CFBS-FM

for a licence for a French (50%) and English (50%) FM community radio station at Lourdes de Blanc Sablon. The station would broadcast on 89.9MHz, with a transmitter power of 10 watts.

The applicants had incorporated in May 1984 as a non-profit organization, with a volunteer Board of Directors. The station would be funded in part by grants from the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications, and would raise the balance of its annual budget through local fundraising

On March 23rd, the station received CRTC approval to increase its effective radiated power from 10 watts to 25 watts.

To extend its coverage to new areas in the community, the station applied in May for licences for rebroadcasting transmitters for CFBS-FM in Middle Bay (93.1MHz; 9 watts) and Rivière Saint Paul (93.1MHz; 8.2 watts). CRTC approval was received on July 27th. At the same time, the Commission approved Radio Blanc Sablon’s application to increase the effective radiated power of its main transmitter to 178 watts.

In addition to providing 60 hours of local programming per week, CFBS-FM was permitted to take and broadcast up to 108 hours of programming originating via satellite from CITE-FM Montreal. However, the Commission stipulated that this imported programming should complement rather than replace local programming, and should not occupy the ‘best time slots’ in the CFBS-FM schedule. 

In renewing the station’s licence on June 29th, the CRTC deleted the requirement limiting advertising to 20% of the station’s total broadcast time. This was in accordance with a CRTC policy that had been introduced in 1992, and that required no limit on the amount of advertising that could be carried by Type A Community radio stations.

The station’s licence renewal on February 4th included a condition that the station would broadcast 126 hours of programming per week, 60 of which would be produced by the station. The weekly broadcast hours could be flexible by up to 20% additional or less hours per week without prior Commission approval. The station would eventually program its entire schedule locally.

On March 9th, the CRTC issued a Public Notice announcing that the Commission intended to give seven-year licence renewals to a large group of non-commercial Campus, Community and Native radio stations, including CFBS-FM, in the absence of any interventions against any such renewals. None were filed with respect to CFBS-FM, which accordingly received a seven-year licence renewal on May 22nd.

January 23rd saw the founding of The Quebec Association for Anglophone Community Radio (QAACR), a group of five community radio stations, in the Lower North Shore, Pontiac and the Eastern Townships. Station Manager Melva Flynn was appointed to the Board to represent CFBS-FM. Among the Association’s goals was the development and provision of quality English language community radio programming.