntario]] and [[Télé-Québec]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Steven |last1=Globerman |publisher=Institute for Research on Public Policy |title=Cultural Regulation in Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jlBGJyEdDy4C&pg=PR18 |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-920380-81-9 |page=18}}</ref>

The 1991 ''[[Broadcasting Act (1991)|Broadcasting Act]]'' declares "the system should serve to safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the cultural, political, social, and economic fabric of Canada".<ref>{{cite book |first=Sara |last=Bannerman |date=May 20, 2020 |title=Canadian Communication Policy and Law |publisher=Canadian Scholars |page=199 |isbn=978-1-77338-172-5 |oclc=1138945553 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gs0DEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA199}}</ref> The promotion of [[Multicultural media in Canada|multicultural media]] began in the late 1980s as multicultural policy was legislated in 1988.<ref name="Mansell">{{cite book|last=Mansell|first=Robin|title=The Handbook of Global Media and Communication Policy|year=2011|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mCxLhTdEdEC&q=multicultural+media+in+canada|isbn=9781444395426}}</ref> In the [[Canadian Multiculturalism Act|''Multiculturalism Act'']], the federal government proclaimed the recognition of the diversity of Canadian culture.<ref name="Mansell" />  Thus, multicultural media became an integral part of Canadian media overall. Upon numerous government reports showing lack of minority representation or minority misrepresentation, the Canadian government stressed separate provision be made to allow minorities and ethnicities of Canada to have their own voice in the media.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Attallah|first1=Paul|title=Mediascapes : new patterns in Canadian communication|year=2006|publisher=Thomson Nelson|location=Toronto|isbn=978-0-17-640652-3|author2=Yasmin Jiwani|edition=2nd|page=[https://archive.org/details/mediascapesnewpa0000unse/page/272 272]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mediascapesnewpa0000unse/page/272}}</ref>

Non-news media content in Canada, including [[Cinema of Canada|film]] and [[Television in Canada|television]], is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France.<ref>{{cite book |first=Peter |last=Steven |date=2011 |title=About Canada: Media |publisher=Fernwood |page=111 |isbn=978-1-55266-447-6 |oclc=1069674192}}</ref> In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign-made media, government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Bart |last1=Beaty |first2=Rebecca |last2=Sullivan |date=2006 |title=Canadian Television Today |publisher=University of Calgary Press |page=37 |isbn=978-1-55238-222-6 |oclc=1024271072 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGMT39azEAYC&pg=PA33}}</ref> [[Taxation in Canada|Canadian tax laws]] limit foreign competition in magazine advertising.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jacqueline |last=Krikorian |date=2012 |title=International Trade Law and Domestic Policy: Canada, the United States, and the WTO |publisher=UBC Press |page=188 |isbn=978-0-7748-2306-7 |oclc=1058136992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7q9i7ln160QC&pg=PA188}}</ref>

== Media consumption ==
[[File:Media in Canada.jpg|frameless|upright=1.1|right]]
According to data from the 2020 General Social Survey on Social Identity, Canadians use various news sources, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the Internet. The Internet is the most popular method for following news at 80%, followed by television at 67%. Other sources include radio (40%), newspapers (36%), and magazines (11%).<ref name="q751">{{cite web | last=Morris | first=Leora | last2=Séguin | first2=Anouk | title=Media Consumption in Canada: Are Canadians in the Know? | website=Statistics Canada | date=March 28, 2023 | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2022055-eng.htm | access-date=January 6, 2025}}</ref>

People with a university degree are more likely to use the Internet, newspapers, and magazines for news. Specifically, 90% of university graduates use the Internet, compared to 46% using newspapers and 17% using magazines. Among immigrants, media usage for news increases the longer they have been in Canada. The survey shows that daily news consumption varies: 39% of immigrants who arrived in Canada 0 to 5 years ago, 40% for 6 to 10 years, 58% for 11 or more years, and 60% for those not immigrants.<ref name="q751"/>

Internet use is higher among younger individuals (15 to 34 years) at 95%, while those 55 years and older prefer television, with 88% following news on this platform. In the younger demographic, there are no gender differences for Internet use; however, in older age groups, more men use the Internet compared to women. Among those aged 55 and older, 67% of men and 59% of women use the Internet. Television viewership is higher among women in all age groups.<ref name="q751"/>

== History ==
{{Confusing|section|talk=Media of Canada#History|reason=information does not seem to flow together|date=January 2021}}
The history of Canadian media performers goes back to the first days of radio. In the 1940s, the Radio Artists of Toronto Society (RATS) was formed. Radio performers in [[Montreal]], [[Winnipeg]], and [[Vancouver]] also organized to fight for artists' rights, working conditions, and better fees. In 1943, the Association of Canadian Radio Artists (ACRA) was formed as a loose national coalition of actors' groups. Over the years, ACRA evolved into the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists, followed by the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, then the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, and, in 1984, to the [[Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio|Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists]], its present name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.actra.ca/actra/control/insideActra_what?menu_id=902 |title=ACTRA 2005 |publisher=Actra.ca |access-date=2011-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164704/http://www.actra.ca/actra/control/insideActra_what?menu_id=902 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref>

The Canadian ''[[Broadcasting Act (1991)|Broadcasting Act]]'', historically and in its modern conception, is based on the fact that, since the start of the 20th century, it was important for broadcasters to ensure that information flowed freely and reflected the diversity of Canadian points of view, as opposed to the classic approach, which gives media owners more freedom to express their views. The Canadian broadcasting system as it exists today "would probably not exist if we had allowed the marketplace to regulate ownership rights."<ref>[https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/Sen/committee/372/tran/10evb-e Pierre Trudel], Professor, L.R. Wilson Chair, Information Technologies and Electronic Commerce Law, Public Law Research Centre, University of Montreal, May 29, 2003</ref>

In August 2015, the [[Canadian Media Guild]], the union representing CBC journalists, became a [[Registered third parties (Canada)|registered third party]] in order to campaign for increased taxpayer funding of the CBC in the 2015 election.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.cmg.ca/en/2015/08/14/cmg-registers-as-a-third-party-in-the-federal-election/| title =CMG registers as a third party in the federal election| date =14 August 2015| website =Canadian Media Guild| access-date =23 October 2015}}</ref> After the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] won the election, it increased taxpayer funding of the CBC by [[CA$]]150&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Szklarski |first=Cassandra |date=December 7, 2015 |title=A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016 |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-new-era-for-cbc-hopefully-things-could-finally-start-looking-up-for-the-beleaguered-public-broadcaster-in-2016 |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |access-date=December 8, 2015}}</ref> In 2017, the federal government announced a five-year $50-million program to help struggling local newspapers. In 2018, it announced $595&nbsp;million in tax credits to help struggling newspapers and television networks adapt to competition from online news sources.<ref>{{cite news| url =https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/600m-in-federal-funding-for-media-a-turning-point-in-the-plight-of-newspapers-in-canada| title =$600M in federal funding for media 'a turning point in the plight of newspapers in Canada'| last =Thomson| first =Stuart| date =November 21, 2018| website =National Post| publisher =Postmedia| access-date =December 8, 2018| quote =The government is pledging nearly $600 million over the next five years to help news organizations struggling to adapt to a digital age that has disrupted traditional business models.}}</ref>

In 2013, ''[[Maclean's]]'' wrote an article noting the influence that [[Quebecor Media|Quebecor]] and owner [[Pierre Karl Péladeau]] have on the Quebec media system. The article noted that Quebecor behaves like a counterpart to the [[Federalism in Quebec|federalist]] {{Lang|fr|[[La Presse (Canadian newspaper)|La Presse]]}}, owned by the [[Paul Desmarais|Desmarais family]]''.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/the-king-of-quebec/|title=Pierre Karl Péladeau: King of Quebec – Macleans.ca|website=macleans.ca|date=September 4, 2013 |access-date=2019-12-09}}</ref> In November 2018, [[Unifor]], the other major union for Canadian journalists, announced that it would campaign against the [[Conservative Party of Canada]] in the [[43rd Canadian federal election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5789602/unifor-media-members-rhetoric-concerns/|title=Unifor head tells union's media members he hears concerns about Tory-bashing but won't stop|website=Global News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-08}}</ref> In February 2019, former Attorney General [[Jody Wilson-Raybould]] gave testimony to the House of Commons Justice Committee raising further speculation of political interference from the Liberal Party in journalism. As part of the testimony, Jessica Prince, the Wilson-Raybould's chief of staff revealed that [[Katie Telford]], chief of staff to Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]], said: "If Jody is nervous, we would, of course, line up all kinds of people to write op-eds saying that what she is doing is proper."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5006450/jody-wilson-raybould-testimony-transcript/|title=Jody Wilson-Raybould's testimony – read the full transcript of her opening remarks – National {{!}} Globalnews.ca|date=2019-02-27|website=globalnews.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>

[[Postmedia Network|Postmedia]] has faced questions from both [[Maclean's]] and [[Canadaland]], regarding whether recent changes to their editorial staff was singling a shift that they were pushing "conservative views" onto their audience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/the-conservative-transformation-of-postmedia/|title=You Must Be This Conservative To Ride: The Inside Story of Postmedia's Right Turn|website=canadalandshow.com|date=August 12, 2019|access-date=2019-12-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/the-new-worry-about-the-next-election-your-daily-news/|title=The new worry about the next election: your daily news – Macleans.ca|website=macleans.ca|date=August 7, 2019 |access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref> In 2019, Kathy English, the public editor for the ''[[Toronto Star]]'', admitted that ''The Star'' has failed to meet its journalistic standards by stating "call for reporting fairly and accurately and reflecting the pertinent facts and diversity of views on matters of public debate."

