CBC is pleased to share details of its ongoing project to make public radio accessible to a wide and diverse range of Canadians. With support from the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, CBC is making transcripts of CBC Radio One’s The Current available daily on the show’s website. Since the project’s launch on February 1, 2016, The Current’s transcripts have been viewed by 20,000 people. With a robust and growing library of episode and segment transcripts, this project now has the potential to benefit and engage millions more Canadians.
Hosted by veteran journalist Anna Maria Tremonti, CBC’s award-winning radio program The Current is the number-one radio interview program in the country, reaching nearly 2.3 million Canadians each week. It is a meeting place of perspectives, ideas and voices, with a fresh take on current issues that affect Canadians.
“At The Current, we try to deliver a fresh perspective on the stories that are most relevant to Canadians,” said Anna Maria Tremonti. “Our goal is to foster a daily national conversation about the people and ideas surrounding us. With this transcription project, we are pleased to expand this dialogue to a new audience including English language learners, deaf and hard of hearing Canadians, post-secondary students, and those in rural communities. I am thrilled to be a part of this new initiative that encourages inclusivity and accessibility to this diverse group of Canadians.”
Nearly one out of every four adult Canadians reports having some hearing loss*. Access to free, daily transcripts makes the culturally relevant and informative content on The Current available to millions of Canadians who are deaf or hard of hearing.
By providing the opportunity for audiences to read along as they listen, the transcripts are also a useful tool for people who are developing or deepening their English language skills. Radio transcripts give English language learners an opportunity to engage with radio content at their own pace. Additionally, the transcripts can be easily translated into other languages, as well as Braille.
The transcripts also create an educational opportunity for the over two million postsecondary students in this country by providing them with access to daily transcripts for a program that routinely discusses issues that are studied and taught in Canadian classrooms. Students and their educators now have a handy way to cite the Canadian experts, academics, politicians and cultural figures that appear on Canada’s most listened to current affairs program.
Those who do not have audio playback available, as well as those in remote communities where access to high bandwidth is limited can also participate in the national conversation fostered by The Current for the first time. Additionally, radio transcripts are captured by text-based search engines, making it easier for all Canadians to find and share the stories that are most relevant to them.
In addition to creating daily text transcripts, The Current is also recording American Sign Language (“ASL”) interpretations of certain radio documentaries, and posting the videos on The Current‘s website. This provides the estimated one-three million Canadians who are Deaf or hard of hearing with different ways to engage with internationally renowned, award winning documentaries.
CBC seeks to serve and include all Canadians and is constantly working to make all its media platforms accessible for everyone.
*source: Canadian Hearing Society
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.
For further information, contact:
Nicola Makoway
Publicist, CBC Radio One
nicola.makoway@cbc.ca
416-205-7673
