
TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS BEFORE
THE CANADIAN RADIO‑TELEVISION AND
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
TRANSCRIPTION
DES AUDIENCES DEVANT
LE
CONSEIL DE LA RADIODIFFUSION
ET
DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS CANADIENNES
SUBJECT / SUJET:
Various broadcasting applications further to calls for
applications for licences to carry on radio programming
undertakings to serve Chilliwack and Vancouver, British Columbia /
Plusieurs demandes en radiodiffusion suite aux appels de demandes
de licence de radiodiffusion visant l'exploitation d'une
entreprise de programmation de radio pour desservir Chilliwack et
Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique)
HELD AT: TENUE À:
The Empire Landmark The Empire Landmark
1400 Robson Street 1400, rue Robson
Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver (C.-B.)
February 28, 2008 Le 28 février 2008
Transcripts
In order to meet the requirements of the Official Languages
Act, transcripts of proceedings before the Commission will be
bilingual as to their covers, the listing of the CRTC members
and staff attending the public hearings, and the Table of
Contents.
However, the aforementioned publication is the recorded
verbatim transcript and, as such, is taped and transcribed in
either of the official languages, depending on the language
spoken by the participant at the public hearing.
Transcription
Afin de rencontrer les exigences de la Loi sur
les langues
officielles, les procès‑verbaux pour le
Conseil seront
bilingues en ce qui a trait à la page
couverture, la liste des
membres et du personnel du CRTC participant à
l'audience
publique ainsi que la table des matières.
Toutefois, la publication susmentionnée est un
compte rendu
textuel des délibérations et, en tant que tel,
est enregistrée
et transcrite dans l'une ou l'autre des deux
langues
officielles, compte tenu de la langue utilisée
par le
participant à l'audience publique.
Canadian
Radio‑television and
Telecommunications
Commission
Conseil
de la radiodiffusion et des
télécommunications canadiennes
Transcript / Transcription
Various broadcasting applications further to calls for
applications for licences to carry on radio programming
undertakings to serve Chilliwack and Vancouver, British Columbia /
Plusieurs demandes en radiodiffusion suite aux appels de demandes
de licence de radiodiffusion visant l'exploitation d'une
entreprise de programmation de radio pour desservir Chilliwack et
Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique)
BEFORE / DEVANT:
Helen del Val Chairperson
/ Présidente
Rita Cugini Commissioner
/ Conseillère
Elizabeth Duncan Commissioner / Conseillère
Peter Menzies Commissioner
/ Conseiller
Ronald Williams Commissioner
/ Conseiller
ALSO PRESENT / AUSSI PRÉSENTS:
Jade Roy Secretary / Secretaire
Joe Aguiar Hearing Manager /
Gérant de l'audience
Carolyn Pinsky Legal
Counsel /
Conseillère
juridique
HELD AT: TENUE À:
The Empire Landmark The Empire Landmark
1400 Robson Street 1400, rue Robson
Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver
(C.-B.)
February 28, 2008 Le 28 février 2008
- iv -
TABLE
DES MATIÈRES / TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE / PARA
PHASE I (Cont.)
PRESENTATION BY / PRÉSENTATION PAR:
Matthew Gordon McBride (OBCI) 980 / 5530
PHASE II
INTERVENTION BY / INTERVENTION PAR:
Vista Radio Ltd. 1053 / 6094
6851916 Canada Inc. 1061 / 6152
Rock 95 Broadcasting Ltd. 1073 / 6215
In House Communications Inc. 1083 / 6280
The Coast 104.1 FM Inc. 1086 / 6302
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 1093 / 6340
PHASE III
INTERVENTION BY / INTERVENTION PAR:
Michael Norman 1098 / 6376
Barbara Dortsch 1132 / 6613
Eagle-Com Marketing 1140 / 6653
Ryan Donn 1153 / 6717
Grrrls with Guitars 1167 / 6797
Convergent Entertainment 1175 / 6825
Jim Byrnes 1184
/ 6872
- iv -
TABLE
DES MATIÈRES / TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
/ PARA
PHASE III (Cont.)
INTERVENTION BY / INTERVENTION PAR:
Convergent Entertainment 1175 / 6825
Jim Byrnes 1184
/ 6872
Dennis Nokony 1188 / 6887
Duane Geddes 1193 / 6908
Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation 1208 / 6984
29 Productions 1216 / 6995
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver 1221 / 7014
Pete Mason 1234 / 7101
Sarah Seage 1239 / 7134
Brenda-Lee Sasaki 1242 / 7151
RockSTAR Music Corp. 1259 / 7279
Ron Taverner 1267 / 7315
Cultural Olympiad 1273 / 7349
Elka Yarlowe 1282 / 7389
MusicBC 1299 / 7515
Aboriginal Voices Radio 1305 / 7553
Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society 1314 / 7603
I.T. Productions Ltd. 1316 / 7619
Cordova Bay Entertainment Group 1323 / 7660
Theresa Point 1329 / 7695
Vancouver, B.C. / Vancouver (C.‑B.)
‑‑‑ Upon commencing on Thursday, February 28, 2008
at 0830 / L'audience débute le jeudi 28 février
2008 à 0830
LISTNUM
1 \l 1 \s 55285528 THE
SECRETARY: We will now hear the last
applicant for the Vancouver market. We
will proceed with Item No. 17, which is an application by Matthew Gordon
McBride, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for a licence to
operate an English‑language FM commercial radio programming undertaking
in Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15529 Please
introduce yourself and your colleagues.
You will then have 20 minutes to make your presentation.
PRESENTATION / PRÉSENTATION
LISTNUM
1 \l 15530 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15531 Madam
Chair and Commissioners, good morning.
My name is Matthew McBride and I am the applicant for a new FM radio
station to serve the City of Port Moody in British Columbia.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15532 I
am a current licensee. I operate CHMZ‑FM
90.1 The Bear in Tofino, CIMN‑FM 99.5 The Edge in Ucluelet, and CFPV‑FM
98.7 Spud Valley Radio in Pemberton, B.C.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15533 Of
these, Tofino and Ucluelet are currently operational. Pemberton will sign on as soon as the snow
melts on the mountain and we can get our installation teams there to hang up
our antenna.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15534 Over
the years I have been extremely fortunate to work with many of the best
broadcasters in our industry, including many who have appeared before you this
week, and I am very pleased to introduce to the Commission three more of those
very fine broadcasters, who are joining me today to present our proposal for a
new radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15535 To
my left is Doreen Copeland, a virtual legend in this town for her almost 30
years of experience working as an on‑air talent and music director, at
the same station, through various formats.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15536 It
is a particular honour to have Doreen sitting with me today, because it was
Doreen who first taught me the basics of music direction when I showed up at
KISS‑FM here in Vancouver in the mid‑eighties. Her knowledge and skill inspired me to pursue
programming and music direction, and much of what I know today was first
introduced to me by Doreen.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15537 Doreen
is a valuable resource as we explore the music we intend to broadcast on CKPM
in Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15538 Beside
Doreen is Barry Wall, 30 years in broadcasting, including on‑air
programming and management roles. Barry
has contributed his valuable knowledge to the framework of the concept of Port
Moody radio.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15539 Barry
is currently the Operations Manager for McBride Communications and Media, which
is the company that oversees the day‑to‑day operations of the radio
stations that we are responsible for.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15540 Additionally,
Barry is a resident of the tricities area, of which Port Moody is a part, and
Barry will be leading the studio and technical build‑out should our
application find favour with the Commission.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15541 On
my right‑hand side is Eric Stansfield.
Eric brings to us an invaluable insight into our Port Moody radio
project. He is a highly skilled
broadcaster, with over 25 years of experience in radio and television
programming and production, with an impressive list of contacts and associates
in this industry.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15542 He
is also a long‑term resident of Port Moody, and, in fact, lives within
sight of our intended studio location, which would come in handy in the case of
storms or hard‑drive failures.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15543 It
was Eric who conducted much of our street‑level support and business
research activities, and helped to interpret the data that we found to help us
understand the Port Moody market.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15544 I
will now begin our opening presentation.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15545 Members
of the Commission, on March 3rd, residents of the City of Port Moody are
invited to City Hall to voice their comments and ask questions over the proposed
Evergreen Line Route. The Evergreen Line
is part of a region‑wide mass transit initiative linking communities
along the north side of the Fraser River with Vancouver.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15546 This
is the largest transit initiative that the region has ever seen, and has been
under some form of discussion or consideration for most of the past 30 years.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15547 Next
week, Port Moody City Council is asking the community to visit and voice their
opinions. The odds on those citizens
hearing about this session on an FM radio station in the Lower Mainland are
zero.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15548 The
Squamish and Musqueam Bands of the Coast Salish people have an 8,000‑year
footprint in Port Moody, using the area to fish and hunt. Western settlers moved to the area over 200
years ago, first for the fur trade, and then the Cariboo Gold Rush, and in 1859
the Royal Engineers, under the command of Colonel Richard Moody, blazed a trail
along what is now North Road, connecting Burrard Inlet with New Westminster as
a defensive supply route, in case the then capital of B.C. were to be attacked
from the south.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15549 In
1886 Port Moody was named the original Pacific terminus for the
Transcontinental Railroad that was instrumental in building our nation.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15550 As
fate would have it, the railroad was eventually pushed forward to just a few
blocks from here, in Coal Harbour, but much of the industry that settled there
remained, and in 1913 Port Moody was incorporated as a city.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15551 Port
Moody bills itself as "The City of the Arts". It is at the head of Burrard Inlet, the foot
of Eagle Mountain, and is home to 30,000 residents.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15552 The
city describes itself as an easy 40‑minute drive from downtown Vancouver,
which would only be true if you were leading a police chase ‑‑
‑‑‑ Laughter / Rires
LISTNUM
1 \l 15553 MR.
