Get the Top, Local stories delivered to your inbox! Click here to join the daily Vernon Matters newsletter.

CRTC rules on Vernon radio application

Dec 13, 2019 | 3:47 PM

It’s a positive development for a local group looking to get a community radio station on the air in Vernon.

The Vernon Community Radio Society applied for a broadcasting licence in September 2018 which led to a process to gather input on the capacity of the Vernon market for another station.

In a ruling issued this week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said the Vernon market cannot support another commercial radio station at this point.

“However, given that community stations generally do not raise concerns pertaining to commercial impact, the Commission will publish the application by Vernon Community Radio Society (VCRS) for a broadcasting licence to operate a new community FM radio station to serve the Vernon market as part of the non-appearing phase of a future public hearing,” the ruling stated.

“Since no other party besides VCRS expressed an interest in serving this market, the Commission considers that it is not necessary to issue a call for applications.”

Gord Leighton from the society says it’s encouraging news for them.

“It’s not a total green light, but it’s probably the biggest hurdle we had to get past. So the next one will probably be a public hearing down the line,” he said.

Leighton, a radio industry veteran with over five decades of experience, says the next step will be the CRTC placing their application on the agenda on an upcoming public hearing.

He says that could be as early as next March with a final decision possibly a six weeks to two months after that.

“It’s a slow process, but it is what is is,” Leighton told Vernon Matters.

The group plans to call the station Valley FM, with a frequency of 97.9 on the FM dial.

Click here for the full CRTC decision.

View Comments