It’s hard to believe anyone would try and squeeze yet another station into the incredibly crowded GTA dial, but someone made the attempt. In this case, it was the International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association, which thought the Toronto suburb would be the perfect place for a new All-Christian format.
 
The CRTC looked into it and found there was simply no room for yet another signal and has ruled the market is too crowded. But what’s perhaps most interesting about this application is those who opposed it.
 
It’s not surprising that CJYE, the all-Christian outlet at 1250 in Oakville, wouldn’t want any competition. But in their intervention to the Commission, they noted they were hoping to take their signal off AM and switch it to FM. The CRTC didn’t have a lot of time for that request. “Regarding the conversion of its AM Oakville station to the FM band, the Commission notes that as the available contour would serve a distinct market from that which it is licensed to serve, the available frequency in Scarborough would not realize their objective of an AM to FM conversion.”  
 
Corus objected strictly on the grounds that there are already too many competing stations in the market.
 
Bell, Rogers and Stingray didn’t oppose the newcomer, as long as it “is made clear in the licensing decision that the station cannot be converted into a full power station. They noted that there is a risk for technical interference with first-adjacent stations CHOQ-FM and CHRY-FM, owned by Cooperative Radiophonique de Toronto inc. and the Canadian Centre of Civic Media and Arts Development Incorporated, respectively.”
 
And while I’m willing to bet most people don’t even know there already is a station in Scarborough – the ethnic formatted CJRK, branded as East FM – they said it was OK, as long as they stuck to the religious stuff in English and didn’t try to copy them, because they’re still not making money three years in.
 
Still, this may not be over yet. Because it would be a religious format that doesn’t compete for ad dollars and may rely on donations, the CRTC says it’s willing to study the proposal further at a future hearing.
 
The one thing that isn’t addressed in the CRTC document is exactly where another station could be shoehorned in. Even at a low power, I can’t imagine an opening in the dial that wouldn’t just add to the noise on FM. But given the statements about interference with CHOQ (105.1) and CHRY (105.5) it would have to be 105.3. I just can’t believe any signal could be put there given how many others are already nearby.
  
CRTC Broadcasting Decision