McBRIDE: ‑‑ and is tucked around the far side of Burnaby
Mountain.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15554 The
adjacent communities of Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam, together, form the
tricities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15555 Commissioners,
we are very pleased today to appear before you to present our application for a
new FM station to serve the community of Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15556 The
community of Port Moody has long since evolved from a bedroom suburb of
Vancouver into its own unique persona, routed in its history, environment and,
significantly, a reputation for its artistic attributes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15557 This
artistic facet of Port Moody life is embodied with the highly respected Port
Moody Arts Centre and its proactive and exciting mandate to enrich community
life by encouraging and supporting the development of arts, culture and
tourism, and inspiring a vibrant future while respecting the past.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15558 A
variety of visual art centres are featured in the community's Arts Walking
Tour, which attracts thousands of tourists and locals every year.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15559 The
city's community information website contains multiple cultural events for
virtually every day of the year, from social events to physical activities to
panel discussions on politics, books, ideas and issues, to unique events that
you never hear about on the air here, events like the Persian New Year Tea
Party, the Festival du Bois, and monthly events at the Place des Arts.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15560 There
is also the War Child Canada Fundraiser Concert. This event occurs annually.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15561 And
next week at the Inlet Theatre audiences will gather to hear Sam's Falling, an
alternative act; Samuel Sixto, performing French classical music; Joanna Rader,
a pop artist; James Monroe's acoustic alternative set; and Maxx James,
performing blues and rock.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15562 The
event will sell out. All of these
artists are local, all meet the definition of emerging Canadian artists, and
all fall within the broad definition of a "Triple A" format. The odds on hearing any of these artists on
Vancouver radio today are zero.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15563 That
is a typical day in the cultural life of Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15564 I
would now like to present to you Eric Stansfield, broadcaster and resident of
Port Moody, to deliver some elementary economic points about the tricities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15565 MR.
STANSFIELD: Thank you, Matthew, and
thank you to the Commission for hearing our presentation this morning.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15566 As
you have heard, the area of Metro Vancouver, known as the tricities, is made up
of the cities of Port Moody, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. They have all experienced enormous growth
over the past 10 to 15 years.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15567 From
a residential figure, the City of Port Moody has grown from a population of
just over 20,000 in 1996 to a B.C. Census estimate of 30,000 in 2007.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15568 As
well, the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam have seen their share of
growth. Port Coquitlam totalled over $74
million in new construction in 2006, and the building growth continues in
Coquitlam, with new developing neighbourhoods throughout the city.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15569 Port
Moody is currently experiencing residential and commercial growth previously
unseen. Building permits have gone from
$24.9 million in 2000 to over $190 million in 2006.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15570 Business
licences have nearly doubled in five years, from just over 1,000 in 2001 to
over 2,000 in 2006.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15571 Enough
of the dollars and cents. We are talking
about three cities that like to have fun.
They support and boast year‑round events, festivals, the arts, and
the diverse culture of the tricities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15572 As
you have already heard, Port Moody has its highly successful Golden Spike Days,
which attract visitors from all over Metro Vancouver.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15573 Coquitlam
hosts the Festival du Bois in Maillardville, the largest francophone community
west of Winnipeg.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15574 Port
Coquitlam is the birthplace and the hometown of the Terry Fox Run, and it is
now celebrated worldwide.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15575 Port
Moody not only offers its residents lovely and modern neighbourhoods in which
to raise families, it also has the natural beauty of mountains, waterfront
parks, and plenty of recreation. The
same can be said for Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15576 Together,
the tricities offer a lifestyle that is unique within Metro Vancouver. It is most definitely an area that is on the
move forward.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15577 And
as a resident of Newport Village, in the heart of Port Moody, I can assure the
Commission that this community is ready to embrace this radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15578 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you, Eric.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15579 Now,
Barry Wall, our Operations Manager, will review our business research tactics.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15580 MR.
WALL: Thank you, Matthew.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15581 Good
morning. Our application used an old‑fashioned
method of primary research, held on three distinct levels. First, we executed a face‑to‑face
interview campaign with business owners in the area, and completed survey
documents for over 10 percent of the entire retail business community in Port
Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15582 We
followed up with focused interviews with select businesses, and completed a
third round of revenue research interviews to determine attitudes and
opportunities for radio advertising within the Port Moody market, and used
those research figures to build our programming concept and revenue forecasts.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15583 We
conducted several individual interviews with city planners and business and
economic development staff, to get an understanding of the behaviour of the
retail market and the municipal growth plans for the future.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15584 Not
surprisingly, we discovered that a community with two newspapers and no radio
station would really like to resolve that gap in media presence, and our
business proposition was strongly encouraged by city staff.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15585 They
pointed us in the direction of key economic indicators to help us develop a
financial plan, and led the way to direct discussions with key community
members in business and culture to help us shape a totally unique and local
radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15586 Finally,
we held 200 personal or telephone interviews with Port Moody residents to
determine issues related to format and music, using a qualitative
approach. It became clear to us in our
discussions that a contemporary music format with a broad, beyond the charts,
beyond a format approach, would work within the community, and that, as
important as the music would be, what we put between the records would be
critical.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15587 We
spent the bulk of our business and programming research in direct discussions
with real people, real business, and real governance agencies in Port Moody to
develop the foundations of CKPM‑FM Port Moody Radio.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15588 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you, Barry.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15589 Now
we turn to our very own disenfranchised female, Doreen Copeland, with a brief
discussion on our music proposal.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15590 MS
COPELAND: Thank you, Matthew.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15591 CKPM‑FM
Port Moody will adopt the same eclectic, artsie and diverse attitude that the
community itself puts forward.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15592 Our
music programming will be comprised of 75 percent Category 2 popular music,
12.5 percent Category 3 ‑‑ you might want to note that
change ‑‑ jazz, and 12.5 percent Category 3 world beat.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15593 While
we do not necessarily wish to peg this music into a specific format, for
understanding, it would be defined as "Triple A".
LISTNUM
1 \l 15594 Today's
most widely played "Triple A" acts would be represented on our
playlist by what the charts are showing right now, people like Sheryl Crow,
Robert Plant and Alison Krause ‑‑ and if you haven't heard
their album, you are in for a treat ‑‑ Jack Johnson, Feist,
and KD Lang.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15595 The
popularity of the music format we propose is apparent. Its aggressiveness and exploratory nature was
reflected in Sunday night's Oscar‑winning song called "Falling
Slowly". It was from a very little
movie out of Ireland, which I think they spent $200,000 filming. The movie is called "Once", and the
song won the Oscar, and the song is played only on "Triple A" radio,
from what I could find in my research.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15596 What
is interesting about that song and that movie ‑‑ I have a 16‑year‑old
daughter. We saw the movie together, and
both of us were, like, "Where is the Kleenex?"
LISTNUM
1 \l 15597 It
was an incredible little movie, and when we were watching the Oscars on Sunday
night we both went, "Oh, my God, they won!" It was so exciting.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15598 Her
friends don't know about this song. My
friends don't know about this song, other than us talking about this fabulous
movie and the fabulous soundtrack, because it is not on a radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15599 Anyway,
I diverse.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15600 We
recognize that the "Triple A" format is being proposed in various
forms by a number of other applicants who responded to the August 10th, 2007,
Call for Applications, and wish to point out that this application, and its
attendant format proposal, was actually filed with the Commission a full month
before the Vancouver call was issued.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15601 The
format we propose has been supported through our research as one which would
find broad acceptance in our target market, and, further, a "Triple
A" format is one of the very few formats that lends itself almost
perfectly to the objective of supporting emerging artists.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15602 "Triple
A", by its nature, goes off the straight and narrow. It digs deep, and it looks for new sounds and
styles and approaches to modern music.
This is exactly the realm in which emerging artists operate.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15603 We
will maintain, of course, a minimum of 35 percent Canadian content between 6
a.m. and midnight for the entire term of licence, or at any subsequent level,
for radio stations within our licence class, as determined by the CRTC.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15604 Approximately
40 percent of our total songs played in a given week will meet our definition
of emerging artist, as expressed in our Form 101 submission. An average of three songs per hour will be
Canadian emerging artists, and a guaranteed minimum of one Canadian emerging
artist will be played in every hour where music is programmed.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15605 Additionally,
CKPM‑FM Port Moody will feature local emerging artists, defined as those
from the Greater Vancouver Regional District, in a feature broadcast weeknights
at 7 p.m.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15606 This
feature, 10 minutes each airing, will include artist information, interview,
music purchase and acquisition information, and the airplay of a selected song.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15607 The
feature will be restricted to songs that meet the definition of Canadian
content.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15608 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you, Doreen.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15609 Once
a month we will broadcast live from one of a number of local live music venues,
beginning with Joe's Atlantic Grill, which holds Newfie nights on the last
Sunday of every month, bringing in regional artists who specialize in East
Coast genres.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15610 Preliminary
discussions with two other local venues have been held, and additional venues
will be added over the course of the first 18 months of our operation.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15611 An
operation the size we are proposing has a couple of challenges today. One of them is that we cannot hope to compete
at the dollar volume of Astral's, Harvard's, and other applicants at this
hearing, and our business plan doesn't allow us to maintain a permanent CCD
administrative infrastructure.