English defended ''The Star'', arguing that there is "no such a thing as objectivity in journalism."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/public_editor/2019/12/06/defending-human-rights-the-goal-of-journalism.html|title=Defending human rights the goal of journalism {{!}} The Star|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=December 6, 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-12-09}}</ref>

A report released from the Digital Democracy Project, a joint venture between the [[Public Policy Forum]] and [[McGill University]]'s School of Public Policy revealed that [[Nonpartisanism|non-partisans]] with high exposure to traditional media gave roughly 50% more wrong answers than those with low exposure. "Strong partisans", however, gave almost twice as many.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-misinformed-canadians-have-lessons-for-media-and-government-alike|title=Chris Selley: Misinformed Canadians have lessons for media and government alike |last=Selley |first=Chris |newspaper=National Post|date=2019-08-13|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref>

=== The Electronic Age and Marshall McLuhan ===
In ''The Gutenberg Galaxy'', [[Marshall McLuhan]] writes that:

<blockquote>''if a new technology extends one or more of our senses outside us into the social world, then new ratios among all of our senses will occur in that particular culture. It is comparable to what happens when a new note is added to a melody. And when the sense ratios alter in any culture then what had appeared lucid before may suddenly become opaque, and what had been vague or opaque will become translucent.''</blockquote>

He gives great importance to the introduction of electronic media into the realm of people's everyday lives. According to McLuhan, the introduction of electronic media was one of the main media revolutions.<ref>McLuhan, Marshall. (1962). ''The Gutenberg Galaxy''. University of Toronto Press. p.41.</ref> He claims that technology evoked an emotional response from audiences although it technically had no moral bias. Technology in the electronic age shapes an individual's (as well as a society's) self-realization. In other words, McLuhan writes about three major revolutions in his various works and gives great importance to the electronic one. Electronic mass media clearly have a large impact on Canadian society and affect audiences in a variety of ways.

=== Print Media and Marshall McLuhan ===
According to McLuhan's dichotomies of [[hot and cool media]], print media occupy mostly a visual space, rather than other senses such as that of hearing (which is involved in media like television). He writes that this makes print media a hot medium, as it provides the reader with complete involvement without considerable stimulus.<ref>McLuhan, Marshall. (1964). ''Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man''. McGraw Hill. pp. 22--25.</ref> Because print media are hot media, they involve relatively little interaction from users. McLuhan discussed three main media revolutions, one of them coming about with the invention of the printing press. He explained that with texts being mass-produced there was a new level of immediacy, accessibility, and a subsequent rise in literacy; in manuscript culture, access to texts was limited to a privileged few, whereas in print culture, literature increasingly became a commodity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/dle9701.html |title=The 'Impact' of Print |publisher=Aber.ac.uk |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> For this reason, print media was revolutionary at the time. However, with the more recent electronic revolution, the importance of print began to decline, as discussed below.

==Regulation==
The Canadian government regulates [[media ownership in Canada|media ownership]] and the state of media through the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]. Section 3(d)(iii) of the Canadian ''[[Broadcasting Act (1991)|Broadcasting Act]]'' states that media organizations should reflect "equal rights, the linguistic duality and [[Multiculturalism in Canada|multicultural]] and multiracial nature of Canadian society and the special place of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|aboriginal peoples]] within that society."<ref>[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/B-9.01/ ''Broadcasting Act'' (<abbr>S.C.</abbr> 1991, c. 11)]</ref>
{{Excerpt|Multicultural media in Canada|only=paragraph|hat=no}}

== Identity and Mass Media ==
According to John A. Irving,{{who|date=May 2024}} mass media functions differently in Canadian society because of a lack of collective identity; this is in reference to Canada's languages (and related cultures) as well as its proximity to the United States. Irving states that such cultural dualism means that only some of the population responds to the mass media in English, while the other portion remain uninfluenced by English-based media. In terms of the proximity to the United States, he explains that "most of the difficulties that threaten the mass media in Canada are the direct outcome of American economic and cultural imperialism."<ref>Irving, John A. (1969). ''Mass Media in Canada''. The Ryerson Press. p. 225.</ref> Because of the United States' overwhelming influence on Canadian mass media, Canada has not been able to form its own identity in the media. These two factors have slowed down the process of the creation of a Canadian community. Mass media help in forming a community through communication. When a large group of people is in communication with one another through media, an identifiable culture is formed. Individuals in dialectic experience a sense of membership and collective identity.<ref name="Irving 1969, p. 223">Irving 1969, p. 223</ref> A creative culture exists in Quebec for [[French Canadian]]s, but [[English Canadian]]s (that is, those who are not exposed to French culture) are hardly aware of it. The published works of French Canadian authors remain relatively unknown in nine of the ten provinces and have little influence outside of Quebec.<ref name="Irving 1969, p. 223" /> In addition to this, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] operates two separate networks for radio and television; listeners and watchers of the English stations rarely listen to the French stations, and vice versa.

Irving claims that the most important problem facing Canada in terms of forming a genuine identity comes from its close proximity to the United States. It is difficult for a bilingual or multilingual country, such as Canada, Switzerland, or Belgium, to be so close to a country with one common language, such as the United States and England, because of the latter's influence on the former. Over ninety percent of the periodicals displayed on newsstands which sell more than 10,000 copies a month are American.<ref>Irving 1969, p.225</ref> Because of this overwhelming influence of the powerful United States, Canada has been significantly slowed down in forming its own unique identity.

Irving also mentions a third, less important reason for Canada's inability to form a genuine identity in history: distance and geographical regionalism. There are six distinct regions within the domain of Canada: the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia, and the northern territories. Because of the large distances between these regions, media could not spread throughout the whole country as effectively in the past. In the time of canoe transportation, this distance was a barrier to communication; with the age of the telegraph-railway, Canada finally began to edge towards becoming a proper, connected nation.<ref>Irving 1969, p.224</ref>

== Business Model ==
Media often consists of a [[two-sided market]] model. In such cases, each side of the market is expected to provide a form of benefit to the other in return for the same. It is a mutual system of benefit in which there are two end-users or beneficiaries.<ref>Kumar, Ravi. "Evolution of Two-Sided Markets" http://www.wsdm-conference.org/2010/proceedings/docs/p311.pdf. Retrieved October 19, 2011.</ref> A lot of times, mass media works in this way (in Canadian society as well as in any other). For example, television requires the viewer and advertisers to provide mutual network benefits. Printed books require the publisher and author to provide readers with quality work; in return, readers provide feedback and increase the popularity of the book through purchases. A newspaper's advertisers and readers mutually benefit from one another; readers provide business for advertisers while advertisers provide readers with information (since a significant portion of newspapers' funding comes from advertisers). The more successful a newspaper is, the better it gets at providing its readers with a well-rounded accumulation of news. All advertising-based media are two-sided markets.<ref name="timkastelle1">{{cite web|url=http://timkastelle.org/blog/2010/08/the-real-problem-with-the-media-business-model/ |title=The Real Problem with the Media Business Model « Innovation Leadership Network |publisher=Timkastelle.org |date=2010-08-15 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> Bob Garfield explains that there are two issues with this model: widespread access to certain content has significantly lowered the amount that consumers are willing to spend on it; the audience becomes fragmented. The second issue is that the rise in available content has lowered the prices that advertisers are willing to pay in order to access a portion of the market.<ref name="timkastelle1" />

Special attention must be paid to the importance of advertising, particularly in newspapers. Newspapers typically generate about 70 – 80 percent of their revenue from advertising, while the remainder comes from subscriptions and sales.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3677/is_200704/ai_n25137495/ |title=Online Revenue Business Model Has Changed Little Since 1996 &#124; Newspaper Research Journal &#124; Find Articles at BNET |website=findarticles.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704110808/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3677/is_200704/ai_n25137495/ |archive-date=4 July 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, with the recent move to online publishing, there have been problems. Online advertising is not nearly as effective as print advertising, according to Eric Clemons.<ref name="techcrunch1">{{cite web|author=Eric Clemons |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/03/22/why-advertising-is-failing-on-the-internet/ |title=Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet |publisher=TechCrunch |date=2009-03-22 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> Although he discusses advertising in relation to newspapers in the United States, similar problems exist in Canada. He claims that Internet advertising will fail for three reasons:

* '''Consumers do not trust advertising''' – Messages coming from commercial sources have proven to be considered less credible by audiences and therefore have a less powerful impact. Company sponsored blogs are among the least trusted sources of information on products and services.
* '''Consumers are not interested in viewing advertisements''' – They visit websites for the main content and do not want to see things which attempt to distract them from this.
* '''Consumers do not need advertising''' – If users need a product or service, they have their own sources on the Internet and prefer to use these as opposed to advertisements on websites which are not solely dedicated to the product or service.<ref name="techcrunch1" />

Clemons suggests alternative methods for earning money through the Internet, namely selling content and selling access to virtual communities.<ref name="techcrunch1" /> However, one might argue that this would not be effective in current society; since content and access has been available for free for as long as the Internet has been around, sudden charges might cause an uproar among users of the Internet. Furthermore, a portion of Internet users may not be able to afford paying for content and access, which will limit the amount of revenue businesses will bring in.

