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Decision
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Ottawa, 1 August 1985
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Decision CRTC 85-632
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Télévision Communautaire de Saint-Jérôme Inc.
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Saint-Jérôme, Quebec - 850810300
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Following a Public Hearing in Hull, Quebec on 14 May 1985, the Commission renews the broadcasting licence for CHOY-TV Saint-Jérôme from 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1990, subject to the conditions of licence specified in the licence to be issued.
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The station, managed and operated by volunteers, broadcasts community and educational programming in Saint-Jérôme. The programs produced by CHOY-TV are also distributed on the community channel of the cable television undertaking in Saint-Jérôme operated by Vidéotron Ltée. Under the terms of an agreement between the licensee and Vidéotron Ltée, the latter provides CHOY-TV with equipment and technical support, as well as with financial assistance amounting to approximately $15,000 in 1985.
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At the hearing, the Commission discussed with the licensee the long-standing difficulty which it has encountered in obtaining volunteers. In recent years, these problems have interrupted the station's operation and, during the summer of 1984, resulted in its temporary closure.
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The licensee stated that, under the guidance of its new station manager and board of directors, it was able to resume local production last autumn; CHOY-TV now broadcasts approximately 10 hours of locally-produced programs and 20 hours of program repeats per week. In this regard, the licensee pointed out its recent move to new and more accessible premises and it also stated that, in addition to the studios located in its new facilities, it has access to studios owned by CEGEP and the Saint-Jérôme school board, as well as to a mobile unit provided by Vidétron Ltée.
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In its application, the licensee gave its commitment to produce, during its new term of licence, 10 hours per week of local programming including, among other things, coverage of local and special events, educational, recreational and public affairs programs, news and sportscasts. The station will broadcast local programming between 18:00 to 23:00 five days a week, including 18 hours 30 minutes per week of repeats.
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The Commission encourages the licensee to continue its efforts to upgrade and improve the operation of the station. It expects the licensee to submit a report on its progress in this regard each year, before expiry of the term of the licensee's board of directors.
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The Commission notes that CHOY-TV receives subsidies from Vidéotron Ltée and from various government programs. Financial assistance also comes from donations and from the general public. Further, the Commission notes that the licensee has establised a financial committee to examine means of obtaining additional funding. Because the licensee is a non-profit corporation, and is financed in part by government grants or loans, the licensee is required to ensure that it retains full control over management and programming decisions at all times.
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In its renewal application, the licensee proposed to broadcast restricted advertising, consisting of announcements not exceeding 15 seconds in length, during local programs. Consistent with previous decisions on similar requests by this licensee, taking into account the implications of this proposal with respect to the agreement between the licensee and Vidéotron Ltée, and as discussed with the licensee at the hearing, the Commission denies the application to broadcast restricted advertising on CHOY-TV.
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The Commission approves the licensee's proposal to broadcast programs originating with the educational station CFTU-TV Montreal between midnight and 17:00 weekdays when CHOY-TV would not otherwise be on the air. In accordance with the assurance given by the licensee at the hearing, however, such authority is subject to the condition that the programming of CFTU-TV Montreal broadcast by CHOY-TV not be distributed on Vidéotron Ltée's community channel.
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The licensee's use of channel 4 in Saint-Jérôme will continue to be subject to the following conditions:
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1. use of the frequency will be granted for a determinate period which will not necessarily be renewable;
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2. In the event that optimum utilization of the broadcasting spectrum demands that this station change to another channel, the licensee will have to comply and select another channel for its operation.
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Fernand Bélisle Secretary General
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