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Public Notice CRTC 2001-105
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Ottawa, 4 October 2001
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Introductory statement to Decisions CRTC 2001-625 to
2001-629:
Radio applications considered at the 22 May 2001 public
hearing in the National Capital Region
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In this document, the Commission sets out its rationale for
decisions on radio applications that it considered at the 22 May
2001 public hearing. The Commission has also set out its rationale
in the decisions released today for each of the applications
approved.
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Introduction
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1. |
At the 22 May 2001 public hearing, the Commission considered
eleven applications for new FM radio stations to serve the
Ottawa/Hull region. These applications were competing on a technical
basis. Five of the applications proposed to use the frequency 97.9
MHz, four proposed the frequency 89.9 MHz and two proposed the
frequency 95.7 MHz. For technical reasons, only one application
could be approved for each frequency proposed. |
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Applications under consideration
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2. |
Four applicants proposed to operate an English-language radio
station. Harvard Developments Inc., on behalf of a company to be
incorporated, Standard Radio Inc. and Douglas E. Kirk, on
behalf of a company to be incorporated, proposed a New Adult
Contemporary/Smooth Jazz musical format, while Newcap Inc. proposed
a Dance Music format.
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3. |
Four other applicants proposed to operate a French-language radio
station. Fondation Radio Enfant, on behalf of a company to be
incorporated, proposed a community radio station dedicated to
children and youth. Coopérative Radio Ville-Marie Outaouais
proposed a religious station. Yves Belzile, on behalf of a company
to be incorporated, proposed to operate a station with a Country
music format in Buckingham, Quebec, and 9098-7280 Québec inc.
proposed a specialty format station (classical music).
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4. |
Two applicants proposed to operate an ethnic station: 914258
Ontario Limited, on behalf of a company to be incorporated, and
Radio 1540 Limited. Gary Farmer, on behalf of a corporation to be
incorporated (Aboriginal Voices Radio), proposed to operate an
English- and Aboriginal-language native (Type B ) FM radio station.
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The Commission’s determinations
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5. |
After considering the applications at a public hearing, the
Commission has approved three applicants on their proposed
frequencies. The Commission has approved the application by Newcap
Inc. for an English-language Dance Music station on the frequency
89.9 MHz (Decision CRTC 2001-628); the application by Radio 1540
Limited for an ethnic station on the frequency 97.9 MHz (Decision
CRTC 2001-625); and the application by Gary Farmer, on behalf of to
be incorporated (Aboriginal Voices Radio), for a native station on
the frequency 95.7 MHz (Decision CRTC 2001-627). Further, the Commission has approved in part an application by
9098-7280 Québec inc. for a French-language specialty (classical
music) station, but has required the applicant to submit an
application proposing the use of another frequency (Decision CRTC 2001-626) before the licence is issued. The Commission has set out
the reasons for its decisions regarding the applications approved
today in each of the aforementioned decisions. In Decision CRTC 2001-629, the Commission has denied the other competing
applications. |
6. |
In its assessment of the applications, the Commission took into
account four main factors, or bases of comparison, that it has
identified as usually being relevant to the evaluation of competing
applications for new radio services. While their relative importance
will vary depending on the specific circumstances of the market
concerned, the four factors are as follows:
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· quality of the applications, including
the provision they make for optimal use of the frequency applied
for, |
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· impact on the market of a new entrant, |
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· competitive state of the market, and |
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· diversity of news voices in a
community. |
7. |
The Commission discussed the factors set out above and the
technical alternatives that may be available to each of the
applicants at the public hearing, and considered all these factors
in reaching its decisions. The Commission also took into account the
particular circumstances of the Ottawa/Hull market and the
particulars of the current applications.
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8. |
The Ottawa/Hull region includes Canada's national capital. It has
a population of over one million people living on both sides of the
Ottawa River. This community forms a microcosm of Canadian society
and of its linguistic, cultural and ethnic diversity. It includes a
large official language minority population on each bank—French-language
in Ottawa and English-language on the Quebec side of the Ottawa
River—as well as numerous ethnic minority groups and an Aboriginal
population.
