Bell, Harvard Broadcasting pitch ‘interactive’ FM stations to CRTC

Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. division Bell Media Radio appeared before CRTC commissioners Tuesday to request a licence to operate Flow 95-3, an interactive FM radio station for youth on Calgary Alta.’s coveted 95.3 MHz frequency. Bell will be competing for the frequency with Harvard Broadcasting Inc., which has also proposed an interactive station for an older demographic in the adult contemporary genre. Bell was one of two applicants to appear at the hearing in Calgary Tuesday that emphasized the interactive nature of their new proposed FM stations. The CRTC opened a week of hearings Monday to hear from 12 groups or companies seeking licences to operate FM radio stations in Calgary, Alta., at 95.3 MHz. Several of the applicants are proposing ethnic stations for the frequency. David Corey, vice-president of programming and program director of Bell Radio’s Toronto stations, said that the proposed Calgary-based hip-hop and R&B station would target the 18 to 29-year-old young adult demographic. Corey told the CRTC that Bell would establish an audience for its new station by playing hip-hop and R&B music and utilizing the Internet and social media tools Twitter and Facebook. He said Flow 95-3 would feature a website that allows listeners to stream the station online as well as view a version of the station’s website on their mobile devices. Corey said other companion station applications would allow listeners to interact online, share or comment on community events, and communicate with Flow personalities. He said station content would be presented to listeners through emails and Twitter feeds. Bell submitted that the transmission of news content to Flow listeners would be done in a “non-traditional” way. “In addition, our on-air personalities will be discussing news that affects our listeners as part of the content on their shows and framed in a way so they can connect with the story and see its relevance in their lives,” he said. Corey said Flow’s news would be delivered on-air in a more conversational way that doesn't interrupt programming as traditional news segments do at the top or bottom of the hour. Traditional news bulletins can push younger demographics to change the dial, he said. Corey told the commission that Bell monitored all Calgary radio stations “for the week of Jan. 30 and found that 62 per cent of Flow’s proposed playlist consists of music not currently played in Calgary by any of the incumbent commercial radio stations.” Harvard Broadcasting is also seeking an FM licence on the 95.3 MHz frequency, and made a presentation Tuesday to operate My 95.3, a traditional adult contemporary music station. Christian Hall, Harvard’s national program manager, told the commission that a Harvard study of Calgary listeners has shown that the company’s original choice of content in the adult album alternative genre didn’t receive enough interest to support a viable business. “Our wide net research study determined that the biggest format opportunity is traditional adult contemporary,” Hall said. Ginette Ouimet, assistant program director and marketing director of Harvard’s X92.9 station in Calgary, told the commission that unlike other stations in the market, My 95.3 would offer “listener driven radio.” Similar to Bell's proposal, the station would be interactive through an online interface and social media tools like Facebook. Ouimet said My 95.3 listeners could have a “direct impact” on what is played. She said on “My Choice Saturdays” listeners could help complete a playlist for 12 hours of programming. “Through LDR , listeners can recruit their Facebook friends to help them get their songs on the air,” Ouimet said. She said when a requested song is played, listeners can be notified through email or text messages. “The direct link between the station and the listener will be something that no AC listener in Calgary has ever experienced,” Ouimet said. Harvard submitted that its second station would devote 40 per cent of its Canadian content to new and emerging adult contemporary Canadian artists. Gary Brasil, Harvard’s national sales manager, said in opening remarks that it is becoming more difficult for single station companies to compete in the Calgary market as incumbents like Rogers Communications Inc., Astral Media Inc., Corus Entertainment Inc., Newcap Inc. and Bell control 13 of the market's 15 commercial stations. Brasil said multiple station companies control 92 per cent of the hours tuned within the Calgary market. In its presentation, Harvard also asked the commission to consider whether the addition of a completely new station in the market would affect the sustainability of existing Calgary stations. The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Ltd. is also pursuing an application for The Peak FM to operate on the frequency. Rick Arnish, president of Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, told commissioners that The Peak would offer Calgary listeners an adult album alternative or “Triple A” format that is not currently available in the market. Gerry Siemens, vice-president and general manager of the group’s Vancouver stations, said that the Triple A genre focuses on music that “is on the fringe of mainstream, popular music and rock music.” Siemens said The Peak would target women aged 25 to 34 and offer a softer, acoustic-based format emphasizing current and recent music material. “Sixty per cent of our music will have been released within the last two years,” he said. The company said the proposed station would include content from artists such as Dan Mangan, Feist, Hey Rosetta, Arcade Fire, Florence, the Machine and Jack Johnson. “What we get to do is play music that no one else is playing,” Tamara Stanners, program director of the group’s Vancouver-based Peak FM station, told the commission. She said the Vancouver's Peak FM station was one of the first to play songs from emerging artists like Foster the People and Adele, which was aired before that music was carried on mainstream stations in the area. The station would air 21 hours and 18 minutes of spoken word programming per week, the company said. A minimum of 40 per cent music content on The Peak would be Canadian content and 15 per cent would be emerging Canadian artists. Stanners said support for emerging Canadian artists would also be provided through The Peak Performance Project, a $4,900,000 fund that helps Canadian artists find financing for marketing, air play, tour support, and a management and development plan. Arnish said the proposed Peak station would have a minimal impact on existing players in the Calgary market because “they are strong, national, competitive players or well-established stand alone operators.” dgrenier@thewirereport.ca

Bell, Harvard Broadcasting pitch ‘interactive’ FM stations to CRTC

Broadcast | February 8, 2012

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