ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 98-495

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Decision

Ottawa, 17 November 1998

Decision CRTC 98-495

Vidéotron ltée.

CF Cable TV Inc.
Montréal and Laval, Quebec
199716825 - 199716833

Applications processed by
Public Notice CRTC 1998-58
dated 18 June 1998

Relief from the requirement to distribute local radio stations - Partial approval

1. The Commission approves in part the applications to amend the licences for the cable distribution undertakings serving Montréal and Laval, as follows :

· Vidéotron ltée

The licensee is relieved, by condition of licence, from the requirement of section 22 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations (the regulations) to distribute CKOD-FM Valleyfield, CFEI-FM Saint-Hyacinthe, CJSO-FM Sorel and CIMO-FM Magog throughout its authorized service area. The licensee will distribute these stations in the market for which they were licensed. It will, however, no longer distribute CKOD-FM.

· CF Cable TV Inc.

The licensee is relieved, by condition of licence, from the requirement of section 22 of the regulations to distribute CKOD-FM Valleyfield and CFLG-FM Cornwall.

· Both applicants

2. However, the Commission denies Vidéotron ltée's request for relief from the requirement of section 22 of the regulations to distribute CHAA-FM Longueuil and CHAI-FM Châteauguay, and that of CF Cable TV Inc. to distribute CHAA-FM.

3. The Commission received several interventions opposing these applications. Radio Communautaire de Châteauguay inc., licensee of CHAI-FM, and Radio Communautaire de la Rive-Sud inc., licensee of CHAA-FM, opposed, in particular, the applicants' choice to delete each of the interveners' signal since the applicants distribute stations that are more distant from Montréal and which generate little interest in the metropolitan area. Several interveners argued that it is important to maintain community radio within the broadcasting system in order to present the local and regional concerns of citizens. One intervener suggested that the program it produces for CHAA-FM would be jeopardized because the audience base would be reduced and, consequently, the number of promoters and advertisers. Finally, one intervener asserted that deletion of CHAA-FM would be harmful to the interests of ethnic communities served by the station.

4. In response, the applicants maintained that, given that there are more radio stations than there are available frequencies on the cable distribution band, they must delete certain signals. Rather than abandoning the distribution of local stations, they chose to distribute the signals of these stations only in the market for which they had been authorized.

5. Having taken into account the interventions noted above, the Commission considers that maintaining the distribution of CHAI-FM and CHAA-FM is in the public interest.

Secretary General

This decision is to be appended to each licence.
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