Therefore, our best solution may be the most beneficial, and certainly
is the simplest ‑‑ we are going to whip out our chequebook and
start writing.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15612 The
radio station intends to be a community focal point for all major community
events, including the annual Golden Spike Days, a Canada Day‑oriented
festival that features, amongst other things, a very popular and highly
attended vocal talent contest.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15613 In
addition to promotional support, CKPM‑FM will be putting forward an
annual cash reward for the winning singer and runners‑up.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15614 A
significant part of our proposal regarding Canadian content development is the
financial support of musical instrument purchases in local high schools,
contributions to local performances in association with cultural events, such
as the War Child Concert previously noted, and an allowance for production
expenses for our local emerging artists.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15615 We
will maintain a base payment to FACTOR annually, and an additional voluntary
payment above the minimums, both to FACTOR and to direct support within our
community.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15616 We
will not make any request to FACTOR related to the distribution of our
contribution.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15617 Finally,
we pegged our annual CCD contributions to our forecasted revenue, as we
anticipate annual growth, so we allocated a predictable sum to CCD initiatives
in the form of cash.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15618 We
also intend to maintain those dollar volumes proposed in our application should
our revenue fall short, but will expand those dollar contributions should our
revenues exceed our forecast.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15619 CKPM‑FM
Port Moody is a truly local radio station dedicated to the community. We will produce 126 hours per week from our
studios in Port Moody's Newport Village.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15620 We
will be live from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 7
p.m. on weekends.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15621 Our
evening voice‑tracked hours will be used as a training ground for our
newest and developing on‑air talent, so that they will have the benefit
of virtual real‑time broadcasting, and the ability to hear themselves on
the air. With the vast use of automation
in our industry today, traditional training areas, such as evenings and
overnights, are virtually non‑existent.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15622 We
will use our voice‑track time to develop local broadcast talent.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15623 The
station will carry 872 minutes of spoken word programming, of which 198 will be
news.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15624 Local
news comprises 80 percent of this volume.
The remaining 20 percent will be for regional, provincial and national
issues.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15625 Of
the remaining time, 25 minutes per day, or 125 minutes per week, will be
dedicated to "Port Moody Talks", our daily talk show.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15626 The
remaining time will be consumed in commuter service reports, climate reports,
and community billboard programming.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15627 These
times do not include DJ ad libs.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15628 The
CKPM business plan was developed using the results of our primary
research. Revenues were forecast based
on our prior experience operating radio stations in small markets, factoring in
the very positive feedback we received from local businesses, suggesting that
we could expect to obtain about one‑third of the businesses' existing ad
budget, which goes primarily to newspapers, and that would be re‑routed
to a local station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15629 This
seemingly high volume of transference is reflective of an aggressively
structured rate card. Most businesses in
the tricities area simply cannot afford to advertise on Vancouver radio.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15630 Our
overall growth estimates were derived from known growth factors taken from
period‑to‑period reports obtained from the CRTC and other research
sources, and our expense growth rates were generally pegged either to the known
rate of inflation or to our actual experience.
Where possible, costing was done with the anticipated vendors.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15631 Commissioners,
you are aware that I currently hold licences in Ucluelet, Tofino, and
Pemberton, B.C. I started my career in
broadcasting over 27 years ago in a small town, and while I spent most of my
time in big cities, I have always had a strong passion for small‑town
radio. I am, after all, a local boy,
from a small town in the Fraser Valley, just a few miles upriver from Port
Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15632 Our
dedication to community service is simple:
100 percent local content, talent and presence, which has worked out
very successfully in our existing markets.
We call it "Uber" service.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15633 Our
stations on the west coast of Vancouver Island regularly host live performances
on the air, deliver a very high level of local, emerging artist exposure, and
are staffed entirely by locals. We find
them, we train them, and we let them reflect their own towns and villages.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15634 By
finding and developing local broadcast talent, we have seen the introduction of
some amazing local characters like Chainsaw Pete, our relationships counsellor;
Jim the Naked Oyster Farmer, our cooking expert and political commentator; and
Boathouse Bonnie, an environmental activist.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15635 These
are real people, Commissioners.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15636 We
hold unusual and highly popular local contests like "Blindfold Crab Pot
Surprise", "Lick that Flounder", "Deer Drop Bingo",
and the 99.5 Daily Prize.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15637 These
are real contests, with real deer.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15638 We
get the locals on the radio. In
Ucluelet, the Mayor hosts a weekly talk show on Thursdays, and the Chamber of
Commerce is in on Friday.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15639 "Coastal
Affairs" runs weekly in Tofino, associated with a nationally recognized
news website, "westcoaster.ca".
LISTNUM
1 \l 15640 The
radio stations we operate are staffed live every day of the week, and are true
partners in community service, delivering a professional attitude and
professional equipment, and supporting programming and business services
locally.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15641 "We
may be local, but we ain't yocal" is our motto.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15642 We
are particularly proud of our commitment to emergency services. Recently, a young boy went missing on a beach
near Tofino, and within hours, and, in part, through the publicity given by our
radio stations, the largest land, air and sea search in the region's history
was conducted. Our public call for help
had to be rescinded when authorities were overwhelmed by the response to our
announcements.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15643 Our
Ucluelet operation includes an emergency broadcast position inside the
Emergency Service Building, which is accessible 24 hours per day, seven days
per week, by police and firefighters. It
is a simple breakaway switch that allows program interruption whenever
officials deem it necessary, and when a staff member is not immediately
available.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15644 This
emergency service was used recently to advise residents of extreme hazards on
local beaches during a hurricane, and last year was incorporated into a coastal
security exercise by the Canadian Navy.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15645 We
are integrated with the Provincial Emergency Service Program's Tsunami Warning
System at the second level. When a
tsunami warning is issued, our operations are contacted after local and civic
authorities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15646 Twice
in the past three years we have rolled out a staff member to respond to tsunami
warnings. Fortunately, neither event
resulted in an actual tsunami.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15647 We
play local music by local artists like Lance Blackwell, The Bottomfeeders,
Kinnie Star and Mark Morrison ‑‑ unknown here, but I assure
you, widely exposed on our local radio stations.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15648 Let's
face it, what's the point of having a local radio station if you don't play
local artists?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15649 With
a total coverage of about 8,000 persons, we run two, fully live, locally
produced radio stations in some of the roughest climate on the coast. We do so profitably, and we can do that in
the tricities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15650 On
March 3rd, the residents of Port Moody will head to City Hall to learn about
their upcoming rapid transit project.
They won't hear about it on the FM dial in Vancouver.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15651 Commissioners,
today you can change that.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15652 We
welcome your examination of our application for CKPM‑FM Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15653 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mr. McBride and
your team.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15654 I
will start with the questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15655 Probably
the easiest one to start with is the one that, I am sure, you will have
anticipated from the days of hearing, and it concerns your format.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15656 Your
format sounds, actually, exactly like Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Badh's proposed
station, "The Planet", with the world beat and the jazz and all.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15657 Could
you explain what would be the difference?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15658 MR.
McBRIDE: Lucky guess on their part.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15659 We
went ahead and we developed a format that we felt, first of all, was
unavailable in this market, and we wanted to get something that was going to
stand out in the crowd for Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15660 Port
Moody does have access to many of the Vancouver signals, quite clearly in some
cases.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15661 We
literally walked around and listened to what people were listening to in their
shops and restaurants and businesses, and then we talked to them and we asked
them.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15662 We
went without a perceived notion of what format we were going to introduce into
Port Moody, because our intent, really, is a community radio station first,
providing the services. The format would
be complementary to the delivery of services.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15663 Throughout
all of our research, we came up with a "Triple A" type of format,
although I don't like that phrase, because it doesn't necessarily sum up what
we perceive in our minds, but we have to peg it into something.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15664 THE
CHAIRPERSON: But how would the two
stations sound different, or would they sound ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15665 In
terms of the music, they will sound the same?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15666 MR.
McBRIDE: Going over the application by
McLaughlin, to me, it looks like they are going to be much more focused on sort
of an urban style, with a more worldly type of flavour, and less on the jazz
side, from what I can interpret.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15667 They
are looking at, also, what I believe is a softer sound than we are looking
at. We are looking at, sort of, a much
more today‑type of sound, with less reliance on a gold library.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15668 We
are looking in Port Moody at something that, let's say, has a bit more of an
edge to it, is a bit more contemporary, which certainly has a higher level of
local and developing artists on a regular basis, and more of the jazzier side
of it, as opposed to the world beat side.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15669 There
are some textual differences there.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15670 They
won't be talking about the rapid transit project, either.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15671 THE
CHAIRPERSON: How would you describe the
difference in the sound between, say, your station and Harvard's JANE‑FM?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15672 MR.
