A public hearing for Cabin Radio’s application to broadcast on FM in Yellowknife begins on Tuesday.
The CRTC, which regulates FM radio in Canada, has sent a three-person panel to Yellowknife to hear Cabin Radio present its case.
The public hearing begins at 10am at the Explorer Hotel. The first item on the agenda will be Cabin Radio’s main presentation.
Anyone can attend. You can also watch the hearing on the CRTC’s website.
The hearing, which is due to take two days, will also involve Vista Radio – the operator of 100.1 True North FM – requesting a second FM licence in Yellowknife.
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Vista Radio has argued there is no room for a second commercial FM station in Yellowknife, which has a population of 20,000 people.
The BC-based company used its application for a second licence to expand on that argument and told the CRTC if a second licence is awarded, giving it to Vista would do the least economic damage in a market that it believes cannot sustain two stations.
Cabin Radio has argued the market can support two stations as it has been doing so for seven years, since Cabin is firmly established within the local economy. (You can view the full Cabin Radio application here.)
The proceedings on February 11 and 12 will include interventions from members of the public who have registered to speak, as well as questions from the CRTC to the applicants.
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You can’t sign up to speak on the day, but you can attend and show your support for the applicant of your choice.
The agenda for the public hearing, including the full list of speakers, is available on the CRTC’s website.
More: Hundreds of people file comments supporting Cabin Radio’s FM bid
The CRTC must ultimately choose between Cabin Radio and Vista Radio or select another option, such as not issuing any new licence at all – or issuing a new licence to both. The timeline for its decision is not yet clear.
Cabin Radio applied for an FM licence in 2019.
The CRTC said no in 2023, asserting that Yellowknife was not large enough for two commercial stations, but reversed course a year later and launched a new licensing process.
