CKIN-FM

On July 6, the CRTC approved the application by Canadian Hellenic Cable Radio Ltd. for a broadcasting licence to operate a new specialty FM radio station to serve Montréal. It would broadcast on 106.3 MHz (channel 292A) with an average ERP of 190 watts. The station would offer ethnic programming targetting at least 6 different cultural groups in at least 8 different languages during each broadcast week. Over 50 hours of the station’s weekly programming would be spoken word. Of this total, 8 to 9 hours would be news, while 3 hours would consist of weather, sports and traffic reports. In its application, Hellenic Radio stated that at least 70% of the programming that it aired during the broadcast week would be ethnic programming. Hellenic Radio also made a commitment that at least 60% of the programming that it aired during the broadcast week would consist of third-language programs. The applicant also proposed to devote 10% of all the music that aired during ethnic programming periods to Canadian selections. Hellenic Radio indicated that at least 80% of the programs aired during the broadcast week would be produced locally by the applicant and by members of the cultural groups that Hellenic Radio intended to serve. In addition, spoken word would account for about 40% of its broadcast schedule. According to Hellenic Radio, the new station would target the Latin and Haitian audiences, as well as the Arabic, Romanian, Armenian, Vietnamese, and Hebrew language communities and the South Asian community. The Commission considered it appropriate to impose on the applicant a condition of licence reflecting its commitment to offer, on a weekly basis, programming that reached at least six cultural groups in no fewer than eight languages. The Commission noted that Hellenic Radio operated CKDG-FM in Montréal. In its application, Hellenic Radio proposed to establish its transmitter site on Mount Royal. The licence would expire August 31, 2013. There was a condition of licence: If any problems of interference with the signal of Aboriginal Voices Radio on the second adjacent frequency in Montréal (106.7 MHz) arise that could not be solved to AVR’s satisfaction, the licensee would have to find an alternative frequency other than the 106.3 MHz frequency.
 

On August 20, the CRTC approved an application by Canadian Hellenic Cable Radio Ltd. to amend the broadcasting licence for its commercial specialty FM radio programming undertaking in Montréal, in order to delete the condition of licence requiring the licensee to find an alternative frequency, other than 106.3 MHz, in the event of any interference with the signal of CKAV-FM-10 Montréal, operated by Aboriginal Voices Radio Inc. at 106.7 MHz, that could not be resolved to the satisfaction of AVR. The Commission noted that in a letter, dated 29 April 2009, it approved an application to extend the time limit for the commencement of operations of Hellenic radio’s station to 6 July 2010. The applicant stated that it filed the present application following the revocation, in Broadcasting Decision 2009-178, of the licence held by AVR for CKAV-FM-10.

CKIN-FM began on-air testing in August and signed on the air in October. It was known as Skin FM while sister station CKDG-FM was known as Mike FM. 

Helene Daperis died at age 92. She and her late husband, John, pioneered third-language radio and TV broadcasts, developing multicultural programming in Montreal. They formed Groupe CHCR, owner of Mike FM 105.1/CKIN FM 106.3 Montreal, now operated by her daughter, Marie Griffiths.

On February 13, the CRTC approved an application by Canadian Hellenic Cable Radio Ltd. to change the authorized contours of CKIN-FM by increasing the average effective radiated power from 102 to 407 watts (directional antenna with a maximum ERP increasing from 300 to 1,200 watts). The licensee stated that the power increase would provide enhanced coverage to the northern portions of the Greater Montréal Area and the adjacent South Shore where a comparatively large proportion of people in the ethnic groups within the station’s target audience resided. 

On August 25, the CRTC approved the application by Neeti P. Ray, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for authority to acquire the assets of the commercial ethnic radio station CKIN-FM from Group CHCR Inc. Neeti P. Ray (OBCI) would be a corporation solely owned by The Neeti P. Ray Family Trust and would ultimately be controlled by Neeti P. Ray in his capacity as the sole trustee.