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9. |
Despite the current economic situation, which affects the
telecommunications and information processing sectors in particular,
the economic growth forecasts for the Ottawa/Hull region continue to
be generally optimistic for the coming years. The constant strong
presence of the federal government and the jobs it provides help to
stabilize the region's economy.
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10. |
The private commercial stations serving the Ottawa/Hull region
belong to large broadcasting groups such as Rogers Broadcasting
Limited, Standard Radio Inc., CHUM Limited, Astral Communications
inc. and Télémédia Radio inc. On the whole, the average
profitability of these stations in 2000 was well above the average
overall profitability of the industry in Canada.
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11. |
The Commission has determined from the foregoing that the
Ottawa/Hull market can absorb one new station serving each of the
four proposed groups without adversely affecting the existing
licensees to any extent. Since only three frequencies have been
proposed, one of the applicants must choose a new frequency. The
Commission notes that, based on discussions with applicants at the
public hearing, there are other radio frequencies available for use
in the market.
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12. |
The services licensed today will add to the diversity of radio
services offered in the Ottawa/Hull region and will make additional
points of view available to listeners in the area and bring four
smaller/mid-size players into the market. The new dance music and
classical music stations will broaden the choice in music. The new
ethnic station will provide service to one of the largest ethnic
populations in Canada still not served by a local radio station,
while the Aboriginal station will provide a service of interest to a
general audience and particularly to Aboriginal audiences in the
region.
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French-language radio services in the Ottawa/Hull area
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13. |
As indicated above, after considering the four applications
proposing French-language radio services in the Ottawa/Hull region,
the Commission, has approved in part the application proposing a
specialty classical music format, but requires, among other things,
that the applicant find another frequency before a licence will be
issued. The Commission considers that the musical programming of
this new station is likely to appeal to a broad segment of the
National Capital Region's population, and will contribute to further
their ability to be entertained and informed in the language of
their choice.
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14. |
The Commission has recognized the concerns expressed by the
interveners on the availability of frequencies to meet the
requirements of the Franco-Ontarian community in the Ottawa region.
In the joint intervention presented at the public hearing by the
Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada (ARCC) and Productions
RireOLarmes, and in written interventions submitted by the
Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, the
Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario (ACFO), the
Mouvement des intervenants et des intervenantes en communication
radio de l’Ontario (MICRO) and Caisse populaire Orléans inc.,
interveners suggested, in particular that none of the applicants at
the public hearing intended to offer community-oriented
French-language programming that would reflect the richness of
Franco-Ontarian culture. It was also argued that, in view of the
scarcity of frequencies, assignment of the frequencies proposed by
the applicants could threaten French-language community radio
proposals currently under development that are intended to serve the
Franco-Ontarian communities of Ottawa and the Prescott-Russell
region.
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15. |
The Commission notes that the community radio station proposals
referred to by the interveners were not part of the competitive
process at this public hearing, since no such applications were
submitted. Although the ARCC indicated at the public hearing that
these proposals were currently in the development phase, the
intervener's statements implied that their implementation could take
several more years.
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16. |
Furthermore, the proposed French-language community radio station
dedicated to the children and youth of the Ottawa/Hull region was
not supported by these interveners, although it attempted to respond
in part to the Franco-Ontarian cultural reality. However, the
Commission notes the efforts, enthusiasm and support demonstrated by
many sectors of the community, especially Quebec and Franco-Ontarian
organizations and institutions, related to the development of this
proposal. The ARCC stated at the hearing that it did not oppose this
proposal, but could not support it because it was not intended to
serve the entire community. The ARCC also indicated that its mandate
was concerned only with protecting the interests of French-language
minorities outside Quebec. |
17. |
As indicated in its policy set out in Public Notice CRTC 2000-13,
the Commission considers that any proposal for a community radio
station to serve the needs of Francophones and Francophiles in the
National Capital Region should permit members of the Francophone
community at large to be members and to participate in its
management and operations with the objective of offering programming
that reflects the market that it would eventually be called to
serve. The Commission notes the many interventions from different
perspectives, which indicate the importance and context for the
development of community radio programming in the French-language in
Ottawa.
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Secretary General
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This document is available in alternative format upon request,
and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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