In August 2015, the [[Canadian Media Guild]], the union representing CBC journalists, became a registered third party in order to campaign for increased taxpayer funding of the CBC in the 2015 election.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.cmg.ca/en/2015/08/14/cmg-registers-as-a-third-party-in-the-federal-election/| title =CMG registers as a third party in the federal election| date =14 August 2015| website =Canadian Media Guild| access-date =23 October 2015}}</ref> After the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] won the election, it increased taxpayer funding of the CBC by $150&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Szklarski |first=Cassandra |date=December 7, 2015 |title=A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016 |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-new-era-for-cbc-hopefully-things-could-finally-start-looking-up-for-the-beleaguered-public-broadcaster-in-2016 |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |access-date=December 8, 2015}}</ref>
In 2017, the federal government announced a five-year $50&nbsp;million program to help struggling local newspapers. In 2018, it announced $595&nbsp;million in tax credits to help struggling newspapers and television networks.<ref>{{cite news| url =https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/600m-in-federal-funding-for-media-a-turning-point-in-the-plight-of-newspapers-in-canada| title =$600M in federal funding for media 'a turning point in the plight of newspapers in Canada'| last =Thomson| first =Stuart| date =November 21, 2018| website =National Post| publisher =Postmedia| access-date =December 8, 2018| quote =The government is pledging nearly $600 million over the next five years to help news organizations struggling to adapt to a digital age that has disrupted traditional business models.}}</ref>

=== Journalism model ===
The face of print journalism in Canada is undergoing change.<ref name="citizen1">"The Face of Print Journalism: Changing Again" Orangeville Citizen. http://www.citizen.on.ca/news/2010-09-16/Editorial/The_face_of_print_journalism_changing_again.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921024313/http://www.citizen.on.ca/news/2010-09-16/Editorial/The_face_of_print_journalism_changing_again.html |date=2010-09-21 }}, Retrieved October 19, 2011.</ref> Evening newspapers are no longer popular (one of the only surviving ones is [[t.o.night|tonight Newspaper]]), while morning newspapers (including the [[Toronto Star]], [[The Globe and Mail]], the [[National Post]], and free newspapers such as Metro and 24) have survived and continued to bring in an audience. Before the 1970s, The Globe and Mail was one of the few surviving morning papers, while most popular newspapers were distributed in the evening in Toronto. Nowadays, most newspapers have joined The Globe and Mail and are published in the morning.<ref name="citizen1" />

The newspaper industry in Canada (similar to the newspaper industry in other developed countries including the United States) is controlled by a small number of individual or corporate owners. This is referred to as [[Concentration of media ownership|concentrated ownership]]. Private or partially private ownership of competitive forms of news media helps to create a great amount of freedom of expression, according to Peter Desbarats.<ref>Desbarats, Peter. (1996). ''Guide to Canadian News Media''. Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 61.</ref> However, it may be argued that even these privately owned media outlets have their own agenda, and have therefore only contributed to a limited amount of freedom of expression. Robert A. Hackett discusses this, as well as the differences between publicly owned and privately owned media outlets.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Communication]] |title=Reviews: Democratizing Global Media: One World, Many Struggles. Edited by Robert A. Hackett & Yuezhi Zhoa. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. 328 pp. ISBN 0-247-53643-2 |first=John |last=Downing |volume=32 |number=2 |pages=317–318 |url=http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/download/1885/1962 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419115340/http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/download/1885/1962 |archive-date=19 April 2012 |year=2007 |doi=10.22230/cjc.2007v32n2a1885|doi-access=free }}</ref>{{failed  verification|date=October 2023}} It may also be argued that publicly owned media contribute more to freedom of expression than privately owned media; Simeon Djankov, Caralee McLeish, Tatiana Nenova, and Andrei Schleifer, in a joint Harvard-World Bank study, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of publicly owned media outlets in relation to privately owned media outlets. They write that one of the first principles of media is that it is in the public interest, and it is therefore necessary to have outlets owned by the public. In this way, the public keeps a check on the agenda of publications. If there is too much of a bias, the owners (which in this case consists of the public) react and demand a change through various forms of feedback.<ref>Djankov, Simeon, Caralee McLeish, Tatiana Nenova, and Andrei Schleifer. "Who Owns the Media?" http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/shleifer/files/media.pdf, Retrieved November 17, 2011.</ref> In contrast, privately owned outlets only have a limited number of voices to give feedback, and these voices may have their own biased agendas. Two characteristics of electronic journalism in Canada set it apart from print journalism: firstly, broadcasting is a regulated industry (which is important to consider in relation to news sources such as radio and television). This means that in order to start a broadcast station, one must have a licence from the [[Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission]]. This regulated industry also affects news content because it is constantly being monitored by the agency. Secondly, many radio stations and television stations in Canada are publicly owned. Print journalism has almost always been conducted by private enterprise in Canada, and radio also started as a private enterprise which was subject to regulation by the state. It became a hybrid of private and public broadcasters.<ref>Desbarats 1996, p. 31.</ref>

Nowadays, online journalism is on the rise. It provides a new platform for readers to interact instantly with news sources through blog comments and feedback. There are also various multimedia options which are not available with print journalism. For example, videos can be embedded into websites. Alexandre Gamela, a freelance journalist, says that "The print product is pretty much the same as it was 20, 30, 40 years ago, it is not well adapted to these new circumstances, therefore it needs to be re-thought and re-designed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alexgamela.com/blog/2011/04/20/decline-in-print-and-rise-in-online-journalism-an-interview/ |title=Decline in print and rise in online journalism: an interview &#124; Alex Gamela – Digital Media & Journalism |publisher=Alex Gamela |date=2011-04-20 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> For these reasons, online journalism continues to gain popularity. However, as will be discussed under the section on newspapers, readerships for print newspapers in Canada seems to be steady.

The ''Digital Democracy Project'' reports that Canadians both consume and somewhat trust print, broadcast and online media sources. They also consume news from social networks such as [[Twitter]], but they mostly recognize the biased tendencies of people who actively post news on such networks. People with strong political opinions are at risk of becoming misinformed by depending only on news sources that they agree with (primarily social media, but also traditional media).<ref>{{Citation| last =Owen| first =Taylor| title =Digital Democracy Project| publisher =[[Public Policy Forum]] & McGill University| date =August 2019| url =https://ppforum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/DDP-Research-Memo-1-Aug2019.pdf| access-date =23 August 2019 }}</ref>
  
==Television==
{{Main|Television in Canada}}
{{See also|Lists of Canadian television series}}
The history of [[television in Canada]] begins in [[Montreal]] and [[Toronto]], where the first television stations were started in 1952. The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] aired its first broadcast on September 6, 1952 from Montreal's station, [[CBFT]]. The program was bilingual.<ref>{{cite web|author=Paul Cassel VE3SY |url=http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/dates.html |title=Some Important Dates from Canadian Broadcast History |publisher=Hammondmuseumofradio.org |date=2004-02-10 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> As mentioned by Irving, and supported by Arthur Siegel, modern media such as television and radio have become agents of denationalization because of the spillover of U.S. influence and fragmentation of media within Canada.<ref>{{cite web|author=Audley, Paul |url=http://www.sources.com/SSR/Docs/SSR11-20-AmericanInfluencePervasiveinCanadian.htm |title=American Influence Pervasive in Canadian Newspapers, Radio, TV |publisher=Sources.com |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> Siegel implies that because of this, the state of television in Canada (i.e. whether it is healthy or dying) depends on the state of television in the United States.

Television was welcomed when it was first introduced into society. It brought about a change from communication which was previously limited to only audio. If one wanted to view something on a screen, one would have to visit the cinema; the television provided a way of sitting at home and having visual communication as well as entertainment.<ref name="webscopia1">{{cite web |url=http://www.webscopia.com/2011/02/is-television-dying/ |title=Is Television Dying? — Webscopia |publisher=Webscopia.com |date=2011-02-10 |access-date=2011-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128052204/http://www.webscopia.com/2011/02/is-television-dying/ |archive-date=2011-11-28 }}</ref> Nowadays, however, with the introduction of smartphones and the Internet, television is headed towards obsolescence according to Rabab Khan. He writes that because smartphones and computers allow one do what a television and radio combined allow, the need for the latter two media is declining.<ref name="webscopia1" /> However, he writes that television allows for a shared experience which computers and smartphones do not allow. Henry Blodget also addresses this issue and claims that because revenue and profits of the television industry are still steadily coming in, people are in denial about its inevitable failure.<ref name="businessinsider1">{{cite web |author=Henry Blodget |url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-06-12/tech/30062877_1_tv-industry-tv-companies-business-models |title=Sorry, There's No Way To Save The TV Business – Business Insider |publisher=Articles.businessinsider.com |date=2009-06-12 |access-date=2011-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425202910/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-06-12/tech/30062877_1_tv-industry-tv-companies-business-models |archive-date=2012-04-25 }}</ref> He states that like the newspaper industry, television is beginning to migrate to the web and investing in digital platforms.<ref name="businessinsider1" />

The Canadian [[television]] broadcasting industry is split between public and private ownership. Canada currently has 130 originating television stations, which broadcast on 1,456 transmitters across the country, on both the [[VHF]] and [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] bands.

In addition to the public [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]/[[Société Radio-Canada]], which operates both English ([[CBC Television]]) and French ([[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]]) television networks, there are five major private TV networks. [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[Global Television Network|Global]], and [[Citytv]] broadcast in English, and are available throughout the country. [[TVA (Canadian TV network)|TVA]] and [[Noovo]] (formerly 'V') broadcast in French and operate over-the-air in French-language markets (including Quebec and parts of Ontario and New Brunswick), although are also available across Canada via pay television. Most network stations are owned and operated by the networks themselves, although all networks have some affiliates with different ownership.
[[File:Press freedom 2022.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|'''2022 Press Freedom Index'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2022 |title=2022 World Press Freedom Index |work=Reporters Without Borders |year=2022 }}</ref>
{{legend|#005f9a|Good situation}}
{{legend|#8eb0d6|Satisfactory situation}}
{{legend|#ffb035|Noticeable problems}}
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{{legend|#83000b|Very serious situation}}
{{legend|#dcdcdc|Not classified / No data}}]]
In addition, the [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network]] (APTN), a service devoted mainly to programming of interest to the [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples of Canada]], is considered a network by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]], although the network airs terrestrially only in the 3 Canadian territories, and must be carried by all television providers in the rest of Canada. There are, as well, a number of smaller [[television system]]s, such as [[CTV Two]] (a compliment to the main CTV network in smaller and secondary markets), and [[Omni Television]]—a group of Rogers-owned ethnic broadcasters.

Several provinces maintain provincial public broadcasting networks in addition to the CBC, including [[Télé-Québec]], [[TVOntario]], [[TFO]], and [[Knowledge (TV channel)|Knowledge]] (British Columbia). [[Citytv Saskatchewan]] and [[CTV Two Alberta]] were formerly provincial public broadcasters (SCN and Access), but both have since been privatized and amalgamated into commercial networks operated by their current owners ([[Rogers Communications|Rogers]] and [[Bell Canada|Bell]]). While both outlets devote a portion of their schedules to their networks' respective, advertising-supported entertainment programming, both networks are still required to adhere to an educational remit in the majority of their programming. Unlike in the United States, where a statewide public network is usually the state's primary [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] member station, the provincially owned public systems in Canada are independent of each other and have their own programming.

