In an era when media consolidation has left many communities without truly local news coverage, CHCO-TV continues to stand out as a beacon of independent community television. During New Brunswick’s provincial election in October, the station reaffirmed its commitment to civic journalism by delivering some of the most comprehensive election coverage in the province, setting a new benchmark for what a small, independent broadcaster can achieve.
One of CHCO-TV’s most significant accomplishments was hosting and producing a “Meet the Candidates” night for the Saint Croix riding—making it the only television station in the province to organize such an event. Moderated by News Director Vicki Hogarth, the two-hour forum brought together all seven candidates for a professional, unbiased debate. Community members submitted questions, which were carefully vetted to ensure fairness and relevance. The event reached thousands of viewers both online and on television, while also drawing an in-person audience.
Beyond informing voters, the debate strengthened the democratic process by offering residents direct access to their local representatives in an inclusive, accessible format. This initiative underscored CHCO-TV’s ability to foster civic engagement and transparency—an effort often overlooked by larger networks.
Expanding its election coverage, CHCO-TV launched the “NB Votes” series, featuring interviews with all provincial party leaders along with their Saint Croix riding candidates—except for the Libertarian Party leader and candidate, who were unavailable. This made CHCO-TV the only station in New Brunswick to provide such in-depth, leader-focused coverage during the election. These interviews delivered critical insights into each party’s platform, with questions tailored to the needs and concerns of Charlotte County residents.
CHCO-TV further extended its impact by partnering with the Eastern Charlotte Chamber of Commerce to co-produce the “Meet the Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville Candidates” debate for the other riding in its coverage area. This two-hour forum ensured voters had the necessary information to make informed decisions at the polls.
Through these efforts, CHCO-TV not only reinforced its role as an essential source of local journalism but also demonstrated the profound impact that independent media can have on democratic engagement. At a time when many communities struggle with dwindling local news resources, CHCO-TV continues to prove that small, community-focused stations can play a vital role in informing and empowering the public.
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A propos l’IJL
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
