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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2021-159

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 8 February 2021

Ottawa, 5 May 2021

Fairchild Radio (Vancouver FM) Ltd.
Vancouver, British Columbia

Public record for this application: 2021-0086-6

CHKG-FM Vancouver – Technical changes

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to section 9(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue licences for such terms not exceeding seven years and subject to such conditions related to the circumstances of the licensee as it deems appropriate for the implementation of the broadcasting policy set out in section 3(1) of the Act, as well as to amend those conditions on application by the licensee.
  2. Consistent with this authority, the Commission approves the application by Fairchild Radio (Vancouver FM) Ltd. (Fairchild) to change the authorized contours of the commercial ethnic radio programming undertaking CHKG-FM Vancouver, British Columbia, by decreasing the average effective radiated power (ERP) from 46,000 to 44,333 watts (no change to maximum ERP), increasing the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 567.0 to 589.2 metres, and by amending the existing coordinates of the transmitter site. All other technical parameters will remain unchanged.
  3. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.
  4. When a licensee files an application for technical changes, it is generally required to demonstrate a technical or economic need. Fairchild indicated that the requested technical changes are necessary for it to replace its existing obsolete antenna. This will allow Fairchild to reduce the amount of non-ionizing radiation produced by CHKG-FM, which will reduce the general public’s exposure to this kind of radiation.Footnote 1 Fairchild added that implementation of the requested technical changes will also improve CHKG-FM’s coverage of the Vancouver region. The Commission is satisfied that the licensee has demonstrated a technical need for the requested changes. The Commission also considers that the implementation of these changes will have a negligible impact on the size of the population currently served by the station.
  5. Pursuant to section 22(1) of the Act, this authority will only be effective when the Department of Industry notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.
  6. The licensee must implement the technical changes by no later than 3 May 2023. To request an extension, the licensee must submit a written request to the Commission at least 60 days before that date, using the form available on the Commission’s website.
  7. As set out in section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986 (the Regulations), licensees have obligations relating to the broadcast of emergency alert messages received from the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System. In regard to the changes to CHKG-FM’s authorized contours resulting from the implementation of the technical changes approved in this decision, the Commission reminds the licensee that continued compliance with section 16 of the Regulations may require that any alert broadcast decoders (e.g., ENDEC) used for the purposes of broadcasting emergency alert messages on CHKG-FM, or on any rebroadcasting transmitters that may appear on the broadcasting licence for that station, be reprogrammed to properly account for the new authorized contours.

Secretary General

This decision is to be appended to the licence.

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