Only CBC/Radio-Canada, TVA and APTN are officially considered national networks by the CRTC, while V is a provincial network in Quebec. City, CTV and Global are legally considered "television services" even though they operate as networks for all practical purposes. As well, there are a few independent stations, including [[CFTU-TV|CFTU]] in [[Montreal]], [[CJON-TV|CJON]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] and [[CJIL-TV|CJIL]] in [[Lethbridge]]. However, most of these are not general entertainment stations like independent stations in the United States, but are instead specialty [[community channel (Canada)|community channel]]s or educational services. CJON is the only independent commercial station currently operating in Canada, although CJON sublicenses a mix of programming from Global, CTV and other sources rather than purchasing program rights independently.

TV station [[callsign]]s in Canada are usually made up of four letters, although two stations have three call letters ([[CKX-TV|CKX]] in [[Brandon, Manitoba|Brandon]] and [[CKY-TV|CKY]] in [[Winnipeg]]) and some (primarily CBC-owned Radio-Canada stations) have five. The first call letter is always ''C'', and callsigns of privately owned television stations start with the [[ITU prefix|two-letter combinations]] of ''CF'', ''CH'', ''CI'', ''CJ'', or ''CK''. The combinations ''CG'', ''CY'', ''CZ'' and several combinations beginning with ''V'' and ''X'' are also assigned to Canada, but to date no Canadian television station has ever been licensed to take a call sign within those ranges. There is no clear rule for the call letters of [[rebroadcaster]]s&mdash;some are labelled by the call-letters of the originating station, followed by a number, while others have their own distinct call letters. Low-power repeater transmitters (LPRTs) have their own unique callsign format, which consists of the letters CH followed by four numbers. Some rebroadcast transmitters are licensed as ''semi-satellites'', which are licensed to air separate commercials (and, on rarer occasions, a limited amount of distinct programming) targeted to their community of license.

CBC-owned stations use call letters beginning with the combination ''CB'' (through a special agreement with the government of [[Chile]]); private affiliates of the CBC use the same combinations as other private stations. The CBC has also sometimes directly acquired former private affiliate stations; these usually (although not always) retain their historic call sign rather than changing to a CB call. While Canadian TV stations are technically required to identify themselves over the air by their call letters, the rule is rarely enforced by the CRTC. As a result, most TV stations never use their call letters for any purpose other than official CRTC business, and instead brand under regional names such as [[CTV Northern Ontario]] or [[CFRE-DT|Global Regina]]. Even then, most network-owned stations may only use these brands for station identification and newscasts, and promote the majority of their programming under the network brand without any disambiguation.

Due to their proximity to American media markets, a number of Canadian cities and regions receive US broadcasters as part of their local media. This has required special dispensation for Canadian content for broadcasters in the [[Windsor, Ontario]] region (due to it falling within the [[Detroit]] media footprint), and there have also been cases of US-based broadcasters ([[KCND-TV]] of [[Pembina, North Dakota]], now [[CKND-DT]] of Winnipeg; also [[KVOS-TV]] of [[Bellingham, Washington]]) targeting its programming and advertising at Canadian viewers.

Although all broadcast networks in Canada are required to produce and air some [[Canadian content]], only the English and French networks of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] run predominantly Canadian-produced schedules, though, the English network does run some imported programming from the [[United Kingdom]], most notably ''[[Coronation Street]]''. The private networks, [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[Global Television Network|Global]] and [[Citytv]], have all at times faced criticism over their level of commitment to producing and airing Canadian programming. The commercial networks often find it easier to purchase rights to hit American series than to invest in Canadian productions, which are often prohibitively costly for the comparatively small size of the Canadian market. The French-language networks traditionally have had less difficulty meeting their Canadian content obligations, as the language difference makes francophone audiences much more readily receptive to home-grown programming than to dubbed American imports.

[[Digital television]] is an emerging technology in Canada. Although some TV stations have begun broadcasting digital signals in addition to their regular VHF or UHF broadcasts, this is not yet as widespread as in the United States. Although most markets have digital channel assignments already in place, to date digital broadcasts have only launched in the largest [[metropolitan area]]s. Digital television sets are available in Canadian stores, but are not universally present in all Canadian homes.

Several broadcasters, including the CBC, have argued that there is no viable business case for a comprehensive digital conversion strategy in Canada. At [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]] hearings in 2007 on the future direction of regulatory policy for television, broadcasters proposed a number of strategies, including funding digital conversion by eliminating restrictions on the amount of advertising that television broadcasters are permitted to air, allowing terrestrial broadcasters to charge cable viewers a subscription fee similar to that already charged by cable [[specialty channels]], permitting [[Television licence|license fees]] similar to those which fund the [[BBC]] in the [[United Kingdom]], or eliminating terrestrial television broadcasting entirely and moving to an exclusively cable-based distribution model.

In May 2007, the CRTC set August 31, 2011 as the deadline for digital conversion in Canada. This is approximately two years later than the cutoff date in the United States. The CRTC ultimately decided to relax restrictions on advertising as the funding mechanism. However, a CRTC statement issued in June 2008 indicated that as of that date, only 22 digital transmitters had been fully installed across the entire country,<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080624.wrcable24/BNStory/Technology/home "Networks unprepared for digital TV shift: CRTC"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628212056/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080624.wrcable24/BNStory/Technology/home/ |date=June 28, 2008 }}, ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 24, 2008.</ref> and expressed the regulator's concern that Canada's television broadcasters were not adequately preparing for the shift to digital broadcasting.

===Cable television===
{{Main|Multichannel television in Canada}}

[[Cable television]] is a very common method of television programming delivery in Canada. By 1997, already 77% of Canadian homes subscribed to a cable television service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dalglish |first1=Brenda |title=Satellite TV gets lost in space |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/512457782/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=National Post |date=September 13, 1997 |language=en}}</ref> [[Vancouver]], with 93% of its homes connected to cable, had one of the highest cable connection rates in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Strachan |first1=Alex |title=Electronic rating system to be used in Vancouver |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/496038939/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Vancouver Sun |date=May 16, 1997 |page=C3 |language=en}}</ref>

There are currently 739 licensed cable distributors in Canada. This significant decline from over 2,000 just a few years ago is attributable both to major cable companies acquiring smaller distributors and to a recent change in CRTC rules by which independent cable operators with fewer than 2,000 subscribers are no longer required to operate under full CRTC licences. (However, the CRTC does retain some regulatory authority over these operators. This is an exemption granted by the CRTC to previously licensed companies that continue to meet certain conditions, and does ''not'' mean that anybody can simply set up their own small cable company without CRTC approval.){{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Major Canadian cable companies include [[Rogers Communications|Rogers]], [[Shaw Communications|Shaw]], [[Cogeco]], [[Vidéotron]] and [[EastLink (company)|EastLink]]/[[Persona Communications|Persona]]. Most Canadian cities are served by only one cable company per market; in the few cities that are served by more than one cable company, each company is restricted to a specific geographical division within the market. For instance, in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Cogeco Cable]], [[Rogers Cable]] and [[Source Cable]] are all licensed operators, but each has a monopoly in a specific area of the city.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

However, two major companies offer [[direct broadcast satellite]] delivery as an alternative to cable: [[Bell Satellite TV]], which is a division of [[Bell Canada|BCE Inc.]], and [[Shaw Direct]], which is a division of Shaw. ''[[Grey market]]'' DBS dishes can also be obtained from American services such as [[DirecTV]] and [[Dish Network]], but as these are not licensed Canadian providers, stores that sell those packages&mdash;and users who buy them&mdash;are at risk of criminal charges.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In some remote communities in the Territories ([[Yukon]], [[Northwest Territories]], [[Nunavut]]), cable delivery is prohibitively costly. As such, similar services are offered through [[MMDS]] technology.

An English-language 'basic cable' package in Canada traditionally includes:{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

* [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[CTV Two]], [[Global Television Network|Global]], [[City (TV network)|City]] – the major English-language Canadian commercial networks;
* [[CBC Television]] and [[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]] – the English- and French-language CBC networks;
* a provincial educational broadcast undertaking (e.g. [[TVOntario|TVO]] in Ontario), if available (not all provinces have one);
* a [[Community channel (Canada)|community channel]], produced by the particular cable company, which usually includes [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] and information programming as well as community events listings (cf. [[public-access television]] in the United States);
* [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network|APTN]] – a network devoted to [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Aboriginal]] programming;
* [[TVA (Canadian TV network)|TVA]] – one of the two private French-language broadcasters in Quebec;<ref group="lower-roman">The other French-language broadcaster in Quebec, [[Noovo]], does not have mandatory national carriage rights, although some cable companies in [[Ontario]] and [[New Brunswick]] offer the network on a discretionary basis, and the network does have mandatory carriage in Quebec.</ref>
* nearby independent channels or channels from smaller television systems such as [[Omni Television]] or [[Yes TV]];
* [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]] – a channel that broadcasts [[parliamentary session]]s and committee meetings, along with some political public-affairs programming;
* a similar channel to CPAC, but broadcasting the proceedings of the provincial legislature;
* [[network affiliates]] (typically from the nearest major American city) of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[Fox Network|Fox]], [[NBC]], and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]];<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, American networks are offered on a "4 + 1" basis, meaning that a cable company may offer any four American commercial networks and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] on basic cable; other American networks can only be offered on a pay tier. In most cities, this means that [[The CW]] and [[MyNetwork TV]] are not available on basic cable because of lower demand for those networks. However, cable providers in border cities have been allowed to offer all American networks on basic cable that are available over the air in that market, even if that means more than four commercial networks are provided. American network affiliates are usually provided from the nearest available American market. However, signals distributed by [[Shaw Broadcast Services]] (particularly affiliates from [[Detroit]] and [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]) are frequently substituted where cost or technical limitations prevent use of a closer signal.</ref>
* a mixture of Canadian and American special-interest channels (e.g. [[The Sports Network|TSN]], [[MuchMusic]], [[CNN]], [[CTV News Channel (Canada)|CTV News Channel]], [[Showcase (Canadian TV channel)|Showcase]]).<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, cable companies cannot offer a new American service if a comparable Canadian service already exists. However, if a Canadian equivalent begins operations after an American service has already been added to cable packages, the cable company is not required to discontinue the American service. (For example, Canadian cable companies cannot offer [[MTV]], as the station was not yet available in Canada when MuchMusic began broadcasting in 1984. However, cable companies can offer CNN, as they were already offering that service when CBC Newsworld first aired in 1989.) The rules formerly required that the American service be removed if a Canadian equivalent is launched; this caused controversy when the US version of [[Country Music Television|CMT]] was removed from the lineup when [[CMT (Canada)|a new Canadian country music channel]] called the ''New Country Network'' launched. CMT had contested that this was a violation of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]]. Ultimately, Viacom purchased a minority share in the network, and rebranded it under the CMT name.</ref>

A further set of Canadian and American special-interest channels are offered as 'extended cable' packages, which are available for additional fees. In the past, cable companies have engaged in the controversial practice of [[negative option billing]], in which a subscriber is automatically given and billed for the new services unless he or she specifically declines them, but this is now illegal.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

A package of '[[Pay television|pay TV]]' channels is also available for additional fees, including movie networks such as [[Crave (TV network)|Crave TV]], [[Movie Central]], [[Super Channel (Canadian TV channel)|Super Channel]], and [[Super Écran]]; and American [[superstation]]s such as [[WSBK-TV|WSBK]], [[WPIX]], [[WGN America|WGN]], and [[KTLA]] (which are often affiliated with [[The CW Television Network|The CW]] and [[MyNetworkTV]].) These services, however, require a [[Cable converter box|descrambler box]].

