An effort to put Ponoka on the radio dial has failed, but the man behind the initiative says he’s not giving up.
Leduc-based Blackgold Broadcasting Inc. applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last year for approval to launch an FM country music station in Ponoka.
A hearing into the application took place Nov. 12, and this week the CRTC announced that it has rejected the proposal.
In a written decision released Wednesday, the national radio and television regulator said a new broadcaster in Ponoka “could have an undue negative impact on existing radio stations, most notably those in Wetaskiwin and Lacombe.”
“We’re disappointed, but we’re not giving up on Ponoka,” Blackgold president Mark Tamagi told the Advocate.
“We really believe that Ponoka deserves its own radio service. The town is big enough to support it, and they want it.”
The CRTC said Blackgold’s proposal would have resulted in a signal that overlaps those of stations in Wetaskiwin, Lacombe and Red Deer.
It expressed concerns that some of Blackgold’s advertising revenues would have come at the expense of those stations.
Blackgold planned to broadcast 126 hours of local programming per week, with just over six hours dedicated to news, including nearly five for local and regional coverage.
Its stated target market was adults 25 to 54 years of age.
The CRTC said it received numerous submissions in support of Blackgold’s application, but also objections from Newcap Inc. and L.A. Radio Group Inc. Newcap owns CKJR in Wetaskiwin and CKGY-FM in Red Deer, while L.A. Radio operates CJUV-FM in Lacombe.
Tamagi said he’s determined to give Ponoka its own radio station, pointing out that the town deserves a station with a local focus.
“We’re currently working on it,” he said, but declined to elaborate.
“It took me seven years to get the licence here in Leduc, and we’re just launching a new station in Parkland County and Spruce Grove and Stony Plain, and I’ve been working on that application since 2008.”
Meanwhile, a pair of applications to the CRTC for radio stations in Sylvan Lake, which were scheduled to be heard last week, have been postponed to an unspecified date.
Lethbridge-based Clear Sky Radio Inc., which operates radio stations in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, is seeking approval for an FM station with a “modern music” format and a target audience between the ages of 18 and 44.
Golden West Broadcasting Ltd., which is based in Manitoba and operates about 40 radio stations across the Prairies, also wants to launch an FM station in Sylvan Lake. Its application described a new country format that would serve adults 18 to 54.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com