The extrinsic and intrinsic conception of Bulgarians in Canada as reflected in Bulgarian Canadian media Andrei Andreev Diana Yankova New Bulgarian University

Major newspapers published in Canada for Bulgarians  Bulgarian Horizons (Toronto)  Forum (Montreal)  BCSBC Newsletter (Vancouver)  Flame (Toronto)

Bulgarian Horizons  established December 1999  biweekly  circulation 2,500/4,500  distribution MTV

Analysis - interview with the editor of Bulgarian Horizons - study of changes through the years in topic selection and content structuring - survey with Bulgarian Canadians

Conceptual framework as conceived by the editor  “Canadian newspaper in Bulgarian”  for both old immigrants and newcomers  three foci -community events in Canada -integration guidelines -news from the home country

 8 pages  front page: -success stories of Bulgarians in Canada -major events in Bulgaria; traditions and customs  sections: Bulgaria, Society, Annals, Culture, Classifieds, Sport, Entertainment  local news: little, mainly on immigration topics  international news: almost none

 12 pages  new section World (international events and political analyses)  stronger local focus: news, advice, customs  excerpts from Bulgarian literary classics

present  colour pages  new section: Bulgarians abroad  new section: News in Brief (in English)

Survey  25 % read Canada-based Bulgarian newspapers  70% have read such papers only on isolated instances in the past  only two people read them on a regular basis  one did not even know of their existence

Conclusions `Bulgarian Horizons’ et al:  aim to provide Bulgarians in Canada with information tailored to their perceived community needs  seek to preserve the sense of Bulgarian belonging and inspire patriotic pride

Conclusions cont’d But: few Bulgarians resort to information via any community-based and targeted publication, due to:  provincial affiliation  time factor  age group  role of other media in ethnic communities  Bulgarian closet mentality (?)