Cameron Bell getting into hockey?

Radio News from British Columbia

Postby Dan Sys » Mon May 29, 2006 8:18 pm

An interesting application from Cameron Bell appeared on the CRTC site today:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/...pb2006-67.htm#5
Looks like Rogers isn't interested in carrying play by play for Chilliwack's new WHL team The Bruins next season (the relocated Tri City Americans) on STAR FM, so Cameron Bell has proposed his 10 watt Tourist Info station at 88.1 be the voice of The Bruins (at least for one season).

The last time I was in Chilliwack (this past Fall) there was nothing on 88.1, so I don't even know if this thing is on the air. No call letters have been granted for it yet by Industry Canada either.
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Postby butch » Mon May 29, 2006 8:25 pm

Former Osoyoos Mayor Tom Shields, a broadcaster is planning a similiar function
for frequencies in the southern Okanagan area.

He is aproposing a low powered FM signal for community events and hockey
games...but that plan may have gone off track as the biggest Team in town moved to Kamloops.

The town of Osoyoos also has a tourist frequency for people travelling through.

Cameron Bell has specialized in such tourist sticks as part of his consultancy.
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Postby radiofan » Mon May 29, 2006 9:17 pm

This is a brilliant move on Cameron's part .. the people of Chilliwack were not too impressed with Rogers a few years back when not only was good old CHWK gone from the airwaves and moved to FM, but the coverage of the Chilliwack Chiefs vanished into thin air...that didn't make the trek to FM.

From the December 9, 2003 Chilliwack Times

Local coverage missing with change

Editor:

Now our local radio station is going to be FM, but local, right?

I have listened to Chilliwack's local station for a number of years as a summer resident and now as a full-time resident. I really enjoyed listening to the local flavor. The late- night, old radio programs, the phone-in birthday announcements, the on- line swap meet and the open-line talk show with local guests.

Just after moving here the station had a change of formats, we were in the Promontory area at the time and my parents in the Columbia Valley. We both had a strange thing happen. Three sides of our homes were covered with lady bugs. I said to my mom, if we had the old station we could phone in and ask them and a listener would have an answer for us.

They changed the format then and then again with some of our broadcasting coming from Abbotsford. My daughter told me that, when we were going to Abby two and three times a week for sporting events, we would change over to the Abby station around Sumas.Guess what, different voice but same music! Phone in for a radio contest, you just might get the Abby office. You want to report something outside 9 to 5, no one in the office. To be a local station don't you think 24/7 would cover it? Yes, but no.

When announced that our station was going FM, I thought "great" better reception and no Alberta cutting in. The reception in the Columbia Valley can be really bad at times. When I lived in Burnaby I listened to NW 98 for the local format. I like local coverage, news, sports, school announcements, local community activities. The only difference between Abbotsford and Chilliwack is the voices and the Chiefs coverage. Now our local station will be dropping that too! What I saw as our last bit of real local flavour will be gone. That local flavour provided many out of town parents of players who couldn't get to the games a chance to listen. Many of us locals who couldn't get to the games listen to it on the radio, many people at the games also listened to the radio coverage.Yes, it wasn't perfect but it was local, plus it went on to the Internet, to me that's a plus to our local advertisers. I do believe there were local ads on the air during the games.

Mr. and Mrs. Public should let them know we want it to stay a local station with our own local events to be covered on air. Say "no" to more canned or taped music coming from wherever. It's a skelton crew in Chwk office now with the morning announcers opening the office, what will happen after the switch to FM, ghosts in the Chilliwack office!

There will be quite a few listeners that won't be tuning in for those three to six hours minimum a week for the Chiefs coverage and that means we won't be listening to local paying advertisers which also could mean the local station will be losing out on day-to- day listeners.

I shop, eat and entertain as locally as I can, but now I will have to listen outside our community, Alberta or maybe Bellingham.

Karen Hornsby
Columbia Valley

Chilliwack Times
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Postby tuned » Mon May 29, 2006 9:48 pm

I can hardly wait for the Rogers intervention. How a ten watter is going to put them out of business, the market can't support another station, staff will have to be laid off. I think we should have more LPFM in Canada. Death to corporate broadcasters by a thousand knife cuts. Good luck Cameron!
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