OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC put on the public record Friday a slew of applications for new radio stations in Ottawa-Gatineau, along with several new TV proposals (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2008-1).
Telelatino Network is looking for Category 2 digital TV licences for four new stations, while Rogers Broadcasting is seeking to operate a national English-language digital TV station devoted to baseball, called appropriately Baseball TV.
Among the 11 applications for radio licences in the Ottawa-Gatineau area are: Reel-Radio for a French-language campus radio station, Fiston Kalambay for a French-language Christian music service, Corus Radio Company for an English-language FM news/talk format station, Christian Hit Radio for an English-language FM religious spoken word station, Ottawa Media for an English-language FM adult album alternative format station, Astral Media for an English-language FM soft adult music format, Frank Torres for a blues music format station, and Mark Steven Maheu for a pop alternative music format station.
Rogers said its proposed TV channel would offer programming consisting “of in-depth analysis and coverage of all aspects of baseball from the professional major leagues to minor and amateur teams.”
Also applying for a sports-related digital Category 2 specialty TV channel is RDL Media inc., which is proposing a French-language station, Radical Tele, which would be devoted to the best “non-traditional” sports. These sports include snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, wakeboarding and freestyle motocross, and the channel would also cover the lifestyle, including fashion, surrounding these extreme sports.
Telelatino is seeking Category 2 licences for Eurolatino Television, Italian Television, Spanish Television and Pan Desi Life TV (targeting Canadians with origins from South Asia, particularly India).
Also, there’s an application for a national English-language Category 2 pay TV station, called Northern Peaks, which is proposing to offer adult programming with a high percentage of Canadian content.
The deadline for written comment on these applications, and the others gazetted Friday, is April 18. A public hearing on the applications will be held on May 13 in Gatineau, Quebec.
