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Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2008-87 |
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Ottawa, 3 October 2008 |
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Notice of consultation |
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Call for applications
Radio - Québec, Quebec |
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The Commission announces that it has received applications for broadcasting licences to provide a commercial radio service to serve Québec, Quebec. |
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The Commission hereby calls for applications from other parties wishing to obtain a broadcasting licence (or licences) to serve this area. |
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Persons interested in responding to this call must submit a formal application to the Commission no later than 2 December 2008. Applicants are also required to submit all necessary technical documentation to the Department of Industry by the same date. |
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It should be noted that, in making this call, the Commission has not reached any conclusion with respect to the licensing of any service at this time. |
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The Commission has concerns regarding the ability of the Québec City market to absorb new commercial radio services. The Commission notes that there was weak growth in radio advertising revenue in Québec City from 2003 to 2007. The average annual compound radio advertising revenue growth rate for the Québec City market was 1.8%, as compared to 3.5% for the province of Quebec and 5.8% for Canada. Also, the profit before interest and taxes (PBIT) margin of the Québec City market decreased from 15.2% in 2003 to 1.7% in 2007. In comparison, the industry's PBIT margin for the province of Quebec decreased from 16.7% to 15.5% while that for Canada increased from 19.3% to 20.0% during the same period. |
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The applicants will therefore have to demonstrate that the Québec City market's is able to support new services. They must also demonstrate that there is a demand and a market for the station and the proposed service. Without restricting the scope of the issues to be considered, the following should be addressed: |
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1. The contribution that the proposed service will make to achieve the objectives established in the Broadcasting Act and, in particular, to the production of local and regional programming.
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2. The factors relevant to the evaluation of applications, as outlined in Decision CRTC 1999-480 dated 28 October 1999.
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3. The means by which the applicant will contribute to Canadian content development, with initiatives that will support, promote, train and develop Canadian musical and spoken word talent, including journalists.
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4. An analysis of the markets involved and potential advertising revenues, taking into account the results of any survey undertaken supporting the estimates.
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5. Evidence as to the availability of financial resources consistent with the requirements established in the financial projections of the applicant's business plan. For the convenience of applicants, the Commission has available upon request a document entitled Documentation Required by the Commission to Support the Availability of an Applicant's Proposed Financing.
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For the convenience of interested parties, the financial summary for the Québec radio market is attached to the hard copy version of this call. |
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The Commission also reminds applicants that they must comply with the eligibility requirements set out in the Direction to the CRTC (Ineligibility of Non-Canadians), SOR/97-192, dated 8 April 1997, as amended by SOR/98-378, dated 15 July 1998 and the Direction to the CRTC (Ineligibility to Hold Broadcasting Licences), SOR/85-627, dated 27 June 1985, as amended by SOR/97-231, dated 22 April 1997 and SOR/2007-73, dated 19 April 2007. |
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The Commission will announce at a later date the public process for considering applications and where they may be examined by the public. As part of that process, the public will be given the opportunity to comment on any application by submitting written interventions to the CRTC. |
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Notice of each application will also be published in newspapers of general circulation within the area to be served. |
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Applications filed in response to this call must be forwarded in electronic form using Epass. |
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For instructions on how to file applications using Epass, consult the CRTC Web site at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/file.htm |
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Applicants who are unable to file their applications using Epass should contact Johanne Lafontaine, Manager, Broadcasting Process and External Liaison, for information on alternate filing options. Ms. Lafontaine may be reached by telephone at 819-997-4681 or by email at johanne.lafontaine@crtc.gc.ca. |
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Secretary General |
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This document is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca |