The CRTC last week approved amendments to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB)’s operational plan for the Commercial Radio News Fund (CRNF), which distributes a portion of the five per cent base contribution money from streamers toward the programming of commercial radio broadcasters in smaller markets.
This follows the CRTC’s conditional approval in August 2025 of the CAB’s plan to administer the fund and the CAB’s subsequent filing of a revised plan in October at the request of the commission, which had asked for amendments to the governance, dispute resolution and outreach initiative plans for the CRNF.
In a Feb. 5 letter to CAB president Kevin Desjardins, the CRTC said it has approved the following amendments to the CAB’s operational plan: establishing the CRNF as a not-for-profit under the Canadian Not-for-Profit Corporations Act and electing a board of directors from all eligible members; removing the $125,000 cap on administration fees while maintaining the 1 per cent limit on contributions allocated to administrative costs; creating an advisory panel of internal and external stakeholders to assist the board in dispute resolution; and implementing a stronger outreach strategy to inform stations serving Indigenous and ethnocultural communities about the CRNF.
In regard to the advisory panel, the CRTC said it expects that a fair and transparent process will be used when selecting members for the panel.
The CAB began accepting applications to the CRNF last August.