A study in 2006 said that the CRTC had licensed 44 digital specialty services and 5 ethnic specialty- and pay-television services across the country.<ref name=ojo/>

Cable companies now offer [[digital cable]] packages in most Canadian cities, including a number of channels which have been licensed exclusively for digital package distribution. Digital cable also typically includes a range of audio broadcast services such as [[Galaxie (radio)|Galaxie]] and [[Max Trax]]. In some markets, digital cable service may also include local radio stations; where this is offered, it has largely ''replaced'' the availability of [[cable FM]] service. Digital cable, however, is provided only if a customer chooses to subscribe to that package. As of 2016, cable companies are also now required to offer a "skinny basic" option, whereby a small selection of channels{{snd}} typically the main over-the-air networks, along with "public service" channels such as [[The Weather Network]] and [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]]{{snd}} are packaged for a maximum fee of $25 with additional channels available on a [[A la carte pay television|pick and pay]] basis at the subscriber's discretion.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/skinny-basic-tv-consumers-explainer/article28951724/ "The skinny on skinny basic TV"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 1, 2016.</ref> Although this package has had some popularity, the traditional larger and more expensive cable packages remain the dominant subscription mode.<ref>[http://www.torontosun.com/2016/04/15/skinny-basic-cable-packages-popular-crtc "'Skinny basic' cable packages popular: CRTC"]. ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', April 15, 2016.</ref>

Although this is sometimes controversial, Canadian cable companies are required by the CRTC to practise [[simultaneous substitution]] when a Canadian channel and a non-Canadian channel (which is usually American) are airing the same program at the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl TV commercials – why are the ads different?|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|work=crtc.gc.ca|publisher=[[Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission]]|access-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011015823/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> Programming on an American service may also be blocked if it has significant bearing on a Canadian legal matter (e.g., one episode of ''[[Law & Order]]'', inspired by the trials of [[Paul Bernardo]] and [[Karla Homolka]], was blocked in Canada) or if it interferes with a Canadian channel's broadcast rights (such as ''[[James Bond]]'' movies airing on [[Spike TV]]; the Canadian broadcast rights are held by [[Bell Media]].)

Many cable companies also offer high speed [[Cable Internet access|cable Internet]] service.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|35em|group=lower-roman}}

==Radio==
{{See also|List of radio stations in Canada}}{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
The first radio broadcast station in Canadian history was WXA in Montreal, later called CINW. The first broadcast was on May 20, 1920.<ref>"Canadian Broadcast History" http://www.oldradio.com/archives/international/canada.htm, Retrieved October 20, 2011.</ref> Canada's first national radio network was established by a railway; the national radio was a product of the [[Canadian National Railway|CNR]], a state agency. Through this national radio, its creators saw a way of fostering and promoting immigration, enhancing the image of radio, and supporting the nation through communication with large groups of listeners.<ref>Robinson, Daniel. (2009). ''Communication History in Canada''. Oxford University Press. p. 55.</ref>

Canada is served by approximately 2,000 radio stations, on both the [[AM radio|AM]] and [[FM radio|FM]] bands.

As with television stations, radio callsigns in Canada are made up of four letters beginning with the [[ITU prefix|two-letter combinations]] of ''CF'', ''CH'', ''CI'', ''CJ'', or ''CK'', although a few stations use three-letter callsigns. In addition to private stations [[CKX-FM|CKX]] and [[CKY-FM|CKY]], some CBC stations have three-letter callsigns, generally in major cities where the stations first aired in the 1930s. Newer CBC stations have normal four-letter callsigns, however. As with CBC television, CBC radio uses callsigns beginning with ''CB'', through a special arrangement with the government of [[Chile]]. A few exceptions, such as [[CKSB (AM)|CKSB]] in [[Winnipeg]] and [[CJBC (AM)|CJBC]] in [[Toronto]], exist where the CBC acquired an existing station with a historically significant callsign.

The combinations ''CG'', ''CY'', ''CZ'' and several combinations beginning with ''V'' and ''X'' are also assigned to Canada. Only four Canadian radio stations, all in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]], have taken call signs in those ranges. Three of these stations, [[VOAR (AM)|VOAR]], [[VOWR]] and [[VOCM (AM)|VOCM]], began broadcasting before Newfoundland was a Canadian province, and retained their ''VO'' call letters when Newfoundland joined [[Canadian Confederation]] in 1949. The other station, [[VOCM-FM]], adopted the callsign in 1981 because of its ownership association with VOCM. With the exception of VOCM-FM, radio stations licensed in Newfoundland after 1949 use the same ''CF''-''CK'' range as other Canadian stations.

The future of ''VO'' callsigns in Canada is unknown. It would not be at all unusual for [[Industry Canada]] to simplify all callsigns used in Canada as part of the ongoing modernization and simplification of domestic telecom regulations.<ref>[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sp_dgse-ps_dggs.nsf/eng/gg00073.html Broadcasting undertaking callsigns possibly available for assignment]{{snd}} [[Industry Canada]]</ref>

There is no clear rule for the call letters of repeater stations&mdash;some repeaters are labelled by the call-letters of the originating station, followed by a number, while others have their own distinct call letters. Low-power repeater transmitters (LPRTs) have their own unique callsign format, which consists of the letters VE or VF followed by four numbers.

As of 2020, the four largest major commercial radio broadcast groups in Canada are [[Stingray Group]], [[Rogers Radio]], [[Corus Radio]], and [[Bell Media Radio]]. However, many smaller broadcasters operate radio stations as well. Most genres of music are represented on the Canadian commercial radio spectrum, including [[pop music|pop]], [[rock music|rock]], [[hip hop music|hip hop]], [[country music|country]], [[jazz]] and [[european classical music|classical]]. News, sports, talk radio and religious stations are also available in many cities. In addition, many Canadian universities and colleges have licensed [[campus radio]] stations, and some communities also have [[community radio]] stations or [[List of Christian radio stations in Canada|Christian radio stations]] licensed to [[non-profit]] groups or [[co-operative]]s. Canada has approximately 14 full-time ethnic radio stations, based primarily in the major metropolitan markets of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.<ref name=ojo>{{cite journal |last=Ojo |first=Tokunbo |title=Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada |journal=Journalism |date=August 2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=343–361 |doi=10.1177/1464884906065517|s2cid=54669338 }}</ref>

As well, the publicly owned [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] operates four national radio networks, two each in [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]]. The English [[CBC Radio One|Radio One]] and the French ''[[Ici Radio-Canada Première]]'' provide news and information programming to most communities in Canada, regardless of size, on either the AM or FM band. The English [[CBC Music]] and French ''[[Ici Musique]]'' provide arts and culture programming, including classical music and opera, and are always on FM, generally serving larger communities only.

Music-based commercial radio stations in Canada are mandated by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] to reserve at least 35 per cent of their playlists for [[Canadian content]], although exemptions are granted in some border cities (e.g. [[Windsor, Ontario]]) where the competition from American stations threatens the survival of Canadian broadcasters, and for stations whose formats may not have enough Canadian recordings available to meet the 35 per cent target (e.g. classical, jazz or pop standards).

In recent years, a notable trend in Canadian radio has been the gradual abandonment of the AM band, with many AM stations applying for and receiving authorization from the CRTC to convert to the FM band. In some Canadian cities, in fact, the AM band is now either nearly or entirely vacant. Because Canada is more sparsely populated than the United States, the limitations of AM broadcasting (particularly at night, when the AM dial is often overwhelmed by distant signals) have a much more pronounced effect on Canadian broadcasters. AM radio stations have the additional protection that [[cable television|cable]] companies which offer [[cable FM]] services are required by the CRTC to distribute all locally available AM stations through conversion to a cable FM signal, but cable FM only accounts for a small percentage of radio listeners in Canada.

[[Digital audio broadcasting]], or DAB, is an emerging technology in Canada. Although many radio stations in major metropolitan markets offer [[digital subchannel]]s with distinct programming from the primary station, not many consumers yet own digital radios and digital broadcasting is usually not available in midsized or small markets. No Canadian radio broadcaster currently operates exclusively in DAB format.

