Since RCIs integration into the structure of Radio-Canada/CBC, Canadas national public broadcaster, in 2001-2003, the station has been making a number of moves aimed at a redefinition of its mandate and an optimal redeployment of its resources leading to a better response to the needs of target audiences. RCIs continued existence is based on an Order in Council which mandates CBC/Radio-Canada to ensure that RCI broadcasts to foreign audiences increasing international awareness of Canada. The emphasis put exclusively on foreign audiences prompted a thorough review of target areas, broadcast languages, and transmission platforms. With the support of the CBC/Radio-Canada and with the endorsement from the government, RCI initiated changes in its broadcast schedules and programming beginning in early 2003 and progressing until final completion planned for April 2005.
In the autumn of 2003, RCI launched three 24-hour satellite channels covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to reach the 30-million estimated satellite dish owners in the area. RCI-1, an English language channel carries a mix of CBC and RCI produced programming, RCI-2 offers Radio-Canada and RCI in French and RCI-3 provides a multilingual service in all RCI broadcast languages. The three satellite channels are also transmitted as simultaneous live streams on RCIs website.
The March 28, 2004 change of shortwave frequencies brings additions and changes to broadcast schedules on all platforms. Among the additions, the most important is a new weekly programme in Brazilian Portuguese (bringing to nine the number of RCIs broadcast languages) and an evening daily programme to India in English. Abandoning the principle of multi-target or generic broadcasts in both Canadas official languages adopted as a necessary evil after the massive cuts of 1991 RCI will now produce broadcasts specifically targeted for the region to which they are beamed. The best of CBC/Radio-Canada programming will be beamed to the Americas where it is already known and popular allowing RCI to concentrate its own production resources in English on Europe, Africa and India and in French on Europe, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Introduced initially in February 2003, a programme development process in all languages has been gradually transforming traditional daily formats of news/ current affairs/ magazine into a seamless mix of news, field reporting, analysis, dialogues, and opinion. The repositioning announced for March 2004 adds further momentum to the process.
Radio Canada International is a member of the AIB.