Cabin Radio and Vista Radio made their pitches to Canada’s broadcasting regulator on Tuesday to operate a new commercial FM radio station in Yellowknife.
A three-person panel from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, is overseeing the two-day public hearing on both companies’ FM licence applications.
The hearing began on Tuesday morning with representatives from Cabin Radio making their case for why they should be granted a licence.
Ollie Williams, one of the owners of the company, said Cabin Radio is not a new entrant to the market as it has operated a live audio stream online since March 2018. He said having a FM licence would allow Cabin Radio to increase its spoken word and current affairs broadcast content.
Williams, alongside host Sarah Erasmus and owners Andrew Goodwin, Jesse Wheeler and Scott Letkeman, highlighted Cabin Radio’s journalism and audio programming, advertising and its support for northern artists, voices and community initiatives.
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Williams and Goodwin argued Cabin Radio is an existing market force that’s profitable and growing, fills a gap in the market and has community support for an FM licence.
Williams said he “would be very confident” of Cabin Radio’s ability to operate if both it and Vista Radio were granted a commercial FM licence.
Following Cabin Radio’s presentation, representatives of Vista Radio – which operates 100.1 True North FM, currently the only commercial FM radio station in Yellowknife – argued the city cannot sustain a second commercial FM radio station.
“It would have a massive impact on our existing service, having another FM station in the market right now,” said Joe Gabor, vice-president of business at Vista Radio.
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Gabor said if the CRTC does decide, however, that it is in the public interest to issue another commercial FM licence in Yellowknife, “the most beneficial and responsible approach” would be to grant that licence to Vista. He said in that case, the company plans to operate a “hot AC” or adult contemporary station aimed at listeners aged 18 to 49 that would support new and emerging artists, which he said are underserved in the city.
Gabor said while granting Cabin Radio a FM licence would greatly impact True North FM, granting Vista Radio a second licence would have a smaller impact on their existing station and “wouldn’t be the death” of it.
Station manager Robin Ram highlighted Moose FM’s rebrand to True North FM in 2020, which he said marked a renewed focus on programming and community engagement. He also spoke about the station’s charitable initiatives, event sponsorships and support for northern artists and voices.
During their presentations, both Cabin Radio and Vista Radio responded to questions from the CRTC panel about programming, equity and diversity and the impact of a potential trade war between Canada and the US on their revenues.
The hearing is set to continue on Wednesday. Six people are scheduled to speak in support of Cabin Radio’s application and one person is set to speak in support of Vista Radio’s application.
The hearing, located at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, is open to the public. It is also being streamed on the CRTC’s website.
The CRTC must ultimately decide whether to issue a new FM licence to either one of, both or neither Cabin Radio or Vista Radio. The timeline for its decision is currently unclear.