On November 1, 2004, the CRTC began hearing applications for [[satellite radio]] services. Three applications were filed: one by [[XM Radio Canada]], one by [[Sirius Canada]], and one by the partnership of [[CHUM Limited]] and [[Astral Media]]. These services, which were approved by the CRTC on June 16, 2005, were Canada's first official satellite radio services, although a small ''[[grey market]]'' already existed for American satellite radio receivers. Sirius and XM both launched in December 2005. The CHUM-Astral service, however, was never launched, and its license expired on June 16, 2007; CHUM stated that its business plan was based in part on the expectation that in the interests of Canadian content, the CRTC would have rejected the Sirius and XM applications, approving ''only'' the CHUM-Astral service. The two active services, XM and Sirius, merged into [[Sirius XM Canada]] in 2011, several months after a similar merger between their American counterparts.<ref name=broadcaster>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/sirius-canada-and-xm-canada-complete-merger/1000486539/ "Sirius Canada and XM Canada Complete Merger"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810044003/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/sirius-canada-and-xm-canada-complete-merger/1000486539/ |date=August 10, 2014 }}. ''Broadcaster'', June 21, 2011.</ref>

The consensus about radio in Canada as well as in most parts of the world is that it is a dying medium.<ref name="typepad1">{{cite web|url=http://harkerresearch.typepad.com/radioinsights/2010/08/is-radio-dying-growing-or-what.html |title=Radio InSights: Is Radio Dying, Growing, or What? |publisher=Harkerresearch.typepad.com |date=2010-08-11 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> With innovations such as television and the Internet, which have allowed for audio communication paired with visual, there has been less need for radio. Furthermore, the introduction of personalized and portable listening devices (namely [[mp3 players]]) have replaced bulkier radios for many. Whereas Internet advertising revenues have steadily increased over recent years, advertising revenue for radio only increased by about 1.5 percent from 2006 to 2007, and this rate is likely to be even smaller now.<ref name="typepad1" /> However, it is not fair to assume that radio is going to become obsolete in the near future; new forms, including online and satellite radio, have been introduced which provide new benefits for listeners. The fact that the radio industry has been able to hold its ground for so many years after the introduction of television is a testament to its longevity.

==Newspapers==
{{Main|History of Canadian newspapers}}
{{See also|List of Canadian newspapers}}
The first period of Canadian journalism spanned from 1752–1807; the second period spanned from 1807–1858; the third period spanned from 1858–1900; the fourth period spans from the beginning of the twentieth century to current day.<ref name="newspaperscanada1">{{cite web |url=http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/aboutnewspapers/history |title=The Evolution of Newspapers &#124; Newspapers Canada |publisher=Newspaperscanada.ca |access-date=2011-12-16 |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401044449/http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/aboutnewspapers/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first period consisted of newspapers brought and inserted into Canadian society by colonies in New England. The first was the [[Halifax Gazette]], issued on March 23, 1752. The second period began as settlers arrived from Britain and the United States; newspapers began to gain popularity in the [[Maritimes|Maritime]] regions. During the third period, the discovery of gold brought settlers to the Pacific Coast region, and there was a growing interest in domestic affairs. Finally, the twentieth century saw a substantial change in Canadian newspapers. After the two world wars, as well as the industrial developments that followed these wars, the circulation of French and English newspapers in Canada increased to more than 5.7 million in 1989. By the mid-1980s, there were 110 daily newspapers. Nowadays, there are 105.<ref name="newspaperscanada1" />

Although online readership has been on the rise, studies by [http://nadbank.com/ NADbank] show that print readership is "business as usual." Nearly 8 in 10 [[Canadians]] read a daily newspaper each week, and print readership continues to grow at about 2 percent each year.<ref>Crassweller, Anne. "Readership is "business as usual" in Canada" IMMA. http://www.inma.org/blogs/value-content/post.cfm/readership-is-ldquo-business-as-usual-rdquo-in-canada, Retrieved November 17, 2011.</ref> However, website readership is growing faster, at a rate of 4 percent. Although print readership is currently larger, website readership is growing at a faster rate, suggesting that a takeover is possible in the future. The baby boomer generation, who are over 50 years old, continue to prefer print to online journalism, while younger adults are more likely to read online newspapers due to easier access and limits on time. Furthermore, paid daily newspapers dominate the market but free dailies are gaining popularity in recent times. Advertisers continue to rely on print newspapers to reach Canadians in their home or work environments. For these reasons, print newspapers as a mass medium do not seem to be dying in Canada. They might not be as healthy as they were without any competition from online sources, but they are holding their own ground, according to Statistics Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/63f0002x/63f0002x2007051-eng.htm |title=Revenue Fluctuations for Newspapers Publishers |publisher=Statcan.gc.ca |date=2009-01-02 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref>

Canada currently has two major national newspapers: ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' and ''[[National Post]]''. Though not widely read outside Quebec, ''[[Le Devoir]]'' is the French-language counterpart to the national newspapers. The newspaper with the highest circulation overall is the ''[[Toronto Star]]'', while the newspaper with the highest readership per capita is the ''[[Windsor Star]]'' (with the ''[[Calgary Herald]]'' running a very close second).

In addition, almost all Canadian cities are served by at least one daily [[newspaper]], along with community and neighbourhood weeklies. In large cities that have more than one daily newspaper, usually at least one daily is a [[tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] format; bilingual cities like [[Montreal]] and [[Ottawa]] have important papers in both French and English.

Canadian newspapers are mostly owned by large chains.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last1=Lindgren|first1=April|last2=Jolly|first2=B.|last3=Sabatini|first3=C.|last4=Wong|first4=C.|date=2019|title=Good News, Bad News: A snapshot of conditions at small-market newspapers in Canada|url=http://portal.journalism.ryerson.ca/goodnewsbadnews/|website=The Local News Research Project}}</ref> At various times there have been concerns about [[Concentration of media ownership#Canada|concentration of newspaper ownership]], notably in 1970 and 1980 with two commissions, the [[Keith Davey|Davey Committee]] on combines and the [[Royal Commission on Newspapers|Kent Royal Commission on Newspapers]] respectively, as well as more recently when [[Conrad Black]]'s [[Hollinger Inc.|Hollinger]] acquired [[Southam Newspapers]] in the late 1990s. When Hollinger sold its Canadian properties, however, many of their smaller-market newspapers were in fact purchased by a variety of new ownership groups such as [[Osprey Media]], increasing the diversity of newspaper ownership for the first time in many years.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Newspapers owned by large chains, 2018<ref name=":0" />
|-
! Title
! Daily newspapers
! Community newspapers
! Total newspapers
|-
| [[Postmedia Network Inc.]] / [[Sun Media]]
| 35
| 86
| 121
|-
| [[Torstar Corp.]] / [[Metroland Media Group|Metroland]] 
| 12
| 78
| 100
|-
| [[Black Press Media|Black Press Ltd.]] 
| 3
| 85
| 88
|-
| snapd Inc. 
| 0
| 72
| 72
|-
| [[Glacier Media]] / [[Alta Newspaper Group]]
| 5
| 44
| 49
|-
| [[SaltWire Network]] 
| 8
| 25
| 33
|-
| TransMet Logistics/Metropolitan Media
| 1
| 25
| 26
|- 
| [[Brunswick News Inc.]]{{ref label|BNI|a}}
| 3
| 19
| 22
|-
|- 
| TC Media
| 0
| 21
| 21
|-
|- 
| Icimédias inc.
| 0
| 20
| 20
|-
|}
:{{note label|BNI|a|a|Brunswick News Inc. was purchased by Postmedia in 2022. <ref>{{cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Hadeel |date=2022-02-18 |title=Irving-owned New Brunswick newspapers to be sold to Postmedia |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brunswick-news-sold-postmedia-1.6356427 |work=CBC News |access-date=2023-06-28}}</ref>}}

Additionally, the 1980s and 1990s saw the emergence of city-based [[alternative weekly]] newspapers, geared toward a younger audience with coverage of the arts and alternative news. In recent years, many of these weeklies have also been acquired or driven out of business by conglomerates like [[Canwest]], [[Quebecor]] and [[Brunswick News]]. Smaller newspapers like ''[[The Dominion (Canada)|The Dominion]]'', publishing primarily online but in a newspaper format, have attempted to fill gaps in Canada's journalistic coverage while avoiding the vulnerabilities of the previous generation of [[alternative media]].

In the 2000s, a number of online news and culture magazines also launched with the goal of providing [[Alternative Media|alternative sources of journalism]]. Some important online publications include ''[[rabble.ca]]'', ''[[The Tyee]]'', ''[[The Vancouver Observer]]'', and ''[[SooToday.com]]''. Similarly, as of 2006, Canada had over 250 ethnic newspapers.<ref name="ojo" />

The late 2010s have seen an expansion in online news partisan outlets with ties to the major political parties in Canada, such as ''North99'' with the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]], ''[[The Post Millennial]]'' with the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]], and ''[[Broadbent Institute#PressProgress|PressProgress]]'' with the [[New Democratic Party|NDP]] have received attention though their massive mostly social-based following.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/guide-to-new-popular-populist-political-media/|title=The CANADALAND Guide To New Popular, Populist Political Media|website=canadalandshow.com|date=January 7, 2019|access-date=2019-06-11}}</ref>

==Films==
{{Main|Cinema of Canada}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
Given Canada's small market and its position next to the United States—the dominant producer of feature films—the Canadian film industry receives substantial assistance from the government. In the [[List of Canadian films#2000s|2000s]], about half of the budget of a typical Canadian film came from various federal and provincial government sources.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia:
<blockquote>''The first Canadian films were produced in the fall of 1897, a year after the first public exhibition of motion pictures on 27 June 1896 in Montréal. They were made by James Freer, a Manitoba farmer, and depicted life on the Prairies. In 1898–99, the Canadian Pacific Railway showed them throughout the UK to promote immigration. They were so successful that the federal government sponsored a second tour by Freer in 1902 and the CPR began directly financing production of immigration films.''<ref>{{cite web|author=Pierre Véronneau |author2=Peter Morris |author3=Piers Handling |url=http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-history-of-film-in-canada/ |title=Film History |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=2011-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608002913/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002800 |archive-date=2011-06-08}}</ref></blockquote>

Most of Canada's film (and television) industry produces output geared towards mainstream [[North America]]n audiences, with [[Entertainment One]] and [[Elevation Pictures]] in particular enjoying significant successes in recent years. [[Montréal]], [[Toronto]] and [[Vancouver]] are major production centres, with Vancouver being the second largest film and television production centre in North America (after [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]). The [[Toronto International Film Festival]] is considered one of the most important events in North American cinema, showcasing both Canadian talent and Hollywood films.

