By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission announced, Oct. 19, that it will let Dufferin Communications move forward with the creation of a radio station in the Hudson-St. Lazare area.
In making the decision, the CRTC overturned objections by French-language broadcasters because “the proposed station would only reach the west-end of the island of Montreal.”
In addition, the CRTC noted that the 106.7 frequency it allocated is too close to CKIN-FM’s 107.3 frequency to permit the channel to be used in downtown Montreal.
The regulator allocated the frequency—“one of the rare frequencies still available in the Montreal market”—to the Toronto broadcasting firm, which already operates 14 other radio stations in Canada.
“Dufferin will introduce a valuable local service and add diversity,” the CRTC concluded, “especially in terms of local news.”
According to Statistics Canada, 80 per cent of the Hudson population and 45 per cent of the St. Lazare population are English-speakers.
Last year Dufferin’s parent company Evanov Communications received a license for a new French AM station in Montreal.
“We’re now a player in Quebec,” Evanov vice-president Carmela Laurignano said in a statement. “More importantly, it demonstrates the CRTC’s support of independent broadcasters who offer diversity and a new editorial voice in the area.”
The Hudson station will offer soft adult contemporary and easy-listening music, as well as spoken word, news, weather, sports, health and business broadcasts. It will join the company’s growing chain of radio outlets in cities such as Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Brantford and Hawkesbury.
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