McBRIDE: Oh, that would be night and
day.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15673 JANE‑FM
is targeting the disgruntled female, and we are not. Our total target orientation is, first of
all, skewed to a much younger audience.
If you will note, we are looking at an audience target that is almost
ten years younger than JANE‑FM.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15674 We
aren't targeting females exclusively, so there is going to be a male component,
which is all theoretical anyway. But it
is going to have a much broader appeal to both male and female listeners.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15675 Again,
edgier ‑‑ lumpier, if you like that phrase ‑‑
and with a bit more bite to it. We are
not going to be lulling anybody into complacency with this radio station by
patting them on the head and saying "There, there."
LISTNUM
1 \l 15676 THE
CHAIRPERSON: What about Pattison's
"Triple A"?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15677 What
would be the difference?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15678 MR.
McBRIDE: I am going to keep the same
case.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15679 As
I mentioned, Commissioner, we filed this a month before they did. I think they are copying us.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15680 THE
CHAIRPERSON: No, no, I am not talking
about who is copying whom; I just want to know how it would sound.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15681 What
would be the difference in the sound?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15682 At
this stage I am not talking about who is copying whom.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15683 MR.
McBRIDE: Pattison is proposing
something, again, that is significantly older in its target demographic.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15684 They
are all looking at people in their forties, and they are going to be aging
their radio station probably on a continuation.
I can't guess what they will do in the future, but it will probably be a
continuation of the experience they have learned from running AM 600, which has
more of an adult standards feel to it.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15685 So,
again, their sounds are likely to be smoother, softer, and less sort of in your
face than the radio station we are proposing.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15686 THE
CHAIRPERSON: All right. When I first came to Canada I lived in Port
Moody, off Evergreen Drive. I actually
spent two years there. Port Moody is
quite small.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15687 When
I look at your application, you use Port Moody sometimes, and tricities. Are you a Port Moody station or a tricities
station?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15688 MR.
McBRIDE: The station is based in Port
Moody. That is where the signal will
originate from.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15689 The
signal itself will trickle into Port Coquitlam and carry, according to our
coverage maps, as far as the Wild Duck Inn, out along the Pitt River.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15690 That's
what the footprint of the radio station is.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15691 In
order to develop an image for the radio station ‑‑ and I
wanted to peg it against something that I could really bite into, and that is
the Port Moody "City of the Arts" image. Out of the tricities, Port Moody has the most
clearly defined local "zeitgeist", if you will, so it was easier to
build a radio station with that focal point in mind.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15692 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I am sure we can all name
radio stations that, if I didn't read the decision, I wouldn't know what city
they were supposed to serve or they were licensed for.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15693 What
is to stop you from reorienting the station toward something other than Port
Moody once you are on air?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15694 MR.
McBRIDE: Do you mean, for instance,
targeting Vancouver?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15695 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15696 MR.
McBRIDE: The signal doesn't reach
Vancouver. It stops at Burnaby Mountain.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15697 It
actually goes east. There is no
appreciable coverage at all within the City of Vancouver.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15698 THE
CHAIRPERSON: You have quite a good
description of the programs. When
someone tunes to your station, how do they know right away, "I am
listening to the Port Moody station"?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15699 MR.
McBRIDE: The branding, for one, will
certainly be reflective of the Port Moody area.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15700 The
other is the content. I don't have any
interest in competing in the Vancouver market right now, because it doesn't
meet the model that I have already developed in the communities I currently
serve.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15701 From
that experience, I know how to zero‑in on a specific community, and there
is no shortage of content in the Port Moody area to fulfil our content
requirements.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15702 There
need not be a downtown Vancouver or a Granville in our Port Moody radio
station, and I don't intend it. If you
do look at it, it is a small station in a very large community, a regional
community. The only way we are going to
be able to attract and maintain an advertising base is if we make sure the
advertisers hear their interests, as well, reflected on the radio on a constant
basis.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15703 From
a business point of view, if we signed on a Port Moody radio station that
didn't carry into Vancouver, and behaved as though we were serving Vancouver,
we would be bankrupt in no time.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15704 It
doesn't make business sense not to sell sandwiches in the community we are in.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15705 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I am trying to find a page
in your application which I found quite helpful.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15706 There
is no page number, but it is section 4.2, "Sample Music Hour".
LISTNUM
1 \l 15707 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15708 THE
CHAIRPERSON: You have four songs, and
then station information.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15709 Can
you give me an example of what the station information will be?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15710 Will
it be just station ID?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15711 MR.
McBRIDE: That phrase includes all of the
vocal content that is going to be fit into that particular segment.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15712 Obviously
we are going to ID the radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15713 There
is usually a positioning line of some kind, "Golden Spike Radio", or
whatever the eventual name of the radio station will be.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15714 When
I say station information, there will always be some structured element,
whether it is some type of information, such as, in this case, weather or
surveillance, which meets the needs of the community.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15715 It
is not just going to be the station ID followed by commercials, because that
doesn't really make a radio station, that makes an automated radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15716 Station
information will be whatever the moment calls for ‑‑ traffic,
weather, arts, DJ ad lib in that case.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15717 THE
CHAIRPERSON: In your presentation you
talked about your research approach. I
understand the part about business research.
Then, when you were doing the audience approach, you talked about using
a qualitative approach.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15718 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15719 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Could you give us an
example of what is a qualitative approach?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15720 MR.
McBRIDE: I can.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15721 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes, please.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15722 MR.
McBRIDE: The problem with contemporary
research ‑‑ when organizations contract research companies to
go out, they have to use pre‑loaded questions in order to get a valid
response.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15723 Somebody
phones you and, let's say, we are researching a radio station that targets a 40‑year‑old
disgruntled female, for example. What
they will do is contract a service agency and say: Find that individual, and find something they
like.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15724 A
researcher, in order to get some response, has to say, "Would you listen
to a radio station that played Phil Collins, Dr. Drey, or Chopin," for
example.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15725 In
other words, there would be that sort of structured question.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15726 The
qualitative approach doesn't have that same sort of prompt, of structure; it is
inquisitive in nature. We say,
"What do you like? What are you
listening to? Of your preferences, which
way do you go?"
LISTNUM
1 \l 15727 So
it takes a little time, and it can only be done in either an individual or a
focus group type of environment, and that's the way we approached it.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15728 The
traditional research method reveals raw data that scientists can crunch, but
all it ever produces is Phil Collins. It
doesn't produce Feist or any of those other artists.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15729 So
a qualitative approach is much more about what the person is actually involved
in than a prompted response.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15730 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Going back to your
format ‑‑ and I know there was a round of deficiency responses
on Canadian content, that portion ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15731 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15732 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Again, here you are talking
about the jazz sub‑category, aren't you?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15733 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15734 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Jazz and blues.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15735 In
the jazz and blues sub‑category ‑‑ and, counsel, please
correct me if I am wrong ‑‑ the required minimum content is
that 20 percent of the jazz and blues to be played must be Canadian.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15736 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15737 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Here you are proposing 12.5
percent.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15738 MR.
McBRIDE: No, I'm not.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15739 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15740 MR.
McBRIDE: The 12.5 percent is the total
amount of jazz and blues in total that we are proposing for the radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15741 Canadian
content ‑‑ you are talking about extensive administration for
a small operation. We are just going to
play 35 percent Canadian content in all categories.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15742 It
is much easier that way.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15743 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. What percent of the music that you play will
be Category 3 music?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15744 MR.
McBRIDE: We are anticipating 25 percent
Category 3, and half of that will be defined, by CRTC terms, as jazz.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15745 And
the other 12.5 percent will be defined as world beat.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15746 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes, I see where I
misread. Of the jazz and the world beat
that you play, it is 12.5, it is not 12.5 Canadian content.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15747 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, that's correct.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15748 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I will go more into the
specifics of the application now.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15749 Spoken
word ‑‑ can you confirm the number of hours of total spoken
word, including structured and unstructured, please?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15750 MR.
McBRIDE: In the opening remarks I
indicated that the structured spoken word programming will be 872 minutes, in
total, including all of our news, weather and sports.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15751 In
addition to that we used a rule of thumb in order to determine how much
unstructured stuff ‑‑ which is the DJ ad lib and the DJ
patter. I always forecast 5 minutes an
hour.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15752 Because
with all of the other content, now you are up at 9, 10, 11 minutes of DJs, and
that's a great ratio.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15753 So
I would estimate 5 minutes per hour. For
planning purposes, that is 630 minutes per week.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15754 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. I am trying to get to the appendix of your
spoken word.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15755 Is
it 8(c) or ‑‑
‑‑‑ Pause
LISTNUM
1 \l 15756 THE
CHAIRPERSON: What proportion of your
spoken word will be newscasts?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15757 MR.
McBRIDE: That will be 198 minutes per
week.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15758 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Of that, what would be pure
news and what would be spoken word "Other"?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15759 MR.
McBRIDE: That refers exclusively to the
news content only.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15760 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I see that you have not
opted to do an afternoon drive news as a newscast.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15761 MR.