According to an article in the Toronto Star, the Canadian film industry has always had problems with creating a popular culture because of the shadow of the United States' film industry. For this reason, Canadian films have failed due to a lack of an export market. Canadian actors frequently relocate to Hollywood to further their careers. Also, unlike radio and television, there is no protection for Canadian content in movie theatres.<ref>Taylor, Kate. "Canadian Film Scene Still Waiting for Happy Ending." Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/atkinsonseries/atkinson2010/article/865562--part-5-canadian-film-scene-still-waiting-for-happy-ending?bn=1, Retrieved November 17, 2011.</ref> It is clear that Hollywood movies are a lot more popular in Canada than Canadian-made movies. As a whole, the film industry ([[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]) continues to make substantial profits in Canada as well as around the world; it can, therefore, be said that the medium is not dying.

Alliance was by far the largest and most successful Canadian film studio, both as a film and television production house (the company's television properties include ''[[Due South]]'', ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'' and ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation|C.S.I.]]''), and as the major Canadian distributor of independent American and international films. On January 9, 2013, the company was acquired by Entertainment One.<ref>Tartaglione, Nancy. [https://deadline.com/2013/01/eone-completes-alliance-films-acquisition-victor-loewy-charles-layton-exit-399690/ ''EOne Completes Alliance Films Acquisition; Victor Loewy, Charles Layton Exit.''] ''Deadline Hollywood'' (January 9, 2012)</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/entertainment-one-ready-to-close-alliance-deal-1.1375283 |title=Entertainment One ready to close Alliance deal|agency=The Canadian Press|date=January 3, 2013| work=CBC News}}</ref>

Canada also produces films of a characteristically "Canadian" nature, and of all Canadian cultural industries, the English-Canadian segment of the film industry has the hardest time escaping the shadow of its (North) American counterpart. Between the marketing budgets of mainstream films, and the largely American-controlled film distribution networks, it has been nearly impossible for most distinctively English-Canadian films to break through to a wide audience. In many Canadian cities, in fact, moviegoers do not even have the ''option'' of seeing such films, as there are no theatres screening them. As a result, a Canadian film is usually considered a runaway hit if it makes as little as $1 million at the box office.

French-Canadian films, on the other hand, are often more successful&mdash;as with French-language television, the language difference makes Quebec audiences much more receptive to Canadian-produced film. In many years, the top-grossing Canadian film is a French-language production from Quebec.

As a result of the economic challenges involved in Canadian film production, film funding is often provided by government bodies such as [[Telefilm Canada]], and television services such as [[CBC Television]], [[Crave (TV network)|Crave]] or [[Super Channel Entertainment Network|Super Channel]] are often a Canadian film's most lucrative potential market. However, there is an established network of film festivals which also provide important marketing and audience opportunities for Canadian films. In addition to the Toronto International Film Festival, the smaller [[Vancouver International Film Festival]] features films from around the world, and other major festivals in Montréal, [[Calgary]], [[Edmonton]] and [[Greater Sudbury]]&mdash;among other cities&mdash;are also important opportunities for Canadian filmmakers to gain exposure among more populist film audiences.

One particular film production house, the [[National Film Board of Canada]], has become internationally famous for its animation and documentary production.

==Publishing==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}

===Books===
The first incident of printing in Canada came in 1752 with the Halifax Gazette. The history of the printed book is slightly different. In 1761, Anton Heinrich took over John Bushell's printing shop in Halifax. James Rivingston, a member of a family involved with bookselling and stationery in London, advertised a large stock of books and stationery for sale in Halifax. The first printing shop was established in 1764 by William Brown and Thomas Gilmore in Quebec. The earliest recorded [[almanac]] published in Canada was {{lang|fr|L'almanac de cabinet}}, printed by Brown and Gilmore in 1765.<ref>Fleming, Patricia. (2004). ''History of the Book in Canada''. University of Toronto Press. p. 25.</ref>

There are many who think that with the introduction of the Internet and e-reading, the printed book is on the decline for reasons of practicality; e-readers (such as the [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]] and [[Kobo Inc.|Kobo]]) allow one to carry many books at once, are as portable as printed books, and provide instantaneous access to books (as opposed to having to search for printed books in a store). They can also be interactive, containing audio and image components and allowing readers to change font styles to suit their own preference.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_benefits.htm |title=The Advantages and Benefits of Ebooks |publisher=Successconsciousness.com |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref>

Certain people{{Who|date=December 2011}} think that despite the introduction of [[e-books]], the printed book is not a dying medium. The death of the book was predicted with the advent of radio, then film, then with television, and more recently with the Internet. Because of its history of perseverance, some people have hope that it will survive despite the e-book's various advantages. More people around the world have access to books in printed form than to computers. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that reading off of a screen for long periods of time is less comfortable in the long run than reading print off of a page.<ref>{{cite web |author=JK Evanczuk |url=http://www.litdrift.com/2009/10/27/5-reasons-why-the-novel-is-not-a-dying-medium/ |title=5 Reasons Why the Novel Is Not A Dying Medium &#124; Lit Drift: Storytelling in the 21st Century |publisher=Lit Drift |date=2009-10-27 |access-date=2011-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128090953/http://www.litdrift.com/2009/10/27/5-reasons-why-the-novel-is-not-a-dying-medium/ |archive-date=2012-01-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> For these reasons, whether or not the printed book is a dying medium in Canada can be debated either way; however, for now it seems that they are surviving and adapting (for example, through the use of more attractive graphics) despite such competition.

Canada is home to a robust book publishing industry that operates in both official languages.

'''English Language Publishers In Canada'''

* [[McClelland and Stewart]]
* which made its name in the 1970s as the leading publisher of English language [[Canadian literature]]. English Canada also has many smaller publishing houses, including [[Coach House Press]], [[the Porcupine's Quill]], [[House of Anansi]], [[Key Porter Books]], [[Hidden Brook Press]], and [[Douglas & McIntyre|Douglas & McIntyr]]
'''Foreign Publishers With Branches In Canada'''

* [[Coach House Press]], 
* [[the Porcupine's Quill]], [[House of Anansi]], [[Key Porter Books]], 
* [[Hidden Brook Press]] 
* [[Douglas & McIntyre|Douglas & McIntyr]]

Major francophone publishers in Quebec include Bibliothèque québécoise, Alire, Québec-Amérique, Éditions Guérin and Groupe Beauchemin. Several small francophone publishers also operate outside of Quebec, including [[Éditions Le Nordir]] and [[Prise de parole]].

Canada's largest English [[science fiction]] genre publisher is EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. EDGE now also owns the Tesseract Books imprint, which is well known for producing excellent Canadian speculative fiction.

===Magazines===
{{Main|List of Canadian magazines}}
The first Canadian periodicals were established in Nova Scotia by people from New England. The first Canadian magazine was called ''[[Nova Scotia Magazine and Comprehensive Review of Literature, Politics, and News]]''. It was edited by William Cochran and printed by John Howe. Publication began in 1789 and lasted three years. This magazine dealt mostly with affairs concerning the British public, despite its being published at a time of colonization in Canada.<ref>Desbarats, Peter. (2009). "The Special Role of Magazines in the History of Canadian Mass Media and National Development." ''Communication History in Canada''. Oxford University Press. p.169.</ref> After this first publication, most magazines over the next fifty years in Canada only lasted a few years, often only a few months. The first ever bilingual magazine, published in 1792, was entitled ''Le Magasin de Québec''; it was published by Samuel Neilson.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sonia Sarfati |author2=Sandra Martin |author-link=Sonia Sarfati |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050523165957/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005028 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2005 |title=Magazines |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> Journalist and historian Michel Bibaud published ''La Bibliothèque Canadienne'' from 1825 to 1830, and John Lovell published the ''Literary Garland'' from 1838 to 1851. These were the most well-known exceptions to the rule that magazines lasted only a few years.<ref>Desbarats 2009, p.169.</ref> In the second half of the nineteenth century, the pace of magazine publishing in Canada picked up significantly. George Desbarats launched ''Canadian Illustrated News'' in 1869 and it lasted until 1883. ''Canadian Illustrated News'' was closely identified with a new emerging sense of Canadian nationalism, like other magazines of the time. Through the use of many pictures, Desbarats felt that the magazine would instill a sense of pride in readers for their Canadian name and society.<ref>Desbarats 2009, p.170</ref>

According to David Renard, "Over the next 10 years, the magazine industry will experience deep-rooted change from primarily a print-oriented business to one where digital products will represent the largest share of a smaller periodical industry. We expect digital to be the primary source of revenue for magazines past the 2016–2017 time frame."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whattheythink.com/articles/53438-magazine-industry-2020/ |title=Print is not Dead, but Most of the Magazine Industry will be Digital in 2020 |publisher=WhatTheyThink |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> He claims that although print is not dead, the magazine industry might become obsolete. Although he is referring to periodicals in the United States, similar patterns exist in Canada, since over ninety percent of the most popular periodicals sold in Canada are American. Some say that magazines are evolving rather than dying; they are adapting to new technology by creating online versions. For example, [[iPad]] versions of magazines have been created recently.<ref>{{cite web|title=Magazine Industry Not Dying, but Evolving|url=http://mmangrum.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/magazine-industry-not-dying-but-evolving/ |access-date=April 6, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426005137/http://mmangrum.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/magazine-industry-not-dying-but-evolving/ |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |author=Meghan Mangrum | website= Meanderings Through Mass Media (blog)|date=20 October 2010 }}</ref> However, this still implies that the printed medium of periodicals is dying while online versions are gaining popularity.

A notable controversy in Canadian magazine publishing in recent years has been the existence of ''split run'' magazines, where a title published in another country, such as ''[[TIME]]'' or ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', is republished in Canada with a few pages of special Canadian content, in order to take advantage of Canadian [[advertising]] sales revenues. The government of Canada imposed a special [[excise tax]] on split run publications in 1995 to discourage the practice, although this continues to be controversial.

