The CRTC announced Monday it has approved separate broadcasting licence applications for a French-language community FM radio station and a French-language commercial FM station in Joliette, Quebec.
In its March 2023 application, Radio Nord-Joli Inc. had said it wanted to operate a community FM station in Joliette to replace its existing French-language community station CFNJ-FM in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon (a town located roughly 35 kilometres north of Joliette). Radio Nord-Joli also requested to transfer its existing rebroadcasting transmitter in Saint-Zénon to the new licence and to revoke CFNJ-FM’s licence. The CRTC has approved these requests. The licence for Radio Nord-Joli’s new community FM station in Joliette will expire Aug. 31, 2030.
Operating at 99.1 MHz (the frequency already used by CFNJ-FM), the community radio station proposes to broadcast 126 hours of programming each week, of which 117 hours and 15 minutes will be devoted to local programming. This includes 11 hours and 22 minutes of news per week. In addition, Radio Nord-Joli proposes to broadcast approximately 18.7 per cent of programs from the spoken word category, and 60 per cent of the station’s musical selections will be drawn from the pop, rock and dance category, with 18 per cent of musical programming dedicated to local talent, including some emerging artists.
Radio Nord-Joli also proposes to initially maintain CFNJ-FM’s current programming, and then expand it to meet the needs of the new communities served by the new licence. It also proposes to broadcast in HD.
In a separate application filed in July 2021, Arsenal Media Inc. requested a broadcasting licence for a new French-language commercial FM station in Joliette. Arsenal proposed a country and folk music format aimed at adults aged 35 and older. Operating at 107.9 MHz, the station proposes to broadcast 126 hours of programming per week, of which at least 42 hours would be devoted to local programming and 150 minutes to local, regional, national and international news.
Arsenal said in its application the new station would be complementary to CJLM-FM, a pop and rock station it already owns and operates in Joliette. In addition to local programming, the new station proposes to broadcast programming from Arsenal’s other stations operating in Quebec as part of the Hit Country network, including CHCT-FM Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, CKYQ-FM Plessisville and CKGS-FM La Baie, Quebec.
The licence for Arsenal Media’s new commercial FM radio station, which must commence operation by May 27, 2026, will expire Aug. 31, 2030.
