This is unfortunate but with no bidders from the Black community the CRTC doesn't seem to have had much choice. (Not that this is the Black community's fault - until recently not a lot of Black people in Canada have been able to get into broadcasting - remember Hal Johnson's story a few months ago about how he was hired, and then unhired, by TSN in the 1980s because they already had their quote of one Black guy and didn't want a second). It also would have been more likely for a consortia of Black broadcasters and performers to pull together a bid had G98 not been badly in debt - and an internal bid would have been possible had the possible bidders not had to choose between putting up money for the station or continuing their lawsuit for money they're owed. 

I'm cautiously optimistic about this. Mr. Ray, as many 3rd language operators do, has experience with making radio work beyond the traditional ratings=revenues model. Getting advertising from businesses invested in the station's community can work. If this goes through, we'll most certainly hear paid-time specialty shows where the host is also the salesperson for that timeslot. That's not necessarily bad. 

Last edited by RadioAaron (October 14, 2020 7:16 pm)