ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-159

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Route reference: 2012-457

Ottawa, 27 March 2013

Radio communautaire Tête-à-la-Baleine
Tête-à-la-Baleine, Quebec

Application 2011-0449-7, received 20 January 2011

CJTB-FM Tête-à-la-Baleine – Licence renewal and amendment

The Commission renews the broadcasting licence for the French-language community radio station CJTB-FM Tête-à-la-Baleine from 1 April 2013 to 31 August 2019.

Further, the Commission replaces the standard condition of licence relating to spoken word programming by a condition of licence authorizing the licensee to devote 3.8% of its programming to spoken word programs.

Introduction

1. La Radio communautaire Tête-à-la-Baleine filed an application to renew the broadcasting licence for the French-language community radio programming undertaking CJTB-FM Tête-à-la-Baleine. The licence expires 31 March 2013.¹ The Commission did not receive any interventions regarding this application.

2. The licensee also requested an exemption from the requirement to devote a minimum of 15% of the programming broadcast during each broadcast week to spoken word programming, proposing instead to be subject to a condition of licence authorizing it to devote 3.8% of its programming during each broadcast week to such programming. The licensee submitted that the station was located in a very small market² and had very limited resources to produce the required weekly amount of spoken word programming. Further, the market is served by only two stations, CJTB-FM and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s French-language service La Première chaîne.

Commission’s analysis and decisions

3. The standard requirement to devote a minimum of 15% of the programming broadcast during each broadcast week to spoken word is set out in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2010-499. For the purposes of this requirement, spoken word programs must be produced locally. In addition, local programs broadcast by community stations must be relevant to and a reflection of the community they serve. The Commission notes that the applicant’s proposal aims to considerably reduce the requirement set out in that policy.

4. In each broadcast week, CJTB-FM broadcasts 32 hours of spoken word programming produced by volunteers. The proposed 3.8% per broadcast week corresponds to 12% of those 32 hours, which represents a significant level of the programming produced by station volunteers. Given the limited number of volunteers on which the station can rely, the Commission considers that the licensee’s proposal is in line with the principles on which the spoken word requirement set out in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2010-499 is based. Furthermore, in light of the licensee’s arguments, including the remoteness of the community served, the limited number of residents and the fact that it is the only station serving that community other than La Première chaine, the Commission considers it appropriate to grant the licensee the proposed exemption. Accordingly, the licensee will no longer be subject to the standard condition of licence relating to spoken word programming, but will instead be subject to the condition of licence in this regard set out in the appendix to this decision.

5. In light of all of the foregoing, the Commission renews the broadcasting licence for the French-language community radio programming undertaking CJTB-FM Tête-à-la-Baleine for a full licence term beginning 1 April 2013 and ending 31 August 2019. The terms and conditions of licence are set out in the appendix to this decision.

Secretary General

Related documents

• Various radio programming undertakings – Administrative renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-456, 28 August 2012
• Administrative renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-790, 19 December 2011
• Administrative renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-558, 31 August 2011, as corrected by Administrative renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-558-1, 23 September 2011
• Campus and community radio policy, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-499, 22 July 2010
• Administrative renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-334, 9 June 2009

*This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Appendix to Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-159

Terms, conditions of licence, expectation and encouragement for the French-language community radio programming undertaking CJTB-FM Tête-à-la-Baleine, Quebec

Terms

The licence will expire 31 August 2019.

Conditions of licence

1. The licensee shall adhere to the conditions set out in Standard conditions of licence for campus and community radio stations, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2012-304, 22 May 2012, with the exception of condition of licence 6.

2. In each broadcast week, the licensee shall devote at least 3.8% of its programming to programming drawn from content category 1 (Spoken Word), which includes content subcategories 11 (News) and 12 (Spoken word–other), as defined in Revised content categories and subcategories for radio, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-819, 5 November 2010, as amended from time to time. All of the spoken word programming shall be locally produced (that is, by the station or exclusively for the station).

Expectation

Filing of ownership information

As set out in Campus and community radio policy, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-499, 22 July 2010, the Commission expects all community and campus licensees to file yearly updates on the composition of their boards of directors. These annual updates can be submitted at the time of submission of annual returns, following annual board of directors’ elections or at any other time. As noted in Appendix 3 to that regulatory policy, licensees may submit such documentation via the Commission’s website.

Encouragement

Employment equity

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.

Date modified:

2013-03-27