Toronto radio station has licence revoked

A community radio station has had its licence revoked by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. CKLN-FM breached “numerous regulations and conditions of licence” and failed to involve the local student body (the station is located on Ryerson University’s campus), the CRTC ruled.

One of Ryerson’s student-run news sites, Ryersonian.ca, dubbed the announcement “a bleak day for aspiring radio personalities at Ryerson.”

The investigation into CKLN-FM (owned by CKLN Radio Inc.) began in July 2009 after numerous complaints were filed to the CRTC. Issues (as reported by a CRTC press release) included the station’s “governance structure, day-to-day management and operations, programming and ability to remain on air. At the time, the station experienced significant infighting and the volunteers, staff and management were locked out of the studio premises by the building manager. During the seven-month lockout, CKLN-FM broadcast an intermittent loop of programming without any ongoing community involvement or oversight by the licensee.”

Upon resuming operation, the station “lacked any significant quality-control mechanism for its programming and there was little involvement from the Ryerson University student body despite its status as a campus radio station.”

The station also failed to meet basic requirements like providing tapes, program logs and complete annual returns.

“Holding a broadcasting licence is a privilege that comes with
responsibilities and regulatory obligations,” Konrad von Finckenstein,
Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC, said in a press release. “CKLN Radio was
given several warnings and opportunities to come into compliance. Each
time, it demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to address our
concerns. Taking away its licence is the only appropriate course of
action in this case.”

Update: The Toronto Star wrote an piece noting that CKLN’s board is “surprised and disappointed” by the ruling. The Star notes that the majority of the station’s funding comes from a mandatory $10 levy paid by all of Ryerson’s 24,000 students.