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Decision CRTC 2001-709
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Ottawa, 22 November 2001
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William Evanov
Newmarket, Ontario 2001-0402-6
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Application processed by
Public Notice CRTC 2001-91
dated 8 August 2001
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Denial of the request to broadcast more than 50% hits on CKDX-FM
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1. |
The Commission denies the application to relieve CKDX-FM
Newmarket from its current condition of licence requiring
that it broadcast, in any broadcast week, less than 50% hit material
as defined in Public Notice CRTC 1997-42, as amended from time
to time. |
2. |
The licensee claimed that CKDX-FM, a "small station"
with a "small signal", is operating at a competitive
disadvantage in its own market with the strong signals of Toronto’s
major commercial FM stations that penetrate the Newmarket area. In
order to compete with the mainstream music formats offered by these
larger stations, the licensee developed "Dancing Oldies",
a unique music format, not duplicated by its competitors, that
focuses on dance music drawn from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The
licensee stressed that access to the large pool of 70’s disco hit
music is critical to the success of this format. |
3. |
The Commission notes that CKDX-FM’s current condition of
licence related to hits allows the licensee to devote up to almost
half (49.9%) of its weekly play list to hits drawn from the 70’s
disco era. At the same time, under the revised hits policy set out
in Public Notice CRTC 1997-42, all music released after
31 December 1980 qualifies as non-hit material for stations
operating outside the Ottawa-Hull and Montréal radio markets. The
licensee, therefore, is not restricted in the number of popular
dance music selections from the 80’s and 90’s that CKDX-FM can
air.
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4. |
In view of the foregoing, the Commission is satisfied that the
licensee does not need additional flexibility with respect to the
level of hits it broadcasts to successfully program the "Oldies
Dancing" format described in its application. Accordingly, it
remains a condition of licence for CKDX-FM that the licensee
broadcast, in any broadcast week, less than 50% hit material as
defined in Public Notice CRTC 1997-42, as amended by Circular No.
445 dated 14 August 2001, and further amended from time to time
during the term of the present licence. |
5. |
The Commission has noted the comments in the interventions
submitted by CHUM Limited, Corus Entertainment Inc. and Rogers Media
regarding this application and the licensee’s response. |
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Related CRTC documents |
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- Public Notice 1997-42 – Revised policy on the use of hits
by English-language FM radio stations
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- Circular No. 445 – Changes to the charts used by the
Commission to determine what constitutes a hit
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Secretary General
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This decision 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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