The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has found Toronto multicultural station CHIN in breach “for abusive and unduly discriminatory comments and unduly negative stereotyping about Muslims.” A listener complained in reference to the Mar. 24 broadcast of The Zelda Young Show, which discusses issues of interest to the Jewish community. Young’s guest was American author and political commentator Diana West. During the conversation, the two women expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions and policies, and voiced concern about socialist and globalist ideas taking hold in the U.S. Turning to the issue of Islamic immigration, West said, “When you get an Islamic demographic, you do see an upsurge in anti-Semitism and […] it is something that is inculcated in the religion of Islam, just as it is anti-Christian. So, this is just what you see as a consequence of Islamic immigration” and “this is what happens when immigration is not calibrated to include people who are with you before they get here and don’t want to transform you to something you are not.” The CBSC received a complaint from a listener who characterized the comments as “anti-immigrant” and “inappropriate.” The CBSC Panel acknowledged that while the “codes do allow the expression of political views on any subject including immigration, socialization, assimilation, and globalization,” that where “an accusation is against an entire group of people without exception, as in the case of this program, then such a statement will not be acceptable.” The Panel also noted that the host did nothing to mitigate the remarks. Read the full story here.
Vista Radio has rebranded its recently-acquired station in Cranbrook, BC as 107.5 2day FM – “a fresh, new sound for the East Kootenays.” Formerly Summit 107 (CFSM-FM), which played a variety/adult AC format, the station is one of three that came under the Vista banner in January following its acquisition of the shares of Clear Sky Radio, including 94.1 CJOC-FM and 98.1 The Bridge (CKBD-FM) in Lethbridge, AB. Vista rebranded 98.1 The Bridge to the 2day FM format in June, tweaking the station’s playlist to a hit radio format that crosses musical genres from the likes of AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Ed Sheeran, Queen, Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved New Song Communications Ministries application for a new community radio station in Saint John, NB. The station would operate at 96.1 FM with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,726 watts (maximum ERP of 2,500 watts). The station plans to broadcast 126 hours of local programming each week, specifically music, spoken word programming, local (30%) and regional (20%) news, local sports and different programs about agriculture, public service and health. The station’s musical content would be drawn from a mix of 65% popular music, 25% of sub-category 21 (pop, rock, and dance), and a minimum of 20% content category 3 (special interest music).
The CRTC has approved a new community radio station in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL. Exploits Valley Community Radio Inc. (EVCR) would operate the low-power station at 94.5 FM with an effective radiated power of 35 watts. Of the 116 hours of local program to be broadcast each week, 1.5 hours would be devoted to news programming (80% local and 20% regional), including 45 minutes of pure news. In addition, the station would provide weather reports and local events listings, and broadcast programs featuring traditional Newfoundland music and stories relating to such music, and rare music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, along with related history and trivia. Approximately 62.5% would be drawn from content category 2 (Popular Music) and approximately 37.5% from content category 3 (Special Interest Music).
The CRTC has approved a full-fledged broadcast licence for Caper Radio Incorporated to operate a low-power, English-language campus radio station in Sydney, NS. The current licence for the station operating as CJBU-FM was developmental. The station will broadcast 126 hours of programming each broadcast week, of which 90 hours would be local programming. The remaining 36 hours will consist of programming from the Community Radio Exchange, a program-sharing service of the National Campus and Community Radio Association.
Radioplayer has partnered with BOSE to bring high-quality radio streams to their home speakers. The integration will make all stations available to listeners with BOSE SoundTouch and Soundbar speakers, across the 10 countries currently part of the Radioplayer platform. Using the BOSE controller app, listeners can browse stations alphabetically, see recommendations, search for something to listen to, listen to catch-up programmes and podcasts, and set Radioplayer stations as presets.s.
Audience Insights Inc. has worked on dozens of research studies on podcast listening in both the U.S. and Canada over the past few years, most recently collaborating with Westwood One on its Podcast Download – Spring 2019 Report. Audience Insights president and media researcher Jeff Vidler says three clear advantages of podcast advertising have emerged: deeply engaged listeners, personal connection to the program and host, and a unique opportunity for advertisers to reach an on-demand audience. The latest IAB/PwC Podcast Ad Revenue Study of the U.S. podcast industry estimates 2018 ad revenue for podcasts was $479 million USD, a more than 400% increase from $107 million in 2015. Read Vidler’s blog post Why Advertisers Are Opening Their Wallets to Podcasts here.
Jacobs Media has announced the lineup for its third “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” program at the 2019 Podcast Movement, Aug. 13-16 in Orlando. Among this year’s keynote speakers are Conal Byrne, creator of Stuff Media and the How Stuff Works podcast, who is now also president of the iHeart Podcast Network; and Eric Nuzum, developer of Invisibilia and other podcasts for NPR. Nuzum also headed up Audible’s audio efforts, and is the author of new book, Make Noise: The Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling. More info at podcastmovement.com.
Golden West Broadcasting CEO Elmer Hildebrand is our guest on the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Famer, who has now been in radio for more than six decades, talks about how Golden West Radio has weathered shifting consumer habits with its commitment to local news and information.
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