OTTAWA and KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON – CBC Radio’s Waterloo Region morning show will resume its broadcast Friday morning after receiving CRTC approval of its broadcast license Thursday afternoon – which it didn’t have when it first launched the station last month.
CBC Radio called the mistake an “operational error,” and suspended the show late Tuesday following a complaint filed with the CRTC by the Ontario Association of Broadcaster’s government committee that the station had launched without CRTC approval.
The Kitchener-Waterloo Record quoted CBC spokesperson Angus McKinnon, who said, “This was a very regrettable oversight. We apologize for it.” He said the mistake occurred because “we got caught up in the momentum of launching the station.”
The OAB had previously taken the CBC to task over a proposal made during the public broadcaster’s recent license renewal hearing with the Commission that would allow the CBC to run commercial ads on its radio properties. OAB president Douglas Kirk said the association “steadfastly and vigorously” opposed the idea of re-commercialization of the CBC, saying it would be detrimental to smaller private broadcasters.
The Commission approved CBC Radio Waterloo’s license until 2019. It's not known yet when a decision on the CBC's license renewal is coming from the CRTC.
