March, 08, 2004
By Alex J.Walling

I’m treading into dangerous territory and that is trying to predict the CRTC. Halifax and the WTCC in particular are hosting the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission as some 21 applicants are vying for radio station licenses in the Maritime Provinces.

11 of those are going for a license in Halifax. There seems to be very little doubt that at least one to as many as three or four licenses (that includes the small 50-watt outlet) could be handed down.

Is there a sure thing?

Usually there is no such thing as a ‘sure thing’ or ‘slam dunk’. In years gone by the CRTC has shocked if not stunned people by awarding licenses to people the ‘so called experts’ thought had no chance to awarding a whole bunch of stations when only one was thought to be the case, as in Alberta in the early 80’s.

I will go on the limb and say that I will be shocked, stunned and silenced (that is a rarity) if Maritime Broadcasting (MBS) does NOT get a license.

Their presentation was not only good it simply makes so much sense.

MBS via Merv Russell did a terrific job in showing what has happened to the radio market in this city over the past ten years.

In 1994 CHUM had two stations (C100, CJCH), NewCap had two (CFDR and Q-104), MBS had two (CHNS and CHFX) and there was one independent (CIEZ-FM, a.k.a. SUN)

Then in the mid 90’s NewCap took over SUN and the balance was 3-2-2. MBS told the commission they could live with that.

But then came the merger/affiliation/LMA where by NewCap started to run the CHUM stations in addition to the ones they owned. So all of a sudden the score was 5-2 against MBS. The guys with the lead live in the ‘pink palace’ on Agricola.

A couple good sports analogies were used by MBS. One by Merv Russell, a shareholder of the company, who used Scott tourney of heart curler Colleen Jones as a ‘for example’. He said: “Colleen is a great curler but what chance would she have if her rink only had two stones while the other team had five.”

Robert Pace, the Chairman of the company, used a hockey one is saying: “It seems we are always playing defense. It’s always 5 vs 3 against us. We want to draft Sidney Crosby and have some hope.”

They (MBS) showed that MRG (Metro radio Group) offer 70% of the available air time in Metro and that their profits are much higher than MBS something like 30% to 10%.

Maritime told the commission that they have been around here for some 77 years (CHNS) and are in the very small areas of the Maritimes (Digby, 2000 pop and Sussex, 3900 pop).

The term they used and hammered, time and time again was ‘competitive imbalance’ and that this was a ‘very critical hearing for their company’.

In so far as interveners they had some very good ones with Fred MacGillivray, CEO of the WTCC, to musician Terry Kelly and business person Darrell Blenus. All of them came across as very creditable and said the format proposed by MBS Adult Contemporary (A/C) is where they want to be heard, and advertised on.

There is no way I can see the CRTC NOT awarding them a license. So, let’s say they get one.

Who gets the other or others?

The problem with these hearings is while one can get a good feel and see how they re-act to the commission ‘on the spot’ questions there is also the very extensive written proposals which go very much in depth into certain facets that may not get into the hearing.

One case in point would be the Global application that wants a modern ‘easy listening’ station called ‘The Breeze’.

Their written application is a strong one but that didn’t come out at this hearing. It seems the parties got bogged down in the Global research and methodology. The spent nearly one hour on a survey and therefore so much of their proposal was never touched.

I took in most of the hearings and here are some comments:

ROGERS: They want two stations in Halifax an urban station and a news-talk. But that is tied into other applications for similar formats for Moncton and Saint John. They are not prepared, news wise, to go into the other markets if they don’t get Halifax.

CKO was news-talk some 15 years ago and it bombed but Rogers says their service will be more local and regional while CKO’s was national.

It’s going to take a great leap of faith by the CRTC. All News/Talk is a strong format in Toronto and Vancouver but they have a much more populated area. Just how much news and sports is there in Moncton/Saint John? In fact, during the summer months, when Halifax City Hall is shut down, our MLA’s are on summer holidays and the House of Commons is in recess….where, will the news come from for the largest centre in Atlantic Canada?

A case can be made for all applicants other than the East Coast Broadcasters who I am convinced just didn’t realize what they were getting into.

The commission isn’t just a group of five sitting at a table. On the side tables there are some 10 people who are there to help the commissioners if need be. Also these people along with the commission have done their homework and some of the applicants didn’t seem to understand that.

East Coast Broadcasting couldn’t answer the most basis questions. In fact their spokesperson at times would get confused and then pass it off to another member who didn’t have a clue.

I’m not being critical but most of the presentations were done by people who ‘know the process’ and have been their before.

The best presentation, in terms of the outline and the ability to answer was Astral who want two stations in this marketplace, an alternative rock and urban station. They are prepared to accept the alternative license but would not take the urban stand alone license and told the commission so.

They own stations in New Brunswick and tons of media in Quebec. There was an application for a Christian music station by a Rev Jeff Lutes of Moncton who has a station in that city. A great voice, great speaker but it amazes me how he couldn’t handle questions from the CRTC.

It seems many of these applicants simply don’t want to ‘commit’ or be ‘nailed down’ in their public pronouncements. News to them: The CRTC will ask, and ask and re-ask until they get an answer/commitment. They got one from Rev Lutes who is being assisted by Rev Jerry Kendrick of Halifax.

Kendrick has an interesting media past having worked nearly 25 years in Halifax at CHNS from the late 50’s to the mid 70’s as news and program director. He hired such on air people as Don Connolly (CBC), Don ‘Mabee in the Morning’ and some sports guy with a middle initial.

There were stations (Halifax JAMZ) and K-Scope, a low power community based station that made sense to the commission. What didn’t make sense were the answers given by the people representing the applicants.

These people should hire a broadcaster who has ‘done it’ and ‘been there’ before and there are many in this city from Jordi Morgan, to Findlay McDonald to others who could have assisted.

One guy (Lutes) was going to run the station on two people and a computer from Moncton while the K-Scope people didn’t have a clue just how many volunteers it would take or they would have.

Research, research and more research and it was not done.

Now comes the waiting period and that is unpredictable. I spoke to one CRTC underling and he figured by late summer but then said, the Edmonton hearing, held last year, (June) is still not revealed and that is going on NINE MONTHS!!!!

There were many formats and none (other than East Cost Broadcasting) would surprise me and I expect all who get licenses will have conditions attached to them.

The hearing for applications in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton continues for most of this week.