CJLI-AM

On April 24, the CRTC approved the application by Touch Canada Broadcasting Limited Partnership for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial AM radio station in Calgary. The station would operate on 700 kHz with a daytime power of 50,000 watts and a night-time power of 20,000 watts. The station would offer a Southern Gospel and Inspirational music format and draw a majority of its musical selections from content subcategory 35 (non-classic religious). In each broadcast week, the station would also broadcast 37 hours and 44 minutes of spoken word programming, including news, weather, sports and business reports as well as community updates. In addition, 28 hours would be devoted to religious programming each broadcast week. Overall, the station would broadcast a minimum of 84 hours of local programming each broadcast week. The remainder of the programming would consist of brokered programming as well as American and Canadian syndicated programming. The licence would expire August 31, 2015.

Touch Canada was not able to secure a transmitter site before its authority to implement the station expired. The company re-applied in 2014 and was able to provide the Commission with proof of a land use agreement for a transmitter site for the proposed station. On September 15, the CRTC approved the Touch application for a new AM station in Calgary using the same technical specifications as the 2009 application. The new station would offer a gospel music format targeting adults between the ages of 40 and 70. At least 90% of the musical selections broadcast during each broadcast week would be drawn from sub-category 35 (non-classic religious). The station planned to provide 56 hours of local programming during each broadcast week, of which 37.5 minutes would be devoted to news. The station would also broadcast local weather reports and listing of community events.  The licence would expire August 31, 2021.

In the Spring, CJLI (The Light) began on-air testing.

AM700 – The Light launched June 29 with a produced piece that talked about the long process, the search for a transmitter site, the station’s background and its vision.