By David Farrell
James Cridland’s predictions for radio in 2019
Most of his bets on changes in the coming year are predictable, but one will stop you in your tracks. The well-travelled and self-styled ‘radio futurologist’ suggest that people will fall out of love with live and linear radio on their mobile phone.
“This is already happening, says some of the statistics that I'm following,” he writes. “Music radio is a poor second choice to the interactive delights of Spotify or YouTube Music, with lower ad-loads and interactivity. Talk radio is, in some ways, a poor second choice to podcasting. We'll see more of the type of services like Kronehit in Austria offers - a way to stay with a live radio service, but also to skip songs and segments you don't like. – Read all of James’s predictions by linking to the embed in the above headline.
Strident mayoral candidate Faith Goldy ordered to pay Bell Media legal fees
Right-winger and former Rebel Media scribbler Faith Goldy has lost her case against Bell Media’s refusal to air her campaign ads on local TV in the run-up to Toronto’s mayoral campaign. Justice Peter Cavanagh has ordered Goldy to hand over $43,117.90 to cover Bell’s legal fees resulting from her suit. – The Canadian Press
JAZZ.FM loses a round in court
A Superior Court of Ontario judge chastised JAZZ.FM91 on Friday morning, saying the not-for-profit Toronto radio station had been “playing games” to prevent a dissident shareholder group from lobbying members for changes in the organization’s board of directors. The failed legal tussle leaves the not-for-profit responsible for paying $20K to the plaintiff for legal costs. – Simon Houpt, The Globe and Mail
Vista Radio raises $1.5M for local charities
The BC-based company made the announcement of its success raising money for local charities in the more than 40 markets its radio stations serve on its website last week. The funds went to more than 10K community agencies and events in the past year, with staff volunteering more than 15K hours in their communities.
CRTC shames Quebec community station for a decade of non-compliance
It all started way back in 2005 when a Rimouski, Quebec community outlet called CKMN-FM got into trouble with the feds for being in non-compliance with regulations. In that case, they failed to keep proper music lists. As punishment, the CRTC gave them a short-term four-year licence renewal.
You’d think that might have taught them a lesson.
It didn’t.
Flash forward to 2011 and the CRTC calls the same place on the carpet, this time for failing to file their annual returns. Again, they got away with a shorter-than-normal licence renewal.
But it didn’t end there. Speed ahead to 2015, and in the words of Britney Spears, Oops, they did it again. Once more, the Commission found they hadn’t followed the rules. Strike three? Nope. For some reason, the Solons in Hull decided to extend their licence term yet again, this time for just three years to see if they could get their act together.
Which brings us to 2018. Finally, finally, after more than a decade of complete incompetence or recalcitrance, the CRTC called a hearing to ask why their licence shouldn’t be pulled.
CKMN management admitted their problems, assured the commissioners they’d retrained staff and bought new tracking software and promised they’d fixed everything. So even though the CRTC called the non-compliance issues “serious” and noted it had gone on for “a fourth consecutive term,” they renewed their licence yet again on Friday – this time for just two years.
But this one comes with a catch. The station must air the following announcement once a day between 6-10 AM or 4-6 PM for five days in a row, although it will presumably be in French:
“Radio frequencies are a limited public resource. Holding a broadcasting licence is a privilege, and broadcasters are required to abide by a number of regulations and conditions of licence in order to operate a radio station. In Broadcasting Decision 2018-468, the CRTC determined that this station was in non-compliance with the Radio Regulations, 1986 and Broadcasting Order 2015-347 imposed at last licence renewal. The instances of non-compliance occurred during the 2015-2016 broadcast year and are a recurring issue. CKMN-FM has put measures in place to ensure that these non-compliances do not recur.” – Source: RadioActive, SOWNY.net
RIP
Tom Armour, a fixture on Montreal radio for more than half a century, has died at the age of 79.
His family says the longtime CJAD 800 newscaster passed away last week at St. Mary's Hospital.
During his time on the air, Armour's calm, authoritative voice guided Montrealers through some of the most exhilarating and tumultuous times in the city's history, from Expo 67 and several Habs' Stanley Cup wins to the 1970 October Crisis.
His radio career dates back to the 1950s, working as a 20-year-old at Quebec City's CJQC in 1959. He also did some television work in the provincial capital before moving on to Cornwall.
In 1961, he arrived in Montreal to work for CFCF radio, and its then-brand-new television station, before joining CJAD 800 in 1965.
He left CJAD 800 in the mid-1970s to work elsewhere, but returned in 1993, where he remained until his retirement in 2015. – Richard Deschamps, CJAD
