Media outlets across the country are continuing to struggle with the implications of Bill C-18, including smaller organizations funded and operated by students at post-secondary schools.
The bill requires tech companies like Meta to compensate media organizations if they want to post Canadian news content on their platforms.
Stations like CHLY 101.7 FM in Nanaimo are having to shift the way they reach their audiences. Station manager Jesse Woodward is not impressed with how they have modified their reach.
“It’s been incredibly annoying,” said Woodward.
“Instagram and Facebook were two of the big ways we would connect with people who would follow us online. It definitely reinforced the need for us to put more time and energy into our email newsletter.”
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Despite the station reaching a wide audience, millennials still tend to rely on social media for their regular news intake.
Lauryn Mackenzie is a graduate of the Media Studies program at Vancouver Island University and currently works at CHLY as a junior producer. She’s confused with the total ban on the station’s social media platforms as they provide much more content than just news.
“We also do music shows, we do shows about climate change […] and now we are being blocked from being able to show that kind of stuff on social media,” said Mackenzie.
The UVic campus paper ‘Martlet’ also has to find ways to cope with the changes caused by the bill. Editor-in-chief for the paper, Ashlee Levy, is concerned about the ad revenue they could potentially lose.
“The amount of page views we get definitely will affect our ability to sell ads both in the paper and online,” added Levy.
“Also, the new school year is coming, and I think it is really going to affect our ability to reach new volunteers and get people involved with the Martlet.”
READ ALSO: Facebook blocks Salt Spring Island radio station that produces no news
Tchadas Leo
