ARCHIVED - Decision CRTC 2001-164

Decision CRTC 2001-164

Ottawa, 5 March 2001

Radio Charlesbourg/Haute St-Charles
Charlesbourg, Quebec 2000-1939-0

30 January 2001 Public Hearing
National Capital Region

New community radio station

The Commission approves the application for a broadcasting licence for a Type B French-language FM community radio programming undertaking at Charlesbourg. The terms and conditions of licence are set out in the appendix to this decision.

The licence of this community station will be held by a not-for-profit organization whose structure provides for membership, management, operation and programming by members of the community at large. The Board of Directors, headed by Stéphane Tremblay, is ultimately responsible for adherence to the Radio Regulations, 1986 and the station's conditions of licence.

The Commission's primary objective for community radio is that it provide community access to the airwaves and offer diverse programming that reflects the needs and interests of the community that it is licensed to serve. The programming must include music by new and local talent, music not generally broadcast by commercial stations, local information and spoken word programming.

Once it has developed to full production capacity, the licensee plans to offer 120 hours each week of local, station-produced programming. This programming will include two minutes each hour of local and regional newscasts broadcast between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., a one-hour program of community and local information at noon and two major newscasts of more than five minutes broadcast between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Community radio licensees have the flexibility to reduce or increase their weekly broadcast time by up to 20% without application to the Commission. A change of more than 20%, however, requires prior Commission approval.

In accordance with the requirements of the Community radio policy, the applicant made the commitment to devote 50% of its news programming time to local news and 50% to regional news, during each broadcast week. The Commission expects the applicant to honour these commitments.

The applicant has also committed to meet the new requirements with respect to the percentage of Canadian musical selections from category 2 (35%) and category 3 (12%) that community and campus radio stations must broadcast each broadcast week.

In the area of Canadian talent development, the licensee has committed to assist new local artists by allowing them to tape demos that will then be aired by the station. These demos will be produced in the station's studios and the artists who have been most popular will be invited to an annual talent show sponsored by the station.

The station will offer training to those members of the community who wish to have access to the airwaves. In addition, listeners will be given the opportunity, on a regular basis, to join guided tours of the station to learn about community radio and the workings of the station itself.

The Commission expects the licensee to implement the initiatives set out in its plan for Canadian talent development and to give effect to the measures designed to encourage the participation of volunteers.

Other matters

The Commission considers that community radio stations should be particularly sensitive to employment equity issues in order to reflect fully the communities they serve. It encourages the licensee to consider these issues in its hiring practices and in all other aspects of its management of human resources (see PN 1992-59).

The Commission acknowledges the intervention submitted in support of this application.

Related CRTC documents

• Public Notice 2000-157 - New licence form for community radio stations

• Public Notice 2000-93 - Regulatory amendments to implement certain aspects of the revised policies for campus and community radio, and incorporate revised content categories for radio

• Public Notice 2000-44 - Call for comments - Proposed regulatory amendments for the purpose of implementing certain aspects of the revised policies for campus radio and community radio, and incorporating revised content categories for radio

• Public Notice 2000-14 - Revised content categories and subcategories for radio

• Public Notice 2000-13 - Community radio policy

Secretary General

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

Appendix to Decision CRTC 2001-164

Terms of the licence for the Type B community radio programming undertaking at Charlesbourg

The Commission will only issue the licence, and it will only be effective at such time as:

• the licensee confirms in writing that it is ready to begin operation. This must take place within 12 months of today's date. Any request for an extension to that deadline requires Commission approval and must be made in writing within that period.

• the Department of Industry, having advised that the application is conditionally technically acceptable, has determined that there is no unacceptable interference with NAV/COM services and indicated that it will issue a broadcasting certificate (section 22(1) of the Broadcasting Act).

The licence, when issued, will expire 31 August 2007. It will be subject to the conditions set out in the licence to be issued, as also set out in Public Notice CRTC 2000-157.

The station will broadcast on the FM band, on the frequency 103.7 MHz, channel 279A1, with an effective radiated power of 20 watts.