ABSTRACT
Politics, economics and technology will shape the future of Canadian broadcasting policy. The Broadcasting Act of 1968 has stood without significant change through a period of rapid transformation in broadcasting and communication. The CRTC, the instrument created by Parliament to guide and manage the overall system, has been a powerful and resourceful authority in regulating the disparate elements of the ‘new’ broadcasting age. Canadian programme content has been given an upward boost in both radio and television. The new Communications Technology Satellite project will examine the technical, economic and social conditions preliminary to the long-term objective of direct home-to-satellite communication. Cable television would necessarily occupy the time of the commission. The demographic projections for Canada will affect the future shape of the broadcasting system. Present trends are towards continuing growth in the large urban centres of Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, with much slower growth in the smaller communities.