McBRIDE: That's right. What we intend to do there is cover ‑‑
the traffic and the weather surveillance is ‑‑ since you are a
Port Moody former resident, you know that is pretty much all there is to focus
in on out there, and the information of the day, at that time ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15762 First
of all, we are not going to compete as a hard news station. We want the information arising from the DJ
contribution and ad libs to be much more socially and culturally focused ‑‑
What is happening today; what is happening tonight; what is happening
tomorrow ‑‑ which could not be quantified as actual news. So, therefore, it doesn't exist there.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15763 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. During the afternoon drive, would your
schedule of the frequency of the surveillance information and the station
information just be more frequent, between songs, or ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15764 MR.
McBRIDE: During the drive periods ‑‑
the peak periods ‑‑ I am anticipating five breaks per hour,
where additional content in addition to music would be provided, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15765 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Can you clarify the total
time that you are devoting to the "Port Moody Talks" program?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15766 MR.
McBRIDE: It says in my submission 30
minutes per day, five days per week. And
then, in my presentation here, I said 25 minutes. That is because I withdrew 5 minutes for
possible commercials during that timeframe.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15767 So
it should be 25 minutes net of commercials, or 125 minutes per week for
"Port Moody Talks".
LISTNUM
1 \l 15768 THE
CHAIRPERSON: On your CCD initiatives, I
see from your application that you are going to earmark them for District 43
schools.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15769 MR.
McBRIDE: Correct.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15770 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Between the time you filed
the application and now, have you spoken to or approached any of the schools?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15771 MR.
McBRIDE: I have verified, through the
District itself, their donation policy.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15772 They
have a fairly structured and disciplined donation policy regarding cash
contributions to the school, because they don't like to have money floating
around involuntarily.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15773 So
the protocol I have established with the District is on how they would receive
the money, and how it can be directed to approved CCD development initiatives,
but it does have to go through the District.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15774 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I think that's where the
clarification is required.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15775 I
know that in your reply you sent us to the link of the policy, and I can
appreciate, perhaps, the rigidity of some of their policies.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15776 How
would you be able to ensure that the District or the schools that receive the
funds will direct them to the initiatives, or that they will be spent according
to the CCD requirements of the Commercial Radio Policy?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15777 MR.
McBRIDE: I would obtain from the School
District a letter to file with the Commission in support of that.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15778 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay, good.
‑‑‑ Pause
LISTNUM
1 \l 15779 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Now, in the qualitative
research that you did, did you draw any conclusions on whether any particular
segment of your target audience is more or less served by the existing
stations?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15780 MR.
McBRIDE: No, because that wasn't really
the direction that we found ourselves going into. We kind of ‑‑ as you know,
we showed up in Port Moody and started talking to people with a crazy
idea. And we weren't really looking for
dissatisfaction. That wasn't our
direction.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15781 THE
CHAIRPERSON: M'hm.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15782 MR.
McBRIDE: What we were really looking for
was ‑‑ we have some experience in doing small town radio. Is there a small town that we could do more
of it in?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15783 And
so that's the way our research was approached, not from a dissatisfaction point
of view but what would either improved satisfaction ‑‑ or how
could we introduce a new product to the market rather than enhancing or
replacing an existing one. So no, we
really didn't find out where we ‑‑ you know, who was lacking
in service in that area.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15784 THE
CHAIRPERSON: You talk about the
experience you have had in Tofino and Ucluelet.
I take it from your comments today that those stations are doing well
and are profitable?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15785 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, they are. Ucluelet signed on September 1st last year in
a profitable status and has never lost money.
It's been profitable from day one.
We were sold out from November to February of last year at nine minutes
an hour from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15786 You
don't know until you get there how much people love their local radio, in a way
that you can't love a radio station in Vancouver because there is too many
choices.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15787 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Sorry. No, go ahead, you finish.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15788 MR.
McBRIDE: Well, Commissioner, I mean I
can ramble on.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15789 THE
CHAIRPERSON: No, no. No, go ahead.
I do want to listen to ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15790 MR.
McBRIDE: And I will.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15791 They
don't have a local radio station in these markets. They do have repeaters and a number of pirate
signals that are out there from all of the Vancouver stations, five or six of
them out there.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15792 But
the local radio station talks about the rain, which is really big out
there. We do surf reports every single
hour of the day seven days a week; tide, row reports and marine weather every
single hour of the day because that information is so vital. What they like is the service, not necessarily
the music.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15793 Our
music it's like a salad. You know,
whatever happens to be the flavour of the day that fits works out there. The local artist ‑‑ and
there is many ‑‑ releases a new album and they just show up
and begin playing.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15794 So
it's the interaction between the community that makes the small markets fun to
be on, but that actually translates into revenue because the businesses
recognize that through their support of the radio station they keep it.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15795 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I will come back to this,
but right now just a short answer on Tofino.
How long has that been on the air?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15796 MR.
McBRIDE: It signed on in 2005.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15797 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15798 MR.
McBRIDE: October 2005.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15799 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. And it is enjoying the same success as
Ucluelet?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15800 MR.
McBRIDE: Somewhat less.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15801 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15802 MR.
McBRIDE: Tofino did replace an existing
radio station that collapsed for non‑financial reasons prior to that,
CHOO‑FM.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15803 THE
CHAIRPERSON: But does ‑‑
Tofino would receive your Ucluelet station signal, wouldn't it?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15804 MR.
McBRIDE: Through the miracle of
technology both signals meet in the middle of Long Beach so you can't hear one
in the other market. It's amazing how
that happened.
‑‑‑ Laughter / Rires
LISTNUM
1 \l 15805 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. How many other stations serve Ucluelet?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15806 MR.
McBRIDE: CRTC‑approved stations?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15807 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes, and then you can also
tell me about the non‑approved stations.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15808 MR.
McBRIDE: I think there is one licensed
repeater in Tofino. There is none that I
know of in Ucluelet.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15809 There
are ‑‑ hobbyists pickup signals and have repeated them in the
market because they have never had the radio service. There is two additional, as far as I know,
unregulated signals in Ucluelet and an additional one in Tofino that tends to
come on and go off the air depending on how we are performing.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15810 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. So Tofino has, just summarize ‑‑
has one other authorized signal. Is
that ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15811 MR.
McBRIDE: I am not sure it's authorized,
Commissioner. I don't want to get into
trouble.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15812 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay, okay. So Tofino has one other signal? Can I ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15813 MR.
McBRIDE: Two.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15814 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Two other signals.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15815 MR.
McBRIDE: One I think is authorized, Jack‑FM,
and CFMI a repeater in that market. And
Jack‑FM and CFMI and JR Country are repeated in Ucluelet.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15816 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. And again those are the authorized signals.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15817 MR.
McBRIDE: I have no idea.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15818 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. So in Tofino you can also hear Jack‑FM?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15819 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15820 THE
CHAIRPERSON: JR Country and, I am sorry,
you just mentioned?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15821 MR.
McBRIDE: Jack‑FM and CFMI in
Tofino.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15822 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15823 MR.
McBRIDE: In Tofino, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15824 THE
CHAIRPERSON: On 101.1, okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15825 What
about Ucluelet?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15826 MR.
McBRIDE: Jack‑FM, CFMI and JR‑FM.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15827 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15828 MR.
McBRIDE: And we beat them all.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15829 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, what were you going
to say?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15830 MR.
McBRIDE: I say we beat them all.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15831 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay, okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15832 You
don't know at this point whether they are authorized but it sounds like they
are not that reliable signals?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15833 MR.
McBRIDE: They are great signals.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15834 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15835 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, they are full power.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15836 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. So what were you referring to that there was
a signal that came in and out? What
signal were you referring to then?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15837 MR.
McBRIDE: Oh, in Tofino ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15838 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15839 MR.
McBRIDE: ‑‑ whoever is running that particular signal for
CFMI if they like us and we are playing the music they like they turn CFMI off.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15840 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15841 MR.
McBRIDE: It's an unusual place out
there, Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15842 THE
CHAIRPERSON: What do you see are the
differences, the main differences between how you have to do business in Tofino
and Ucluelet and how you are going to have to do business here in Port Moody?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15843 MR.
McBRIDE: Well, first of all, there is a
much better critical mass in Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15844 THE
CHAIRPERSON: M'hm.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15845 MR.
McBRIDE: There is simply a lot more
businesses in a similarly dense environment.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15846 The
Port Moody in the trading area out there is not particularly exploded or hard
to reach. And that's the same in any
small town. You have generally one or
two downtown or commercial centres and peripheral industry on the outlying
areas.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15847 And
the reason Port Moody stands out is because of that. It's got a geography that really is clearly
identifiable. You can look on a map and
say, "I am in Port Moody", a great place to start. It has two identifiable commercial districts
along St. John's and in the new Newport Village development areas with
significant clusters of commercial activity.
And so it has a critical mass and I think it will be easier.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15848 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. What do you see are the challenges?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15849 MR.
McBRIDE: Comparison to other radio
stations and the perception that we might not be ‑‑ we might
not be a big city. That's always a risk
when you run a local radio station, is that there will be a desire for some
people to want to be something other than local, see themselves as bigger than
their community.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15850 THE
CHAIRPERSON: But I think that one of the
challenges that are immediately apparent is that competition will be a lot
stiffer.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15851 MR.
