The following message is reprinted with permission from Larry Wilcox, VE3WEH:
LETS SAVE RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL!
If you care about the survival of RCI and want to save it from
the next round of federal government cuts, read the following
article AND SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:
The Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, care
of the Parliament of Canada, Ottawa.  Postage is not required,
drop in any mail box without a stamp,
or send your e-mail to her at:  min_copps@pch.gc.ca
Send a copy of your comments to the Honourable John Manley,
Minister of Industry, care of the Parliament of Canada,
or send your e-mail to him at:  minister.industry@ic.gc.ca
      "RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL STILL VITAL BRIDGE TO THE WORLD"
      For Southham Newspapers, The Ottawa Citizen, October 21, 1996
             By Pierre Juneau, former President of the CBC,
       Chairman of the CRTC, and Deputy Minister of Communications
At midnight on March 31, 1997, a quiet, efficient voice that has
brought knowledge and enlightenment to listeners around the world
since the of the Second World War may fall silent.  That is the
deadline for the federal government to find a way to keep Radio
Canada International (RCI) on the air.
     How has our highly regarded international service come to be
a pawn between the CBC and the government, scrambling from reprieve
to reprieve?  How can it be that the most cost-efficient of the
worlds's 126 international broadcasters is forced to subject its
employees to pink slips, then take them back?  And how long can
this continue?
     These are questions to which there seems to be no rational
answer.  For less than the price of one cup of coffee a year,;
Canadians have built an international broadcaster which reaches
millions of listeners around the world with credible, necessary
information that builds essential bridges to Canada, and to
democratic life.
     RCI, which once spoke to the world in 16 languages, still
broadcasts 232 hours a week in English, French, Russian, Ukrainian,
Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.  RCI listeners in the U>S> Russia,
China, Latin America, the Baltic countries and Africa can count on
programming that maintains a Canadian presence at minimal cost.
     Many families contemplating immigration, potential tourists,
investors and international business persons have learned about
this country through RCI.
      RCI's English and French lessons teach people in other
societies about Canadian life, culture, business and our domestic
and foreign polices even while they are learning our official
languages.
     If you have ever tried to buy a Canadian newspaper abroad, you
can imagine how important RCI is to Canadians who live overseas.
     But it may be even more important to those in foreign
countries who have no access to information that is unbiased and
credible: those whose national broadcasters are dominated by an
undemocratic regime, or those who are in remote locations where
only shortwave is available.  The Internet has growing penetration
and importance but more than 200 million people worldwide continue
to count on shortwave.
     At a time when the CBC is losing a third of its budget, it is
easy to forget the importance of RCI.  After all, only its root
system is present domestically; its results flower less visibly
worldwide.
     But slashing such a low-cost operation to save money is like
burning the furniture to heat the house; the benefits are very
brief, the loss is forever.  Weakening radio and TV programming
regionally and nationally is bad enough.  But if RCI disappears, it
will never come back.  The international frequencies will be lost
to other countries and the professional expertise developed over
decades will be dispersed.
     RCI needs long-term, stable funding and some guarantees that
it will be allowed to do its job.  Heritage Minister Sheila Copps
has promised that RCI problems will be solved.  This is a promise
that must be kept.
NOTE:  The following additional background information is from
Larry Wilcox and will give you more information about RCI.
RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL (RCI):
Radio Canada International is currently the "Voice of Canada" to
the world.  An Order-in-Council of 1942 created the International
Service and the first broadcast took place on February 25, 1945
when I was five years old!  RCI's mandate is to reflect Canadian
life and culture to a global audience and to present Canadian
opinion on national and international matters.  RCI is part of
the CBC and has operated continuously since 1945.  Since 1991,
the budget for RCI has been funded directly by a separate vote of
parliament.  Contrary to the popular belief of some bureaucrats
and the public, however sophisticated our present-day
communications systems are, Shortwave broadcasting is still the
only medium of mass communication with global reach and instant
impact and remains the only way to reliably relay news and
information directly to listeners worldwide!  Almost every
country in the world is broadcasting shortwave and the combined
audiences are estimated at more than 200 million!