Magazines published in Canada include:

* ''[[L'Actualité]]''
* ''[[AdBusters]]''
* ''[[Auto Atlantic]]''{{snd}} East Coast auto magazine
* ''[[Canadian Business]]''
* ''[[Canadian Dimension]]''
* ''[[Canadian Geographic]]''
* ''[[Canadian Living]]''
* ''[[Chart (magazine)|Chart]]''
* ''[[Chatelaine (magazine)|Chatelaine]]''{{snd}} women's magazine
* ''[[Chickadee (magazine)|chickaDEE]]''
*''[[Cult MTL]]''
* ''[[Enterprise Mag]]''
* ''[[Exclaim!]]''
* ''[[Flare (magazine)|Flare]]''{{snd}} fashion
* ''[[Frank (magazine)|Frank]]''{{snd}} satirical
* ''[[Geist (magazine)|Geist]]''
* ''[[Literary Review of Canada]]''
* ''[[Maclean's]]''
* ''[[Maisonneuve (magazine)|Maisonneuve]]''
* ''[[MoneySense]]''
* ''[[My Halifax EXperience]]''
* ''[[Owl (magazine)|OWL]]''
* ''[[Saturday Night (magazine)|Saturday Night]]''
* ''[[Today's Parent]]''
* ''[[Sharp (magazine)]]''
* ''[[Toronto Life]]''
* ''[[This Magazine]]''
* ''[[Urban Male Magazine|UMM]]''
* ''[[Up Here (magazine)|Up Here]]''
* ''[[The Walrus]]''

==Online media==
{{Main|Canadian online media}}
In the 1950s and 1960s, with the creation of computers, is where the [[history of the Internet]] begins. In 1969 came the invention of [[ARPANET]], the first network to run on packet-switching technology. These were the first hosts on what would one day become the Internet. The concept of [[email]] was first created by Ray Tomlinson in 1971, and this innovation was followed by [[Project Gutenberg]] and [[eBooks]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Cameron Chapman |url=http://sixrevisions.com/resources/the-history-of-the-internet-in-a-nutshell/ |title=The History of the Internet in a Nutshell |publisher=Sixrevisions.com |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> [[Tim Berners-Lee]] is considered the inventor of the World Wide Web; he implemented the first successful communication between a [[HyperText Transfer Protocol]] client and a server.<ref>"Tim Berners-Lee – Time 100 People of the Century" [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016213128/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,990627,00.html], Retrieved November 17, 2011.</ref>

Because the Internet allowed users ease of access to information about practically any topic, the medium has seen immense popularity ever since its inception. There has never been a point in its relatively short history (it has only been around for about 40 years) when it has declined in popularity. Of all mass media discussed, it seems to be the least threatened. There are various reasons for this: firstly, the Internet provides for its audiences a compilation of almost everything that other electronic media provide, in one convenient medium (a computer). For example, one can watch television shows, films, and listen to the radio online. There is little need for separate devices when everything is available in one. Secondly, the Internet allows for portability and accessibility of information. One no longer has to go to the library for information or go to a theatre in order to watch a film. Thirdly, most content on the Internet is available for free, which makes it more convenient for users. The foremost priority for the Internet has always been to better communication, and it does provide easy and fast communication through email, chat rooms, and online communities; it is also interactive in these ways. There are, however, disadvantages of this medium which do not exist in other electronic media: potential theft of personal information, spamming, and unwanted explicit content. However, as all of these disadvantages can be blocked through the use of protection software, they are not enough to override its advantages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-disadvantages-internet.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307085841/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-disadvantages-internet.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 7, 2007 |title=Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet |publisher=Buzzle.com |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> For this reason, the Internet seems to be a healthy and thriving medium to this day in Canada as well as around the world.

The rise of online media platforms has inevitably disrupted the need for print media consumption. The concern, however, lies in whether or not these online platforms, whether hyperlocal or national, have appropriate practices to enforce standard journalism practices in place, avoiding situations of '[[Fake news website|fake news]]'. For example, some platforms have been known to use scare-tactics to drive [[web traffic]].

Online-only media publishers in Canada include:

* ''BlogTO''
*''[[Better Dwelling]]''
*''[[The Breach (media outlet)|'The Breach']]''
*''[[Canoe]]''
* ''[[Daily Hive]]''
* ''Freshdaily''
* ''[[Investigative Journalism Foundation]]''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Investigative Journalism Foundation|url=https://theijf.org/|access-date=2023-01-24|website=Investigative Journalism Foundation}}</ref>
*''The Line''<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=The Line |url=https://theline.substack.com/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=The Line |language=en}}</ref>
*''[[The Logic]]''
* ''[[MTL Blog]]''
*''[[Narcity Media|Narcity]]''<ref>https://www.narcity.com {{bare URL inline|date=April 2023}}</ref>
*''Newsrooms''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Newsrooms: Canadian News Portal|url=https://newsrooms.ca/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Newsrooms|language=en-US}}</ref>
*''[[Rabble.ca]]''
*''Spotlight Magazine''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spotlight Magazine|url=https://spotlightmagazine.ca/|access-date=2021-07-04|website=Spotlight Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>
* ''The Title Report''
* ''[[The Tyee]]''
* ''[[Torontoist]]''
*''Trnto''
*''University Magazine''<ref>''[https://www.universitymagazine.ca/ University Magazine]''. {{Issn|2561-1763}}.</ref>
*''[[Vice Magazine]]''
*''The Weekly''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Weekly |url=https://theweekly.ca/ |access-date=2022-04-15 |website=The Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref>
* ''[[Yahoo]] Canada''
* [https://wow-maple.com/ wow-maple.com]
* [https://cabinliving.ca/ CabinLiving.ca]
*STAMINA Group
**''DIVINE.ca''
**''View the VIBE'' 
** ''Swagger Magazine''
** ''WanderEater Magazine''<ref>https://wandereater.com {{bare URL inline|date=April 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Society|Canada|Journalism}}
*[[Cinema of Canada]]
*[[History of Canadian newspapers]]
*[[Media ownership in Canada]]
**[[Concentration of media ownership#Canada|Concentration of media ownership in Canada]]
*[[Multicultural media in Canada]]
*[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]
*[[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
*[[Television in Canada]]
*[[Western media]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Statistics Canada}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last =Allen|first =Gene|author2= Daniel J. Robinson|year =2009 |title =Communicating in Canada's Past: Essays in Media History |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jopEa7Rv99EC&q=Media%20of%20Canada&pg=PP1|publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn= 9780802093165 }}
* {{citation |last = Armstrong|first =  Robert|year =2010 |title =Broadcasting Policy in Canada  |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=v8uRPaM_VoAC&q=Canadian%20Media&pg=PP1|publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn= 978-1-4426-4096-2 }}
* {{cite book |last =Carney |first =William Wray |year = 2003|title = In the news: the practice of media relations in Canada|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=Nr4H_Cmxg4gC&q=Media%20of%20Canada&pg=PP1 |publisher= University of Alberta Press|isbn=0-88864-382-9 }}
* {{cite book |last =Russell |first =Nick |year =2005 |title =Morals and the media: ethics in Canadian journalism |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=V3RqfJkN-8oC&q=Canadian%20Media&pg=PP1 |publisher= Ubc Press|isbn= 0-7748-1089-0}}
* {{cite book |last =Skinner |first =David |author2= James Robert Compton |author3=Mike Gasher |year =2005 |title = Converging media, diverging politics: A political economy of news media in the United States and Canada |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1mCNXFPLsCkC&q=Media%20of%20Canada&pg=PP1 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn= 0-7391-0827-1}}
* {{citation |last = Soderlund|first = Walter C |author2=Kai Hildebrandt |year =2005 |title =Canadian newspaper ownership in the era of convergence |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=dWJW11hqlLkC&q=Canadian%20Media&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of Alberta Press |isbn= 0-88864-439-6}}
* {{citation |last = Taras |first = David |author2=Maria Bakardjieva |author3=Frits Pannekoek |year =2007 |title =How Canadians communicate II: media, globalization, and identity|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=X2YNNHZlt5cC&q=Canadian%20Media&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of Calgary Press |isbn= 978-1-55238-224-0 }}
* {{cite book |last =Vipond|first =Mary |year = 2000|title =The Mass Media In Canada|edition=3rd |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=eUbz3Ipt0xAC&q=Canadian%20Media%20of%20Canada&pg=PP1 |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |isbn=1-55028-714-1 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* Television: [http://www.channelcanada.com Channel Canada], [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305112344/http://www.mcquarrieweb.ca/canada/ Canadian Cable and Satellite Database].
* Film: [http://www.pulpanddagger.com/movies/filmtv.html The Great Canadian Guide to Movies and TV].
* Magazines: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050111091844/http://www.journalismnet.com/mags/canada.htm Finding Canadian Magazines{{snd}} Journalism.Net]}}.
* Newspaper: [http://www.cna-acj.ca/client/cna/cna.nsf/web/home?OpenDocument The Canadian Newspaper Association] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204002100/http://www.cna-acj.ca/client/cna/cna.nsf/web/Home?OpenDocument |date=February 4, 2007 }},[http://www.thepaperboy.com/country1.cfm?PaperCountry=Canada ThePaperboy.com Canadian Newspapers].
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-73-790/politics_economy/concentration_press/ CBC Digital Archives{{snd}} Concentration to Convergence: Media Ownership in Canada]
* [http://www.crtc.gc.ca Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission] ([[Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]])
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca broadcasting-history.ca] [[Canadian Communications Foundation]]
* Canadian Media History sources: [http://www.mediahistory.ca/ Media History in Canada bibliographic database]
* Telecommunications, internet and overall media landscape: {http://cmcrp.org] Canadian Media Concentration Research Project
*[http://www.canadianradiodirectory.com Canadian Radio Directory]{{snd}} The complete accurate user-friendly list of Canadian radio stations.
*[https://www.identitygrifting.ca/?m=1 The Canadian Media] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044441/https://www.identitygrifting.ca/?m=1 |date=March 6, 2019 }}
*[http://timkastelle.org/blog/2010/08/the-real-problem-with-the-media-business-model/ The Real Problem with the Media Business Model]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100215130910/http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1SUB13#sub13 The Canadian Encyclopedia (Communications)]
*[http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/ Newspapers Canada]
*[http://nadbank.com/ Newspaper Audience Databank]

{{Canada topics}}
{{Canada topic|Media in}}
{{North America topic|Media of}}

[[Category:Mass media in Canada| ]]
[[Category:Mass media by country|Canada]]
[[Category:Mass media in North America by country|Canada]]