ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 99-163

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Decision

Ottawa, 8 July 1999

Decision CRTC 99-163

CTV Television Inc. (formerly BBS Incorporated)

Kitchener, North Bay,Wiarton and Huntsville, Ontario - 199801577 - 199801585

Applications processed by
Public Notice CRTC 1998-78
dated 30 July 1998

Proposed licence amendments for CKNY-TV and CKCO-TV

1.  In Public Notice CRTC 1998-78, the Commission announced the receipt of applications from BBS Incorporated (now CTV Television Inc.), requesting authority to add transmitters at Wiarton and Huntsville to the licences of CKCO-TV Kitchener and CKNY-TV North Bay, respectively. The applicant stated that, should the Commission approve the applications, it would surrender the current licence for CKCO-TV-2 Wiarton and its transmitter CKCO-TV-4 Huntsville.

The proposals

2.  The Wiarton proposal would result in the community of Wiarton being served by a full transmitter of CKCO-TV Kitchener. Wiarton is currently served by CKCO-TV-2 Wiarton which broadcasts the Kitchener signal, together with approximately 3 hours of separate original news each week. The applicant's proposal calls for Wiarton news to be incorporated in the regional news carried on CKCO-TV.

3.  In the case of Huntsville, the application requests that the currently approved local transmitter of CKCO-TV Kitchener be replaced by a full transmitter of CKNY-TV North Bay. News directed to the Huntsville region would appear in the newscasts of the North Bay station. The licensee stated that news and other programming from North Bay would have more relevance for residents of the Huntsville area than the programming currently delivered from Kitchener.

4.  The Commission has a long-established policy of linking the privilege of soliciting local advertising revenue with the provision of separate local programming to residents of the area. While neither of the two original proposals called for any locally-originated programming, CTV requested that it be allowed to continue to solicit local advertising in both the Wiarton and Huntsville/Muskoka regions.

5.  The Honourable Ovid L. Jackson, Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey, submitted an intervention in opposition to these applications. Mr. Jackson objected to the loss of local programming for Wiarton. CHUM Limited, licensee of CKNX-TV Wingham and CKVR-TV Barrie, also objected to CTV's proposal to continue to solicit local advertising in the two communities without providing local service.

6.  CTV responded to CHUM Limited's objections by stating that the applications "represent no change in the competitive landscape and will have no impact whatsoever on CHUM". In its response, the applicant also proposed that at Wiarton, it would forego the solicitation of local advertising. With respect to Huntsville, it also stated that it would accept a condition of licence linking the amount of local advertising permitted to the amount of original, locally-based news programming to be broadcast separately each week. CTV specified that the weekly average of separate, original news to be broadcast on CKCO-TV-4 Huntsville would be 1 hour and 36 minutes.

The Huntsville application

7.  By specifying an amount of local programming to be broadcast by the proposed Huntsville transmitter, CTV fundamentally changed the original application, which was for a full transmitter of CKNY-TV North Bay. By adding the element of local news, the licensing requirement was changed. Rather than a transmitter being added to the originating station's licence, the proposal now described a programming undertaking requiring the issuance of a separate licence.

8.  In a subsequent letter to the Commission, the applicant requested that the altered Huntsville application be treated as a separate application for a new television programming undertaking. The Commission approved CTV's request, and determined that CTV's amended application should be considered at a public hearing to be held in the National Capital Region on 26 March 1999. In a separate decision also published today (Decision CRTC 99-164), the Commission has approved the new Huntsville application (199808846). As a result, no further action is required on the original application (199801577).

The Wiarton decision

9.  With respect to the application relating to Wiarton, the Commission approves the application to amend the broadcasting licence for the television programming undertaking CKCO-TV Kitchener (the originating station), by authorizing the licensee to add a transmitter at Wiarton, utilizing the currently approved facilities of CKCO-TV-2.

10.  The Commission notes that the new transmitter will not broadcast any locally-originated programming in Wiarton, but that news of relevance to Wiarton residents will be included in the regional news coverage by CKCO-TV.

This decision is to be appended to the licence. It is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be viewed at the following Internet site:
www.crtc.gc.ca

Secretary General

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