GATINEAU — Vista Radio’s application for a broadcasting licence to operate an oldies music FM radio station in North Bay, Ont., was approved Monday by the CRTC.
The English-language commercial FM station will operate on the 90.5 MHz frequency and will broadcast 126 hours of local programming each broadcast week, of which 10 hours and 28.5 minutes will be devoted to spoken-word programming, according to the applicant information included in the Commission’s decision approving the radio station’s licence.
In each broadcast week, seven hours and 46 minutes of spoken-word programming will be devoted to local news and information, with two hours and 50 minutes of newscasts devoted to local and regional news, and 50 minutes devoted to national and international news, Vista Radio says in its application. Local information will include news, road conditions, weather and information about upcoming community events. The station will broadcast news and information at regular intervals from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET each weekday, plus additional weekend newscasts.
Vista Radio is proposing to operate the new oldies music station jointly with its existing station in North Bay, CFXN-FM (Moose FM). Vista Radio is controlled by Westerkirk Capital Inc., which in turn is controlled by Thomson Investments Limited. It asked for a new station licence last year and there were no competing applications.
The Commission held a public hearing in February regarding Vista Radio’s licence application and received an intervention opposing the application from Rogers Media, which owns three radio stations in North Bay. Rogers argued a new North Bay station would have an undue financial impact on existing operators in the market and make it difficult to sustain local news and information services, because radio stations already compete for local advertising sales with local television stations and newspapers.
In its reply to Rogers’ intervention, Vista Radio referred to the economic and radio market trend information it included in its previous response to the CRTC, saying the North Bay market is underserved and capable of supporting an additional radio station.
In its decision to approve the new radio station’s licence, the Commission says the oldies music format of the station is complementary to the current radio offerings in the North Bay market (no other radio station has an oldies format). In addition, the station’s offer of a little over 10 hours a week of spoken-word programming will provide an additional source of information for listeners, says the Commission. As such, the new station would contribute to the musical and spoken-word programing diversity in the North Bay market, adds the Commission.
In approving the licence (which expires August 31, 2026), the Commission accepted Vista Radio’s proposed contribution of $140,000 over seven consecutive broadcast years toward the promotion and development of Canadian content, which is in addition to the basic annual contribution to Canadian content development.
Vista runs 44 radio stations in BC, Alberta, NWT and Ontario as well as 33 community websites where it owns radio stations, such as My Timmins Now.
