ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 85-518

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Decision

Ottawa, 9 July 1985
Decision CRTC 85-518
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia - 820783900
At a Public Hearing in Halifax on 29 September 1982, the Commission considered an application by the CBC for a broadcasting licence for an English-language FM radio station at Sheet Harbour, on the frequency 97.3 MHz, channel 2478, with an average effective radiated power of 5,800 watts using a directional antenna, to rebroadcast the programs of the CBC English-language AM radio network originating from CBH Halifax.
The above technical parameters had been revised by the CBC in consultation with the Department of Communications (DOC), following an intervention on behalf of ATV Cape Breton Ltd., which claimed that the frequency originally proposed by the CBC (95.3 MHz) might cause interference with the signal of its transmitter at Antigonish, CJCB-TV-2.
Currently, the CBC operates an AM rebroadcaster of CBH Halifax, CBAZ, in Sheet Harbour, which is a low-power (40 watts) unprotected station whose signal coverage is confined to that small community of some 800 residents. The CBC indicated that while a suitable AM frequency capable of providing coverage similar to the proposed FM station was available in Sheet Harbour, it proposed to use the FM frequency, due to the much higher costs of establishing an AM facility.
The proposed FM station would replace CBAZ and provide service to approximately 20 additional communities in the area surrounding Sheet Harbour with a total population, according to the CBC, of some 5400 persons.
The Commission had addressed the matter of replacing existing CBC AM stations with FM facilities in Public Notice CRTC 1983-22 on the Long Range Radio Plan of the CBC, which outlined the limited circumstances under which such a replacement would be considered. In Public Notice CRTC 1985-142 released today, however the Commission stated the following:
 After careful consideration of all the factors involved, the Commission is now prepared to consider favourably only those proposals where the replacement of low-power AM unprotected stations with FM facilities would result in significant extension of service, namely, service being provided to a wider area enclosing a number of additional communities and a much larger population. Consistent with the guidelines in Public Notice CRTC 1985-86, these communities should be located outside the areas of Vancouver/Victoria, Montreal and surrounding area, Southern Ontario and outside major urban centres, and not in areas where FM channels are in short supply.
The Commission is satisfied that the proposal for an FM station in Sheet Harbour meets all of the requirements in Public Notice CRTC 1985-142, and that it will enable the CBC to extend service in the area as economically as possible.
Consequently, the Commission approves the application for an English-language FM radio station at Sheet Harbour, and expects the CBC to cease the operation of CBAZ within one year of implementation of the FM station. The Commission will issue a licence expiring 30 September 1987, subject to the conditions of licence specified in the licence to be issued. This term will enable the Comission to consider the renewal of this licence at the same time as those of other CBC radio stations in this region.
Fernand Bélisle Secretary General

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