Montreal
February 17 2005

On February 25, 2005, Radio Canada International will be celebrating its
60th anniversary. RCI's history is one
of remarkable successes and rich anecdotes. It's a history worth
discovering... and rediscovering. Did you know that Radio Canada
International
has attracted some of the leading lights in Canadian journalism over the
years, including future Quebec premier René Lévesque and legendary CBC host
Peter Gzowski?

Some might recall that Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King set up a
shortwave service during the Second World War to inform and entertain our
troops overseas with programming from Canada. But few people are aware that
RCI also played a key role in promoting Canadian music. After making its
debut
on the international scene in 1945, RCI quickly became an ambassador for
homegrown artists. Many famous names in Canadian music, including Oscar
Peterson and Glenn Gould, made some of their first recordings in RCI
studios.

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RCI Today

- RCI produces programming in nine languages.

- More than 300 hours of programming are broadcast each week via
shortwave, satellite and www.RCInet.ca .

- RCI programs are rebroadcast in over 75 countries through its
300 partner stations.

- RCI airs special programming for listeners in Florida and the
Caribbean, featuring the best of CBC Radio One and Radio-Canada's
Première Chaîne.

- Listeners from all over the world participate in RCI phone-in shows.

- RCI broadcasts language courses for the whole family.

- The daily Cyberjournal provides a roundup of the key news stories.

- RCI oversees the Canadian Institute for Training in Public
Broadcasting, which offers radio, television and new-media training
to journalists, managers and technicians in emerging democracies.

- Internet users can listen to live and archived programs in nine
languages at www.RCInet.ca and explore a brand-new databank
containing over 20,000 links pointing to nearly 200 countries.

A Special 60th Anniversary Contest for
18 - to 30-Year-Olds Who Want to Build a Better World...

International Development Week (January 30 to February 5) and the UN-
sponsored International Year of Microcredit 2005 will be marked in an
original
way by Développement international Desjardins (DID) and Radio Canada
International... the two have teamed up to launch Building the Future Now!,
a
major worldwide contest for 18- to 30-year-olds.

What can we do in 2005 to build a fairer, more prosperous, more
equitable
world? Young people around the world will be challenged to answer this
ambitious question in a short essay or illustration, giving them a chance to
win one of two international development education missions organized by DID
in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Prizes are valued at $15,000, and contestants can enter by visiting
www.RCInet.ca .

RCI has also produced a series of short radio features, consisting of
two-to three-minute interviews with young adults whose lives have benefited
from microcredit. They hail from Africa, Latin America and Asia, and can be
heard on RCI's international airwaves throughout the year.

Relive the best of RCI on CD and on the Web...

We also invite you to visit a special 60th anniversary section of the
RCI
website, jointly produced by the CBC Archives team and RCI staff. It
contains
a wealth of radio and TV clips-with different selections in English and
French-
that look back at the landmark events of the past 60 years on RCI. Judith
Jasmin, Maurice Chevalier and René Lévesque are just a few of the stars of
yesteryear you'll be able to see and hear again. Be sure not to miss this
fascinating walk down memory lane at www.RCInet.ca and
www.radio-canada.ca/archives .

For further information: Denis Pellerin, Communications Director, RCI,
Promotion, Analysis and Broadcasting, French Radio Communications and RCI,
(514) 597-4204, ;

Interviews available with our spokespeople: Sylvain Lafrance, Vice-President
of French Radio and New Media; Jean Larin, Executive Director of RCI;
A complete press kit with audio and photo archives can be obtained on
request