RCI'S PLACE IN INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING:
Only a handful of the many international broadcasters are based
in democratic countries.  RCI programs are well produced and
their broadcasts are not perceived to have ulterior political
agendas.  RCI brings additional credibility to issues pertinent
to North American, Commonwealth and Francophone countries.
RCI'S PEOPLE:
RCI's success is due to a dedicated staff of 120 people based in
Montreal with regional bureaus in Halifax, Quebec City, Toronto,
Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver.  Technical staff are in
Sackville, New Brunswick and West Carleton, Ontario.  More than
110 people of the 120, are directly involved in programming or
technical production.
RCI'S ROLE & PROGRAMS:
RCI's role is "...to provide a program service designed to
attract an international audience with the purpose of further
developing international awareness of Canada and the Canadian
identity by distributing, through shortwave and other means,
programs which reflect the realities and quality of Canadian life
and culture, Canada's national interests and policies and the
spectrum of Canadian viewpoints on national and international
affairs.  RCI also broadcasts programs to the growing number of
Canadians abroad in recognition of their need of more Canadian
news and information."
RCI broadcasts in many languages including English, French,
Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.  External
Affairs Canada determines which languages RCI uses for its
broadcasts.  RCI shortwave programs are broadcast from nine
transmitters (three of 100 kw and six of 250 kw) in Sackville, NB
and, by international agreements, through transmitters in
England, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Korea, Japan, China and
Cyprus.
Surveys undertaken by RCI and other international broadcasters
indicate an audience ranging from 9 to 16 million regular
listeners, which is an impact out of proportion to the population
of Canada.  Gallup Institute surveys show that, in the United
States alone, one and a quarter million people tune to RCI at
least once a week.  A typical RCI program is 30 minutes long, and
consists of a 10-minute newscast followed by 20 minutes of
current affairs features, with press reviews, reports and
interviews on political, economic, social and cultural issues.
Most of the programs are broadcast on shortwave but some are
heard on many regional and local radio stations in the USA,
Russia, China, Latin American and the Ukraine.  These programs
are sent via satellite, or other means for rebroadcast.  RCI's
successful English Learning Programs are broadcast locally and
heard by tens of million so people in China, Russian, Ukraine,
the Baltic countries, Latin America and Africa.
In addition, RCI relays programs via transmitters in Daventry,
England; Sines, Portugal; Yamata and Tokyo, Japan; Xian, China;
Kimjae, South Korea; and Moosbrunn, Austria.  They reach hundreds
of thousands of other listeners in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean,
Latin America and Europe.  RCI also help Canada's military
contingent in Europe stay in touch with home by supplying
programming, technical and administrative support to the Canadian
Forces Radio Network.
RCI MONITORING:
The West Carleton shortwave monitoring facility is located about
30 km from Ottawa and plays a vital role by assessing signal
quality for RCI.  About 28 different foreign broadcasters are
monitored and about 855 transmitter hours are logged each week.
This facility also picks up programs for RCI and the CBC networks
which are fed via Montreal to Sackville for simultaneous
rebroadcast.  In the event of satellite failure, the West
Carleton facility can pick up any programs for rebroadcast by the
Sackville transmitter.  This facility is unique in North American
and is renowned throughout the world!
POLITICS AND THE FUTURE OF RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL?
What's in store for RCI next year?  Will the federal government
"pull the plug" and destroy it?  The total budget for RCI is 16.5
million dollars and is shared equally by the CBC and Foreign
Affairs Canada.  The CBC announced that RCI would be closed down
on March 31, 1996 but the Canadian and International outcry and
subsequent protest to keep RCI alive, gave it a reprieve for
another year.
