Comments In Opposition To Golden West’s CRTC Application 2010-0835-0 (for FM Station In Fort Saskatchewan AB to play “classic hits / classic rock”)

( photo - Razvan Caliman / flickr Creative Commons )

I submitted the following to the CRTC yesterday, in opposition to the establishing of a new FM radio station in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to play classic hits / classic rock. I do not take things like this lightly, in fact it’s the first time I’ve ever submitted comments to the CRTC in regards to a new or existing license – but felt it was my duty as a local music blogger, and concerned citizen.

It’s not that I don’t think the metropolitan region of Edmonton and its suburbs couldn’t do with another radio station. It’s the format that I’m opposed to. This city has far too many stations fighting for the same audience, and it’s resulting in lost listeners to terrestrial radio in totality.

The metropolitan region of Edmonton currently has seven AM stations, and twenty-two (22) FM stations. Of the twenty-two FM stations, there are three formats which are exceedingly popular (numbers in brackets indicate station ratings from the spring).

1. Rock / Classic Rock / Classic Hits – CKNG 92.5 (9^th); CKRA 96.3 (3^rd); CIRK 97.3 (7^th); CFBR 100.3 (5^th); and CHDI 102.9 (6^th).
2. Adult and Light Adult – CKEA 95.7 (11^th); and CIUP 99.3 (8^th).
3. Top 40 – CHBN 91.7 (10^th); CKNO 102.3 (2^nd); CFMG 104.9 (4^th); and CJNW 107.1 (n/a).

While there is some minor variability amongst some stations in these genres, there is more than significant overlap, both in terms of music they play, and concerts that they wish to present or be a part of. Radio stations in each of the groups fight amongst each other constantly, trying to one-up each other, and all it does is result in a fractured audience that station surfs amongst stations in their favored genre.

Earlier in the year, what was known as The Sound 95.7 was breathing new life into the local radio scene, through playing a mix of music that wasn’t heard anywhere else on the airwaves. Sure, some of their choices seemed chaotic at times, but at the core, it was a breath of fresh air. Then, without any notice, they went and changed to soft adult contemporary over a weekend (they’re now known as “Lite 95.7”), after EZ Rock 104.9 (previously in that space) flipped to “Virgin Radio”. Both switches seemed to be pandering to the masses, and didn’t seem to require any formal application process. The format change by The Sound was in particular ridiculous, as they had only given their prior format seven months to be successful, without any significant marketing or promotional assistance (I can almost guarantee they’ll be a distant eleventh again next ratings period as well).

What this city needs isn’t another of the “same old same old seen it before” radio stations that works hard to find a new audience for music that is already heard “ad nauseum”, while more and more music fans give up on terrestrial radio, and are instead forced to find other means to listen to their music – whether that be satellite radio, iTunes, internet radio, or the like. What this city could use is a station that follows an underserved format that should still have enough devotees that it should be commercially successful, with a virtual monopoly on those fans.

The three top examples that come to mind are:

1. Folk and Folk Rock. A lot of the city’s most popular bands could be labeled folk or folk rock; and other Canadian acts in these genres are blown away by the support they receive when they play in the city live. The city also plays host to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival every August, one of the, if not the, pre-eminent festival of its kind in North America. Yet there is no local radio station that focuses – or even plays – any of this type of music.
2. New music / indie rock. A genre that is rising in popularity across North America, as witnessed by the many blogs that focus on it (including mine, http://www.newmusicmichael.com/), and also the support these artists receive at many festivals, such as Calgary’s Sled Island, Austin’s South by Southwest, and Toronto’s NXNE. They too aren’t heard anywhere on local airwaves. The most logical place for them to appear, Sonic 102.9, rarely if ever plays them because they’re so focused on the alternative rock scene, and in particular acts that have already proven themselves commercially successful.
3. Jazz. Jazz is also tremendously underserved in the city, and yet has a pretty big following, as witnessed by Edmonton’s annual – and very successful – jazz festival.

If any radio stations were to put forth a proposal to move to these formats, I would be all in favor – but another radio station in one of the three formats where we already have a multitude of stations should be resolutely and soundly rejected. Frankly, the rules regarding format changes should also be revised, disallowing radio stations to change formats whenever it suits their whimsy, for what ends up being little or no audience gain.

Sincerely yours,

Michael Senchuk

Music Blogger / Concerned Citizen

Tagged as: Classic Rock, CRTC, Golden West, Intervention, yegradio