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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-123

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 9 March 2022

Ottawa, 9 May 2022

Dufferin Communications Inc.
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Public record: 2022-0109-4

CHWE-FM Winnipeg – Technical changes

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to subsection 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 the Commission deems appropriate for the implementation of the broadcasting policy set out in subsection 3(1) of the Act, as well as to amend those conditions on application of the licensee.
  2. Consistent with this authority, the Commission approves the application by Dufferin Communications Inc. (Dufferin) to change the authorized contours of the English-language radio programming undertaking CHWE-FM Winnipeg, Manitoba, by increasing the analog maximum effective radiated power (ERP) from 40,000 to 77,000 watts, increasing the analog average ERP from 40,000 to 45,000 watts, replacing the existing non-directional antenna with a new directional antenna, increasing the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 175 to 184.6 metres and amending the existing coordinates of the transmitter site.
  3. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.
  4. When requesting technical changes, licensees are generally required to demonstrate a technical or economic need. In regard to the present application, Dufferin stated that it is currently renting tower space from a third party at a substantial monthly cost, but that it now owns a broadcast tower that can house CHWE-FM to serve its licensed area. The new tower is already home to its station CKJS-FM Winnipeg. Dufferin also stated that the approval of the present application would consolidate the transmitter operations on a new tower for better maintenance and lower operating costs for all Dufferin stations serving Winnipeg.
  5. The Commission is satisfied that the licensee has demonstrated an economic need for the requested technical changes.
  6. Pursuant to subsection 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.
  7. The licensee must implement the technical changes by no later than 9 May 2024. 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.
  8. 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 CHWE-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 CHWE-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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