Back

Student Radio Station Loses Their Licence

By Ryan Leclaire
  |  
  1 Min Read
Student Radio Station Loses Their Licence

This morning, The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued a press release announcing that they had revoked CKLN Radio Inc.’s licence.

The CRTC said the Ryerson University-based station was in breach of numerous regulations and conditions of licence.

“Holding a broadcasting licence is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and regulatory obligations,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC.

“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.”

The CRTC has been investigating CKLN-FM since July of 2009. They received complaints surrounding CKLN-FM’s governance structure, day-to-day management and operations, programming and ability to remain on air. The station also failed to meet basic requirements of their licence, including the submission of audible on-air tapes, program log and other records, and complete annual returns.

Prior to March 2009, CKLN-FM went through staff disputes, mismanagement of the station’s funds, the dismissal of staff and volunteers, and the “election” of competing “boards of directors.” The staff was also locked out of the building for months by the building’s owner, during which the station played a pre-recorded jazz program, intermittently due to transmitter problems.

2 responses to “Student Radio Station Loses Their Licence”

  1. M2E2 says:

    The CRTC gave these people so many chances to meet their statutory requirements, gave them individual help which is extremely rare and gave them an extra 6 month postponement and yet they had done little and had no plan of action.

    I can’t blame the CRTC.

    Why must students pay for a station that excluded them?

    CKLN was taken over years ago by radical activists and the students pushed out with the help of the Ryerson Students’ Union and the Canadian Federation of Students who have very political agendas that have little to do with education.

    An outside agency appointed by the Courts needs to be brought in to see who is controlling the assets created by yearly $1/4 million funding from student dues and who it really should belong to and if any have been misappropriated and needs to be gotten back through legal actions or criminal charges.

    I would hate to see this board liquidating all the assets and the students who paid for it and have been excluded from running the station also be excluded from deciding what should happen to it.

    And the reason why there was financial difficulties at the station was because the Ryerson Students’ Union withheld money they had received from student dues specificially for the purpose of the station, presumably to put their approved board of outsiders in control of the station.

  2. NewtonianGhost says:

    @M2E2 is incorrect, CKLN wasn’t given many chances, they weren’t even given one chance. The station has never received mandatory orders, a shortened licence period, suspension or any of the other “second chance” disciplinary measures open to the CRTC. Madame Poirier is quite correct when she calls this decision “unprecedented”, says it “should not have been used as a first step for this station” and says the licence revocation is “premature, disproportionate and inequitable.” As for the rest of what “M2E2” says, it’s nonsense. CKLN has audited statements up to and including 2010 and while the RSU did withhold funds from the former board, there was a massive debt even after that money came back due to the mismanagement of the people M2E2 is shilling for, the previous Board.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Stories

Study Magazine - 3 Ways to Prepare for Back to School
Student Loans and Grants
In Canada there are a plethora of student aid programs to help students across all walks of life in pursuing post-secondary education. These programs provide the necessary financial assistance to go back to school and excel in your career.
Student Loans and Grants
In Canada there are a plethora of student aid programs to help students across all walks of life in pursuing post-secondary education. These programs provide the necessary financial assistance to go back to school and excel in your career.
BECOME A CONTRIBUTER

Are you a Writer with a Story to Share?

We are looking for contributers for the website. Want to get your work published and give back to the industry? We can help.