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CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
The CRTC has approved CKNT's request to change its contours and its transmitter site. But it comes with a warning that shows the Commission is fed up with a station that was granted approval back in 2011 and still isn't on the air.
If you don't know CKNT, likely the most unfortunate call letters in radio history, it's supposed to be a new all-news/talk outlet at 960 AM based in Mississauga. The place has met endless delays and despite never-ending deadlines, they've yet to emit even a test signal.
The Commission noted in their last extension that they have to be on the air by November 30th of this year. Given that we're nearing the end of October, that doesn't leave them much time. In its decision on Thursday, the CRTC made it clear the end is near either way:
"The transmitter must be operational with the implemented technical change by no later than 30 November 2017. Should the licensee fail to meet that implementation deadline, the authority granted by the Commission in Broadcasting Decision 2011-722 will become null and void. 8159203 Canada would therefore be required to submit a new application for a broadcasting licence should it wish to operate the radio station."
So will they finally make it this time and will the world's longest gestating radio station make it to air? Stay tuned.
Although maybe not to 960, since there's still no signal there.
CTRC Decision
- Mike Cleaver
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
It's a 2000 watt AM station.
Shouldn't take that long to stick up an antenna and install the transmitter and processing.
- RadioActive
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
Maybe. But I'm not even sure they have any facilities or a physical plant chosen for the place. And not only that, do they actually have any employees? I can't fathom the idea that they've hired a staff of on air and back office people for the last six years, paying them for doing absolutely nothing. (After all, that's a job for our politicians.)
So are they going on a hiring spree of some kind? They better hurry. How long does it take to get a non-music station that's likely to be heavily reliant on talent up and running? Although I suppose it's all moot if all the CRTC wants to see (hear?) is some kind of carrier or barker announcement at 960 by Nov. 30th, even if there's nothing else on it.
It should be interesting to see if they make it and what, if anything, comes of their output.
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
RadioActive wrote:
And not only that, do they actually have any employees?
Music radio may have a 35-40% Can Con rule but there is no regulation for talk radio in Canada.
The station could be 24/7 American networks easily.
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- tvguy
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
According to the technical brief (most recent) filed this past summer the antenna will magically appear Antenna at 6550 Danville Road locatedin west end of existing parking lot
- RadioActive
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
Music radio may have a 35-40% Can Con rule but there is no regulation for talk radio in Canada. The station could be 24/7 American networks easily
I don't think the CRTC would allow that, and certainly not in this case. If you look at their Promise of Performance, it's pretty clear what you're suggesting would violate everything they vowed to do to get their licence.
From the Commission's approval announcement from way back in 2011:
"The station would provide Mississauga residents with local news and information, including coverage of city council, local business issues, and community related political and social events. The station would also provide sports, weather and traffic, as well as a community forum for public discourse and debate during its mid-morning program Mississauga Voices.
"[They would also] broadcast 126 hours of spoken word programming each broadcast week, of which at least 101 hours would be local. A maximum of 25 hours would be automated programming. Programming would include 28.5 hours of structured newscasts and news programs per broadcast week, 80% of which would focus on local Mississauga news stories."
So only 25 hours a week could be automated and only another 25 hours could be from a separate non-local source, which I assume might cover any U.S. imports, assuming they can get the rights to them. Judging by their promises, they have quite a lot of local programming to create themselves and it remains to be seen if they'll actually be able to do it.
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Thread Starter- splunge
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
lol PoP's aren't worth the paper they are written on once an application is approved.
- Radiowiz
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
"coverage of city council" is nothing more than an audio feed.
City council is not staff...CKNT can run that in a loop of "Encore presentation" to buy themselves some time to round up staff.
How do they sign on November 30, if they need to declare that they are still testing the signal?
City council is perfect for their test run.
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- TheSarge
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
The decision states the "transmitter" must be operational by Nov 30th. This means as long as they can produce a carrier at their authorized power they are good to go. They could simply have a tone on the air if they wanted to go that route.
- RadioActive
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
From what I've read of their described programming, that might well be more interesting than what they have planned!
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Thread Starter- cGrant
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Re: CRTC To CKNT: Be On Air By Nov. 30th Or Your Licence Is Gone
640 must be shaking in their boots.