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Ottawa, 2 October 1986
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Decision CRTC 86-990
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Westcom Radio Group Ltd. Richmond Hill, Ontario - 853159200
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CKMW Radio Ltd. Brampton, Ontario - 852653500
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Following a Public Hearing in Hull on 17 June 1986, the Commission approves the application by Westcom Radio Group Ltd. (Westcom) to amend the broadcasting licence for CFGM Richmond Hill by changing the frequency from 1320 kHz to 640 kHz and by changing the location of the station's transmitter from the present site in Mississauga to a new site located approximately three kilometers north-east of Beamsville.
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The competing application by CKMW Radio Ltd., to amend the broadcasting licence for CKMW Brampton by changing the frequency from 790 kHz to 640 kHz, is technically mutually exclusive with the Westcom application and is denied.
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In Decision CRTC 85-13 dated 9 January 1985, the Commission approved an application by Moffat Communications Limited, the licensee of CHAM Hamilton, to change that station's frequency to 820 kHz. Applications by the licensees of CFGM and CKMW, which were competing with Moffat Communications Limited for the use of the 820 kHz frequency, were denied. In its decision, the Commission concluded that the CHAM proposal represented the best use of the 820 kHz frequency.
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In that decision, the Commission acknowledged that there were deficiencies in the signal coverage of CFGM and CKMW, and encouraged the licensees of these stations to consult with the DOC "with a view to finding other viable alternatives to resolve their technical difficulties." The current applications were submitted in response to Decision CRTC 85-13.
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In the present applications, both Westcom, which operates CFGM as a country music station and CKMW Radio Ltd., which offers an ethnic programming service on CKMW, reiterated longstanding dissatisfaction with their present AM frequency assignments, particularly with respect to the technical constraints which are imposed by other stations that operate on their respective frequencies and which limit the coverage that CFGM and CKMW are able to achieve. Both licensees claimed that the 640 kHz frequency, the last AM frequency available for use in the Toronto area, was the only viable solution to their present problems.
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The Commission carefully examined all of the arguments and evidence put forward by the licensees in support of their respective applications. It also considered the views expressed in the many interventions submitted in respect of one or other of the applications, including those presented orally at the hearing by Mr. Danny Bonni on behalf of the Malton Italian Association and by Mr. David Cook, council member for the Regional Municipality of Peel and for the City of Mississauga, both of whom supported the CKMW proposal.
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The Commission recognizes the constraints and limitations in the coverage achieved by both CFGM and CKMW on their present frequency assignments. Nevertheless, after consideration of all the factors involved, the Commission has approved the Westcom application. In particular, based on the evidence presented, the Commission is convinced that the CFGM proposal, which is predicated on a transmitter power of 50,000 watts, represents better use of the 640 kHz frequency than what would be possible under the proposal by CKMW Radio Ltd., which is based on a transmitter power of only 5,000 watts.
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According to statistics submitted by the applicants, the proposed 25 mV/m daytime service contour of CFGM will encompass approximately 3,000,000 people, whereas there is a population of 985,300 residing inside the 25 mV/m service contour proposed by CKMW Radio Ltd. These numbers compare with population levels of approximately 1,440,000 for CFGM and 697,875 for CKMW inside their existing 25 mV/m daytime service contours. In the case of CFGM, the figures represent an increase in the potential audience within the 25 mV/m daytime service contour of more than 100%, while the corresponding increase for CKMW would amount to approximately 41%.
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As for the present and proposed night-time interference-free (NIF) service contours, these would enclose populations of 625,000 and 3,850,000 respectively in the case of CFGM, indicating an increase in the potential night-time audience for that station of approximately 500%. The corresponding numbers for the present and proposed NIF service contours of CKMW, 336,000 and 350,000 respectively, indicate an increase of just 4% in its potential night-time audience.
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Under the Westcom proposal, the reception quality of CFGM's signal will be vastly improved during all hours of broadcast in Richmond Hill and the Regional Municipality of York, which is the station's primary service area, as well as in the Metropolitan Toronto area. In this regard, the Commission notes the emphasis placed by Westcom at the hearing on the need to ensure the availability of a Canadian country music service during both day- and night-time hours in all parts of Metropolitan Toronto, as well as the licensee's statement concerning the broader national importance of guaranteeing the continued viability of CFGM as a vehicle for the exposure of country artists:
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The musicians and performers, if they are not exposed in the City of Toronto, you can give them coverage in the rest of the country and they will not thank you. Toronto is extremely important. It is the hub of the record companies. If they are ever to get a recording contract, they have got to be played by the Toronto stations....We feel very strongly about our role in developing the "Opry North" project and the albums ... and continuing to develop that country music and those performers.
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The Commission is well aware of CFGM's long record of service, in particular its contribution over the years to the development and promotion of the Canadian country music industry, and is satisfied that this approval will allow CFGM to play a more effective role in providing valuable exposure and other support for country music artists.
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In reaching its decision, the Commission has taken into account the importance of the ethnic programming that CKMW provides to its audiences, but considers that another solution should be sought to the present technical problems experienced by this station.
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Fernand Bélisle
Secretary General
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