McBRIDE: I doubt that, Commissioner. The competition out there isn't for
radio. There is nobody in Vancouver
selling $20 or $30 spots out there, you know.
And unless anyone is listening right now that's going to go out and
drink my milkshake, I think we are pretty safe with our rate card.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15852 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
‑‑‑ Pause
LISTNUM
1 \l 15853 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I just want to turn to your
programming expenses.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15854 I
think of your expenses, of your total expenses.
What proportion is payroll and benefits?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15855 MR.
McBRIDE: You are referring to the seven‑year
forecast, Commissioner?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15856 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15857 MR.
McBRIDE: Then I will look at the same
document.
‑‑‑ Pause
LISTNUM
1 \l 15858 MR.
McBRIDE: It is going to be fairly high
given the payroll requirements versus the anticipated revenue and in the
neighbourhood of 50 or 60 percent initially.
That figure will decline as revenue builds, but the payroll expense will
be quite high. In order to staff it at a
competitive level we have to ‑‑ we have to eat profit.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15859 THE
CHAIRPERSON: And how many ‑‑
did you say six and a half staff?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15860 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, we are going to start out
looking at about six and a half people on the operation. Because we already have existing business
infrastructure we can provide backend services; accounting, financial services,
so that we don't have to reduplicate them in any given location.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15861 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. And this will be 6.5 new positions?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15862 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15863 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15864 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15865 THE
CHAIRPERSON: And what would the ‑‑
what are the 6.5? What are those
positions?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15866 MR.
McBRIDE: I have a station manager.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15867 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15868 MR.
McBRIDE: A position that will involve in
a station of this size, of course, some programming duties; a salesperson, a
newsperson, two to three programming hosts who have other additional duties
like programming and a creative and a production individual. And there is also an allocation for some
relief work based on the requirements.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15869 It
would be virtually all in programming and sales.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15870 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15871 MR.
McBRIDE: So that's where ‑‑
one specific sales representative.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15872 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Then looking at again your
financial projections, the line on programming that does not include any of the
salary and benefits, expenses that you referred to.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15873 MR.
McBRIDE: No, I take out all of those in
building these plans.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15874 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15875 MR.
McBRIDE: And I put ‑‑
all of the payroll falls under its own category. So what you are seeing there is purely the
departmental budgets.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15876 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay, great.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15877 And
you are projecting an audience share of 1 percent for year one.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15878 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15879 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. And you are quite confident that you
will ‑‑ you can achieve that?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15880 MR.
McBRIDE: Absolutely. That's a very modest figure.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15881 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Now, compared to the rest
of Canada and B.C., Vancouver stations seem to have to spend a bit more than
the rest for programming expenses. Your
programming expenses and general expenses are quite low.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15882 So
we may be covering the ground again but this reflects our concern on your
ability to compete with all of the other signals that will be coming into the
market that you want to serve. Can you
comment on that?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15883 MR.
McBRIDE: Where other stations are going
to invest in a number of different programming items; imported feature programming,
production services, et cetera, this is why our payroll is comparatively higher
according to our overall budget. We are
just going to use people on the radio, on the air as much as possible to create
that relationship.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15884 You
know, you can go the bells and gong route but that's not our intent nor do we
make any representation that we are going to compete with the Vancouver radio
station. We are going to carve out a
niche there and fill a local marketing opportunity that we perceive with human
beings talking about Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15885 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. And your projected PBIT profit which is
relatively optimistic is based on what you have been talking about on the
research and the business guarantee that you have already conducted?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15886 MR.
McBRIDE: A combination. I mean the research ‑‑ I
would say that our financial forecasts are actually modest for what we had
discovered in the research. I prefer to
be modest in that area.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15887 My
experiences already in some of the smallest markets in this country indicate
that you can anticipate a higher return if the product is delivered
effectively.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15888 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15889 I
was interested when you talked about the voice tracked ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15890 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15891 THE
CHAIRPERSON: ‑‑ programming.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15892 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15893 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Can you elaborate on that,
please?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15894 MR.
McBRIDE: Of course I can.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15895 Everybody
voice tracks here and all across the country we voice track. And what it has become is a way of cost
control exercise for one or, in some cases, an ability to distribute one voice
over wide areas and multiple stations at the same time.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15896 But
voice tracking should really be a way for a programmer or a station operator to
get the possible announcer on the air.
We are not dealing and we won't be dealing with the highest and the best
paid broadcasters in the business. We
will be dealing with some young people, likely straight out of BCIT or shortly
thereafter, who show capacity or ability.
And by using a voice tracked environment we can actually use that to get
them better and to improve our product to a point where it is more palatable.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15897 So
the use of voice tracking can either be as a cost control device or as a
quality control device and a developmental tool. And that's the way I choose to see voice
tracking.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15898 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. What would be the typical ‑‑
the content of your voice tracked programming?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15899 MR.
McBRIDE: It wouldn't sound any different
from a live program. That's the whole
point, is that the evening program does not all of a sudden become paced.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15900 THE
CHAIRPERSON: M'hm.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15901 MR.
McBRIDE: You know? We continue on. The voice tracker will be required to deliver
the same content and participate as a full member of the operation. It's just that, given the skill level that we
are anticipating right now, that it would be more effective for them to use the
voice tracking technique to perfect their craft.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15902 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15903 MR.
McBRIDE: It also, Commissioner, gives
them a chance to hear themselves on the radio, which is very difficult for
developing broadcasters to do.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15904 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Now, are you ‑‑
are you planning for any syndicated programming?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15905 MR.
McBRIDE: That would be counter to our
philosophy of a local radio station, Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15906 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Do you anticipate any
synergies with Tofino and Ucluelet apart from what you had already mentioned,
some backroom accounting and such administrative costs?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15907 MR.
McBRIDE: No. Again, even in Tofino and Ucluelet, which are
only 40 kilometres away from each other, we do not share any services because
it defeats the whole point of having a local radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15908 THE
CHAIRPERSON: All right.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15909 Why
do you think this is the best use of the 98.7 frequency?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15910 MR.
McBRIDE: From a technical point of view
it works extremely well in that particular area. It delivers a very crisp, clean, well‑defined
signal that doesn't encroach on the Vancouver market so we can leave that
market to the heavier players who are here today. It does something a little different with the
radio business in general.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15911 We
are looking at taking a community and serving one community with one radio
station. That model originally was used
to develop most of the radio markets in Canada and our experience in operating
these very small community‑focused radio stations has been extremely
positive and it's time for us, our operations group here to roll that idea out
into slightly larger communities.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15912 So
we are going from, you know, Tofino and Ucluelet let's say both total
footprints 4,000 to something that is less than 10 times that large with
essentially the same principle. Can we do
local, tightly‑focused, highly customer and listener‑oriented
community radio?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15913 And
now we would like to do it in the context of a larger market because I think it
will work quite well and provide an exciting alternative without damaging or
taking away from any other of the very successful broadcasters in the market
today.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15914 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I believe Commissioner
Duncan has some questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15915 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: I do have some questions, mostly
because I'm from the other end of the country and I am not familiar with the
area. So if you wouldn't mind helping me
out?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15916 So
did I understand you to just say that Ucluelet and Tofino have a population of
4,000 combined?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15917 MR.
McBRIDE: No, 8,000 combined. Between 8 and 10 is the estimate for the
entire coverage region.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15918 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And is Pemberton in that,
included in that or is it different again?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15919 MR.
McBRIDE: No, Pemberton is north of Whistler.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15920 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And what would your population
be there that you are serving?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15921 MR.
McBRIDE: The total audience coverage up
there is 6,000.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15922 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And I notice in your application
that your forecasted numbers are something ‑‑ or your market
area served I think is around 30,000, just under 30,000.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15923 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15924 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: But when I look at the map and I
see that in the 3 millivolts is Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15925 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15926 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: So is that in your numbers? Are those in your numbers?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15927 MR.
McBRIDE: No, they are not. We are targeting the city of Port Moody with
our application and so we are using only the Port Moody figures, household
figures and audience figures.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15928 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: Okay. So will your signal spill over into Port
Coquitlam?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15929 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, it will.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15930 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And are there radio stations in
those two communities?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15931 MR.
McBRIDE: No, there aren't.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15932 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: There aren't either. Okay, all right. I am just trying to get an idea.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15933 And
so what ‑‑ I would think you would get some spin‑off
benefit there even though I know you are telling ‑‑ it's a
local station but what would be the population of those communities?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15934 MR.
McBRIDE: The Tri‑Cities area is the
figure that we know and it's 207,000.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15935 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And there is no radio stations?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15936 MR.
McBRIDE: Not yet.
‑‑‑ Laughter / Rires
LISTNUM
1 \l 15937 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: How many thousand again?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15938 MR.
McBRIDE: 207,000, Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15939 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: Okay, I won't ask that question
again. Okay, all right. Thank you, all right, just trying to
understand that.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15940 And
so the Vancouver stations because of the topography are those signals received
in Port Moody then?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15941 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, they are.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15942 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: They are.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15943 So
your ‑‑ I know your audience projections are a percentage of
the total Vancouver market. So I guess
really I am just relying on your income projections and you are showing, as the
Chair pointed out, a positive cash flow in year one.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15944 MR.
