OTTAWA – The CRTC appears on the verge of having to revoke another radio licence.
Radio Express inc., the owner of the French-language CKOD-FM based in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC, doesn’t appear to have cleaned up its act since the commission last checked in.
Last August, the regulator granted the station only a nine-month licence renewal until May 31, 2007 and slapped it with four mandatory orders in an attempt to get it to comply with its licence conditions. The mandatory orders were filed with the Federal Court and failure to comply with them could result in contempt of court charges.
The station was found to be negligent in the amount of French-language music broadcast, the submission of logger tapes and annual reports to the CRTC and its contributions to Canadian talent development.
Moreover, control of Radio Express was changed in 2004, without the CRTC’s prior approval. Radio Express president Robert Brunet said at a CRTC public hearing last March that his background was in the concrete industry and he was inexperienced in broadcasting.
In granting the nine-month licence renewal, the CRTC stated it expected the licensee “to explore the means available to correct the deplorable situation noted by the commission, taking into account the commission’s very serious concerns expressed above as to the ability of the current licensee … to operate the station.”
Radio Express’ latest licence renewal will be considered at an April 30 public hearing in Gatineau, QC (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2007-3-2).
“It appears to the commission that the licensee may have, again, failed to comply with section 9(2) of the [Radio] Regulations regarding the submission of its annual report for the year ending August 31, 2006,” states the CRTC in the public notice. “The commission therefore intends to inquire into this matter at the hearing. …[It] will want to discuss with the licensee of all other measures taken or those that could be taken in order to address the concerns raised by this situation, including the imposition of conditions of licence.”
The latest licence renewal application signed March 15 by Brunet is bare bones – consisting mostly of checked yes or no boxes. Under the section inquiring about what ways other than airtime could emerging artists be promoted, he simply writes: “promotional and awareness activities.” Under the section asking for examples of measures already taken to help designated groups such as women, Aboriginals, people with disabilities and visible minorities, Brunet pens, “six men and six female employees.”
Written comments on CKOD-FM’s licence renewal are due by April 10.
When the CRTC last refused to renewal a radio licence – that of CHOI-FM in Quebec City in 2004 – protesters took to the streets. The matter also spent more than two years before the courts as the owner, Genex Communications Inc., attempted to remain on the air. The licence of the problem-child radio station was eventually taken over by Radio Nord Communications.
