Omni’s TV producers have launched a digital campaign to ask the government to increase funding for independent ethnic community programming in Canada.

With the This Show is Made with Zero Support from the Government campaign, the creators of TV programs for the Ukrainian, Korean, Turkish, Iranian, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Macedonian and Slovak communities seek to warn that diversity on TV could vanish if the government doesn’t provide more funding. The initiative claims that the revenues generated by advertising are not enough to maintain quality coverage of issues that are important to viewers.

The campaign (pictured) includes two spots, launched on TV and YouTube, that also aim to draw viewers’ attention and encourage them to contact the government to demand support for content aimed at ethnic communities, says Igor Malakhov, producer and editorial director of TV Vestnik.ca (a weekly show in Russian).

“We launched this campaign because 40+ ethnic communities in Canada are at immediate risk of losing their TV programs, unless the government opens doors to funding for independent third-language television producers,” Malakhov told Playback sister publication Media in Canada.

“However, judging by interactions with the Department of Canadian Heritage officials we had since January 2024 [we spoke with 20+ officials] the government is turning a deaf ear towards problems faced by independent ethnic community TV.”

“Our government recognizes that diverse sources of information, news and entertainment serve communities across Canada in a vital way. We have taken a broad range of measures to support their sustainability as they transform to connect with audiences in a substantial way. We will continue to take action to support outlets like Omni, while recognizing the independence of our funding institutions,” said the office of Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge in a statement to Playback Daily.

The campaign creators are calling on the government to direct the Canada Media Fund (CMF) to allocate a minimum of $6 million annually from its current funding to local ethnic and third language productions.

“Such funding would not only equip independent third-language producers to navigate the changing media landscape but would also represent an important step forward in upholding Canada’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the screen industry,” said Malakhov.

While the government does provide funding to the CMF each year, the Fund operates independently and is not directed by the federal government on how to allocate its programming budget.

CMF allocated $4.3 million to the Diverse Languages Program in 2023-24. The Fund’s overall programming budget was about $366 million in the fiscal year.

“The Canada Media Fund has been — and will remain — actively engaged in a conversation with third-language broadcasters, producers, and the Government of Canada in a continuous effort to adjust to Canada’s dynamic audiovisual industry,” said a spokesperson for the CMF in a statement to Playback. “We are listening and look forward to pursuing solutions with all of these parties to better serve Canadian audiences.”

The CMF’s 2024-25 program guidelines state that the Diverse Languages Program will be shifted from a selective program to an envelope, giving diverse-language broadcasters “more autonomy and predictability in their funding.”

The producers also cited Bill C-11 in a news release on the campaign. The legislation to modernize the Broadcasting Act requires the government to defend and strengthen the production and transmission of content in a variety of languages.

“Some of the ethnic television producers have 30 years of presenting TV programming targeting underserved communities whose language of comfort is neither English nor French, providing critical access to news and information that fosters engagement in Canadian society and preserves cultural traditions,” Kiu Rezvanifar, president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association and producer of two shows targeting the Iranian community, told MiC.

“Our content serves as a lifeline to those who can’t attend community events, to newcomers seeking to connect with their culture. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, it provided vital health information to many voiceless communities who would not have access to important information intended to protect and support their communities.”

There is no agency involved in media buying. Omni’s in-house production team handled the creative part of the campaign.

A version of this story originally appeared in Media in Canada

With files from Kelly Townsend

Pictured: screenshot of the ad campaign (source: Serbian Toronto TV)