McBRIDE: We have done that everywhere
else we have been, Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15945 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: Yes, that's good.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15946 Thank
you very much.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15947 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Commissioner Cugini,
please.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15948 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: Thank you, Madam Chair.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15949 Just
a couple of follow‑up questions; 207 residents in the Tri‑City
area, that's your full coverage area?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15950 MR.
McBRIDE: 207,000.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15951 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: 207,000, right. And your core audience is 25 to 44. What is the median age of your listener?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15952 MR.
McBRIDE: 34.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15953 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: 34.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15954 MR.
McBRIDE: Is sort of where we settled on
as the building point for our target.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15955 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: And you are not skewing male or
female? You think pretty much it is
going to be even between the two?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15956 MR.
McBRIDE: Our indications are that this
format properly presented appeals to both genders equally.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15957 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: Okay. And in terms of the format you just confirmed
that the Vancouver radio signals are received in this Tri‑City area. Are all of them received?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15958 MR.
McBRIDE: In varying degrees of
quality. There is Burnaby Mountain which
gets in the way and can impair certain signals.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15959 So
they are all receivable out there, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15960 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: And I heard you say earlier that
you are going to carve out a niche and I understand that it's going to be
primarily with your spoken word programming because it will be community‑based
and it will be local.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15961 Because
when I look at your sample playlist; Killers, Amy Winehouse, Snow Patrol, Blue
October, I am going to hear those on Hot AC stations, for example, that are
coming from Vancouver in Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15962 MR.
McBRIDE: I would disagree with that,
Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15963 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: Okay, well, maybe I hear them on
Toronto Hot AC stations.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15964 MR.
McBRIDE: Their signals don't carry to
Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15965 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: That would be more likely the
case.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15966 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15967 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: I am sorry, can you repeat that?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15968 MS
COPELAND: Yes, you would probably hear
them in Toronto. But I think Matthew is
still whining that he never hears his favourite gal, Amy Winehouse.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15969 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: Okay. So your contention is that perhaps hot AC
stations are in fact in this area programmed differently than they would be in
other parts of the country?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15970 MS
COPELAND: I think so, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15971 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: Okay. So it's not just going to be simply on your
local programming that you will carve out the niche. It will be as well with the music that you
will be providing?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15972 MR.
McBRIDE: Our intent in selecting this
musical direction was to provide new music.
And that music is, in our opinion ‑‑ we all live
here. We all listen to the radio ‑‑
is that it's not being heard. I'm certain
it is played in this market but I haven't heard an Amy Winehouse record, you
know.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15973 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: And I agree with you. I just hope she gets her act together so she
can continue providing the talent, but she is amazing.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15974 MR.
McBRIDE: Before she drinks herself to
death, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15975 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: And the other thing I wanted to
say, Ms ‑‑ Doreen. I am
just going to call you Doreen.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15976 MS
COPELAND: Sure.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15977 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: I agree with you on Falling
Slowly and most important and ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 15978 MS
COPELAND: Did you see the movie?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15979 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: I haven't but I loved their
acceptance speech.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15980 MS
COPELAND: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15981 COMMISSIONER
CUGINI: That's all.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15982 Thank
you, Madam Chair.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15983 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Commissioner Menzies,
please.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15984 COMMISSIONER
MENZIES: Sorry, just a quick question.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15985 In
terms of establishing your identity as a local station, Tofino you mentioned
doing the hourly surf report, rain; expected tides; the fishing report, et
cetera. That is obviously very well
suited to those communities. What would
be the equivalent that would be well suited in the Port Moody/Port Coquitlam
area?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15986 MR.
McBRIDE: Tide reports, fishing reports.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15987 COMMISSIONER
MENZIES: Fishing, no surf though?
LISTNUM
1 \l 15988 MR.
McBRIDE: You can't get a big wave out
there.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15989 The
recreational aspects of that area ‑‑ it's at the head of
Burrard Inlet and Reed Point Marina is there.
It is one of the largest marinas in the region. Fishing and tide reports are absolutely
critical out there. The region has a
significant recreational network in terms of cycling pathways and outdoor
activities and those types of things will take prominence.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15990 Weather
means everything out here and the weather in Surrey is not the weather in Port
Moody so those, again, distinguish the local area.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15991 But
in addition to that the relation is going to be with the community activities
which, when you visit Port Moody, you discover it really does have its own
mindset and its own place and it's an excellent hook to hang a local radio station
on.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15992 COMMISSIONER
MENZIES: Okay, thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15993 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Commissioner Williams,
please.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15994 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: Good morning, Mr. McBride,
panellists.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15995 MR.
McBRIDE: Good morning.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15996 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: In talking about the other
radio stations that you own in Ucluelet, Tofino and Pemberton you say your
dedication to community service is simple, 100 percent local content and you
use uber‑service.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15997 MR.
McBRIDE: Uber‑service, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15998 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: And you regularly host live
performances there and deliver a high level of local emerging artist exposure
and it's staffed entirely by locals.
LISTNUM
1 \l 15999 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16000 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: You find them, you train them
and you let them reflect their talents and villages. And the you describe some of the characters
that you have developed ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16001 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16002 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: ‑‑ Chainsaw Pete and Jim the Naked Oyster Farmer
and ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16003 MR.
McBRIDE: He is a real person,
Commissioner.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16004 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: And so these are real people?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16005 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, sir.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16006 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: And so they decide their own
content? They just come forward with a
show and you play them to reflect the community or do you help ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16007 MR.
McBRIDE: You don't do that with Jim or
Chainsaw.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16008 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16009 MR.
McBRIDE: I mean we have to control them
and, you know, they are guests on our morning and our afternoon shows and they
provide regular contributions ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16010 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: Oh, I see, so there is an
announcer interacting with them that ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16011 MR.
McBRIDE: Oh, yes, we have a morning host
and the Duke of Yuke in the afternoon, yes, and they just kind of rope in these
characters. It's almost like a drop‑in
radio station.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16012 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: Have you identified Port Moody
characters of a similar nature that might provide a similar role in this
proposed radio station?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16013 MR.
McBRIDE: The Hat Lady.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16014 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: The Hat Lady?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16015 MR.
McBRIDE: The Hat Lady everyone knows her
out there. And absolutely, she was one
of the earliest supporters of this idea and, in fact, a motivator for us to
continue working, the Hat Lady.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16016 MR.
STANSFIELD: Everyone knows the Hat
Lady. As a resident of that region, of
Port Moody and I live, as I said before, in the heart of it in a new
development called Newport Village, in my research in talking with people on
the street in their face everybody ‑‑ their eyes lit up and it
was like "You mean our own radio station?" And there are characters out there. There are people that we can approach.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16017 I
have a good friend of mine that is a musician and has been for years, plays in
a local band and such. But he has played
with some of the greatest names in music over the years and there is a
character there that can be built.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16018 So
the region, you know, I guess you could say is built with a number of
characters and the Hat Lady is one of them right in the heart of Newport
Village.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16019 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: What is the significance of
this Hat Lady, like what does she offer?
I want to know what motivates you.
You said that's what motivated you.
‑‑‑ Laughter / Rires
LISTNUM
1 \l 16020 MR.
McBRIDE: She will probably get a job if
I describe it. A remarkable outgoing
personality who is just a naturally funny person and a talker who has ‑‑
runs a hat shop and it is kind of a character clothing shop. But because of that she knows every single
person in the community and can drop names at the drop of a hat and is entirely
and totally interested in what goes on in Port Moody.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16021 And
that is the extent of her world and she loves it. And she conveys that energy so well that when
I met her the very first time I immediately thought there is somebody for this
operation. That's the kind of person we
want to have.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16022 COMMISSIONER
WILLIAMS: Okay. Thank you very much for that.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16023 THE
CHAIRPERSON: I believe Commissioner
Duncan has a follow‑up question.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16024 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: Yes, I just have two questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16025 In
your remarks this morning you mentioned that 40 percent of your total songs
played will meet your definition of emerging artists.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16026 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16027 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And I am just wondering if you
would be willing to accept a COL that 40 percent of your music would be
emerging artists?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16028 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes, we will.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16029 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And that's ‑‑
all right. Well, if you have no problem
with doing that? That's a high content.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16030 MR.
McBRIDE: Oh, absolutely. It's where we are going.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16031 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: Okay. That's your local, okay.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16032 The
other point I wanted to ask you about you made an arrangement, I understand
from Mr. Stursberg's remarks yesterday, to coexist with CBC ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16033 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16034 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: ‑‑ using that frequency.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16035 And
I am just wondering, are there are risks associated with that, like potential
costs to you if certain conditions aren't met if their signal is interfered
with? What type of a cost does that
potentially involve for you and is that reflected in your statements, your
projections?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16036 MR.
McBRIDE: No, the costs aren't reflected
in there because the best consultative advice from our engineers is that we
don't anticipate one. If we do experience
one we are looking at something in the neighbourhood of $10 to $15,000 in
additional engineering required in order to shield ourselves from each other.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16037 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: And in your discussions with CBC
that's how they would see it as well. I
mean that that would be the magnitude of the problem or do they concern ‑‑
I am sure they must concern themselves with that. They must think it is solvable if they ‑‑
LISTNUM
1 \l 16038 MR.
