Omni’s TV producers have launched a digital campaign to ask the government to save 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 emphasizes that the revenues generated by advertising are not enough to maintain quality coverage of issues that are important to viewers.

The campaign 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 tells MiC. “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.”

The 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,” Malakhov says.

In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, CMF allocated $357 million to support Canada’s TV and digital media industry. However, less than 0.0128% of these funds ($4.3 million) were allocated to the Diverse Languages program, benefiting only seven companies nationwide, according to the producers, who also file the petition citing Bill C-11, which requires the government to defend and strengthen the production and transmission of content in a variety of languages.

“Some of 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, tells 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.