RCI'S VALUE AND COST
RCI has the highest listeners-per-dollar-spent ratio of all the
international broadcasters except for the BBC and the Voice of
America.  RCI's annual cost per capita of a measly 54 cents is
the lowest for any comparable international service!  In 1990/91,
the CBC cut its budget resulting in a devastating 35% reduction
in RCI funding, service in 7 languages was chopped, and staff
reduced nearly 50% at the end of March 1991.  In comparison with
RCI, Swiss Radio International has the same size staff, the same
number of broadcast languages and spends three times as much as
RCI!  The budgets of BBC World Service is 17 times more and the
Voice of America is 21 times more than RCI!  Currently, out of
126 international radio broadcasting organizations around the
world, 101 are funded by governments.  The remaining 25 are
funded by religious organizations.
NOTE:  This background history of shortwave radio in Canada was
prepared from several sources without information received from
Radio Canada International publications and from information
gleaned from "Monitoring Times", April 1995 and March 1996.
CONCLUSION:
On an world wide basis, some short wave stations have been closed
over the years, but no democratic nation has ever shut down all
of its short wave broadcasts!  Would the Canadian Government, in
all its wisdom, dare to become the first nation in the world to
abandon the shortwave scene entirely by closing Radio Canada
International?  RCI provides valuable and informative news and
information about Canada and our culture to millions of Canadian
and world wide shortwave listeners!  Canada would be depriving
millions of listeners around the world!
What will happen the next time they try to pull the plug?
We need RCI for all Canadians and to represent Canada to the
world, other budget cuts can and should be made instead!
                CHRONOLOGY OF RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL
1942 Order-in-council creates the International Service.
1945 First broadcast.
1950 Programs broadcast in 16 languages to Europe, Caribbean,
     Latin American and Australia.
1955 Budgetary restrictions 5 daily programs to weekly
     broadcasts.
1961 Daily service to Africa begins.
1964 The beginning of broadcasting to the USA in English and
     French.
1965 The Fowler Commission defines the role of Canadian
     international broadcasting.
1972 The International Service is renamed "RADIO CANADA
     INTERNATIONAL".
1977 Program personnel grouped into target areas.
1980 RCI's Mandate broadened to serve Canadians abroad.
1986 RCI broadcasting in 12 languages and does rebroadcast
     placement.
1991 RCI is now funded by separate vote of Parliament.
     Broadcasts are in 7 languages.
1996 CBC decides to close RCI but Canadian and International
     outcry and protest gives it a one-year reprieve.
March, 1997    RCI's future is in the hands of the Canadian
               government which may decide to cut all funding and
               close down, for the first time in history,
               Canadian shortwave transmissions to the world!
PLEASE NOTE:
IF YOU NEED FURTHER CONVINCING TO KEEP RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL
SEE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH WHICH MAKES REFERENCE TO HER JOB TO
"ADVANCE CANADIAN CULTURE AND SHOWCASE THE RICHNESS OF OUR
COUNTRY TO THE WORLD". THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM SHEILA COPPS
WORLD WIDE WEB PAGE ON INTERNET:
The Minister's Page
Welcome citizens of Canada, and citizens of the world, to my home
page on the Internet.  Here, at Canadian Heritage, our job is to
advance Canadian culture, celebrate our heritage and embrace our
identity. And while we strive to convey Canada to Canadians, we
also want to showcase the richness of our country to the world.
Canadians have a lot to be proud of and a lot of stories to tell.
We are incredibly creative people, and an incredibly diverse
people. We have two official languages, but many other unofficial
ones. We have vast and wild spaces, but bustling and dynamic city
centres too. We have great challenges to overcome, but we also
have limitless opportunities to explore.
Canada, in short, is a modern country, ready for the 21st
century.  At this site, you will get a glimpse of what we are all
about. You have access to our treasures and to our thinking. For
example, if you need information on our national parks system
look no further. If you are looking for speeches, reports,
cultural event calendars, legislation or important phone numbers
and contacts, you will find it here.
I hope you like what you see. If you have any comments, please
let me know. My Internet address is: min_copps@pch.gc.ca
I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
         Sheila Copps
         Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage
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