McBRIDE: They do think it's
solvable. They do think that that is
speculative at this stage. I mean you
never really know until we turn it on.
I'm certain that their solution will come in at a different dollar value
than ours, yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16039 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: But one you can afford?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16040 MR.
McBRIDE: Well, we will afford our own,
yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16041 COMMISSIONER
DUNCAN: All right. Thank you very much.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16042 That's
it, Madam Chair.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16043 THE
CHAIRPERSON: One more follow ‑‑
well, I should never commit myself to the number of questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16044 But
I know that ‑‑ looking at your contour and you had mentioned
today that Maillardville falls within your, I think, 5 millivolt contour, are
you planning any French programming?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16045 MR.
McBRIDE: The station will be an English‑language
station but when you are dealing with a community event such as those in
Maillardville; yes, the notion of French does trickle out. But we will not be catering to the French
language, no ‑‑ French music.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16046 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Okay, one more.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16047 Well,
you know, on the local stations I acknowledge what you were saying about they
are probably not going to hear about the Port Moody council meeting even on an
issue as important as the Evergreen Line but I think the congestion in the Tri‑Cities,
the traffic there is actually covered by the local stations because that is
very much a part of the commuter traffic.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16048 Now,
how do you plan to do it better?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16049 MR.
McBRIDE: I think in this case it's not a
matter of necessarily doing it better because there is only one way to report a
traffic jam and it's by saying that.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16050 However,
if we didn't have that as part of our programming we wouldn't be providing the
service that we propose. And that
obviously would be a reason for somebody to look for that service elsewhere, so
that our traffic programming simply becomes an identifying device for the radio
station but a market reality. In this
region if you don't cover traffic and weather you are not in the game at
all. So that's our approach there.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16051 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Before I turn it over to
Legal just some ‑‑ how many do you think we should licence for
the Vancouver market? And if you were to
be one of the recipients of the licence who else do you believe would be the
most compatible with you?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16052 MR.
McBRIDE: I liked every applicant this
week, for starters, because we all seem to be going in roughly the same
direction and it validates our sensibilities about broadcasting.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16053 There
are a couple that I thought did standout quite well and, you know, certainly
from a formatic point of view the McLaughlin one looks so darn much like ours
that I can't but admire their genius in coming up with that format.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16054 I
really liked the SKY‑FM because, you know, I had previously been part of
an application for that format several years ago in Vancouver and I really
believe that that format has a big place in this city and that's a gap that
needs to be filled.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16055 But
I also liked Astral and Harvard. You
know, nobody put a bad proposal together.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16056 And
so I would have to say that if I had to ‑‑ if I had to choose
I wouldn't really. I would have to leave
to you. But you haven't heard a bad
application this week.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16057 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16058 Ms
Pinsky, our legal counsel, has some questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16059 MS
PINSKY: Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a couple of follow‑up
questions.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16060 With
regard to the emerging artist commitment you have indicated that 20 percent of
all musical selections would be Canadian emerging artists. Is that correct?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16061 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16062 MS
PINSKY: And would you commit to that
level by way of a condition of licence?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16063 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16064 MS
PINSKY: Thank you
LISTNUM
1 \l 16065 Then
with regard to the subcategory 34 jazz selections you have indicated as well
through your discussions with the Chair that 12.5 percent of the subcategory
34, that you would have 12.5 percent of subcategory 34. As I believe you are aware, and as the Chair
was explaining, the Commission's expectation is that 20 percent of that amount
would be Canadian content.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16066 Would
you be willing to accept a condition of licence requiring you to broadcast 20
percent of your subcategory 34 specifically as Canadian content?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16067 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16068 MS
PINSKY: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16069 And
then, just finally, you have undertaken to file a letter from the school
district with respect to the CCD eligibility criteria.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16070 MR.
McBRIDE: Yes.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16071 MS
PINSKY: When would you be in a position
to do that?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16072 MR.
McBRIDE: If I can have until Monday
afternoon?
LISTNUM
1 \l 16073 MS
PINSKY: That's fine.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16074 MR.
McBRIDE: It's report card time right
now.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16075 MS
PINSKY: The end of the day Monday is
fine.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16076 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16077 MS
PINSKY: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16078 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Mr. McBride and your team,
so this is the opportunity for your last minute pitch as to why you believe you
should receive a licence.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16079 MR.
McBRIDE: Thank you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16080 Commissioners,
CKPM‑FM Port Moody is the 17th applicant in a process that in our opinion
has 17 very good applications presented to you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16081 We
are not competing for a Vancouver licence, however. We are competing for an idea, the idea where
a local community can have a local radio station that suits their needs, serves
their purposes and is a true mirror of the community. A radio station that drops names; you know, where people who make things happen in
your hometown are heard; where stores, restaurants, auto dealers, mechanics and
even home‑based craft sellers can have their chance to advertise their
products, sell their business services and profit through the cost‑effective
use of local radio advertising; a simple fun‑loving local community
station where the garage band could actually get a record on the radio even if
only for one spin; where the Tri‑Cities' hockey championship game scores
will be broadcast and where the mayor, the council, the local MP and the MLA
all have a chance to speak and be heard.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16082 Port
Moody and the Tri‑Cities biggest community festivals won't be overlooked
or buried in the last 60 seconds of a late night newscast as filler. They will be front and centre with our full
commitment and coverage.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16083 CKPM
is a community radio station and programming; community involvement and
personality; operated by professional broadcasters looking to capture some of
the truly great things about our business, things like having some room to
speak, to make musical decisions, to build a real on‑air personality, to
take a program schedule, inject their passion into it and make it a fun,
exciting and relevant reflection of the people they serve; a small town radio
station in a small town just the other side of Burnaby Mountain bringing the
magic of local radio into the community.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16084 Commissioners,
we have done this before and we will do it again. Thank you for considering our application.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16085 THE
CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mr. McBride and
your team for your time and the presentation.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16086 Thank
you.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16087 Ms
Roy.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16088 THE
SECRETARY: We will take a 15‑minute
break, but I would ask all the applicants to come and see me to tell me if they
wish to do Phase II or not.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16089 Thank
you.
‑‑‑ Upon recessing at 0955 / Suspension à 0955
‑‑‑ Upon resuming at 1019 / reprise à 1019
LISTNUM
1 \l 16090 THE
SECRETARY: Please take a seat.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16091 We
have now reached Phase II in which applicants appear in the same order to
intervene on competing applications if they wish.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16092 0785330
B.C., Touch Canada, Newcap, Harvard, Astral Media Radio, Evanov Communication,
Nirenderjit Pataria, Jim Pattison, 902890 Alberta, Frank Torres and Matthew
Gordon McBride have indicated that they will not appear in Phase II.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16093 Therefore,
I would ask Vista Radio to come forward to the presentation table.
INTERVENTION
LISTNUM
1 \l 16094 MS
MICALLEF: Madam Chair, Commissioners, my
name is Margot Micallef and I'm the Chair and CEO of Vista Radio.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16095 To
my right is Brian Edwards who's the Vice‑Chair of Vista Radio and to my
left is Tony Gardner,
our consulting engineer.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16096 Madam
Chair and Commissioners, we would like to thank the Commission for the
opportunity to intervene at this stage of the proceeding. We will be brief.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16097 We
have focused perhaps late in the day on the CBC application gazetted as No. 27 for
Nanaimo in CRTC Public ‑‑ sorry, CRTC Notice of Public Hearing
2007‑18 and not raised, however, by the Commission in its preamble for
Vancouver in the same notice.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16098 The
application would, if approved as gazetted, prevent the use of 104.1 megahertz
in Vancouver by any of the commercial applicants for Vancouver at this hearing
for a Class C station on 104.1.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16099 We
do not oppose the CBC application, we would like, however, to be part of a
solution that would be more productive and ensure a more efficient use of the
last remaining FM frequency in Vancouver than would the improvement or
replacement of an existing service by a Class B‑1 station on 104.1.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16100 We
noted on pages 3 and 4 of the CBC's answer to a Commission deficiency question
regarding whether the corporation had considered the use of another frequency
for its Nanaimo proposal, the CBC's response was as follows:
"With respect to our proposed use of Channel 281 B‑1 for
Nanaimo, we have determined that there are no other viable FM frequencies to
serve this market. Other frequencies we
have examined, in our assessment, would have resulted in interference to
incumbent broadcasters which they, as is their right under Industry Canada's
rules, were not prepared to accept."
(As read)
LISTNUM
1 \l 16101 MS
MICALLEF: Vista was never consulted by
the CBC on any technical solution.
LISTNUM
1 \l 16102 Madam
Chair, Commissioners, Vista would, in fact, be prepared to waive its rights
under Industry Canada's rules and accept some minor interference to its Duncan
B.C. station on Vancouver Island if it made possible the implementation of the
CBC's proposal for Nanaimo while allowing the use of 104.1 in Vancouver by
Vista.
LISTNUM 1 \l 16103 Vista is no stranger to the need for accommodation to maximize the efficient use of the spectrum. Less than a year ago it was denied the use of 94.1 in Powell River, in part because its proposed technical parameters were mutually exclusive with the CBC's long‑range radio plan to implem