BANFF – The Banff Centre has applied to the CRTC for permission to acquire the assets and licences for the only two local radio stations in Banff.
“Operating these stations on a self-sustaining basis will ensure continued local community service to Banff,” said Jeff Melanson, president of The Banff Centre. “We also want to strengthen that service with more content about and from Banff.”
The Banff Centre says its entry into radio is a natural evolution in its ongoing commitment to expand its horizons and share the artistry of Canada with Canadians and the world.
“One of our goals at The Banff Centre is to share the artistic work that has been and is being created here,” added Melanson. “Ensuring the survival of local radio service and permitting local and Canadian artists to share their work with our neighbours, friends, and visitors from near and far offers the broadcasting system and our community a very tangible benefit.”
The Banff Centre’s applications concern CFPE-FM and CFPF-FM (Park Radio and Radio du Parc), which have served the Town of Banff and Banff National Park in English and French, respectively, for 17 years. While now operated by The Friends of Banff National Park Fellowship, changes over the past year within the volunteer organization have led it to reconsider its future, and in early 2012 it began discussions with The Banff Centre regarding the stations’ survival.
“I am so excited that the Banff Centre is working to take on Park Radio and to continue doing the important work that the Friends of Banff National Park started and enhance that work through the resources available to them,” said Leslie de Bie, executive director of the Friends of Banff National Park. “The radio allows us to work with different partners to tell the stories of the lives here, and to share the music, the passion, and the culture of this area with others around the world.”
Over the past several months Banff Centre staff has worked closely with the Friends of Banff National Park to devise a plan that will ensure continued local radio service in Banff, while offering the town’s residents and visitors to its annual festivals and Banff National Park enhanced access to a wide range of original, dynamic, and almost entirely Canadian programming.
