The Commission has come out with a long list of proposed changes that could come to the Canadian radio industry, arranging two consultations on the subject.
There's a lot here but two things need to be said - most of this is regulatory in nature and it won't change the CanCon regs. for music and it's simply designed to make running a radio station easier for owners.
To me, the biggest change could be to how long the licences would last. Anyone who's ever been to a CRTC licence renewal hearing knows how painful or drudgery-filled it can be. If the new rules were to be put into effect, there would be a lot longer time between when station owners would have to go to the Commission for a renewal.
Among the possible changes:
- indeterminate licence terms for all stations, regardless of the type of licence;
- indeterminate licence terms for all AM radio stations;
- 20-year licence terms for community and campus radio stations;
- 15-year licence terms for commercial radio stations with annual revenues of less than $2 million; and
- 10-year licence terms for commercial radio stations with annual revenues of more than $2 million.
The hope is to remove red tape and
"to facilitate the entry of new players into the market" where available frequencies exist.
All this comes at a time when radio is reeling and not as healthy as it once was. The Commission hopes easing the rules will also ease the burdens and help revitalize the industry.
You can read about everything they're studying here.
