Vernon’s proposed community radio station has moved another step closer to turning on its microphones.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has placed the application by the Vernon Community Radio Society (VCRS) for a new, community FM radio broadcasting station on the agenda for an April 14 public hearing.
The application will be a non-appearing item, which means that subject to the CRTC receiving interventions opposing its application, the VCRS will not be required to appear.
READ MORE: Vernon community radio station inching closer to going on-air
“In the majority of cases where applications are classified as non-appearing, the public hearing is an obligatory administrative process, and the CRTC has determined that, subject to interventions, approval of the VCRS application will very likely be granted,” said community radio society president Gordon Leighton. “VCRS hopes to have a decision rendered and a licence granted in late May or early June.”
Leighton said the society will now activate a fundraising campaign for the capital costs of building the station, estimated at $100,000. Leighton said the society will be pursuing a variety of grants and will be launching some strategies to engage volunteers, community organizations and businesses in Greater Vernon.
Once up and running, which could be as early as this fall, he said, the station will broadcast under the brand Valley FM, at 97.9 MHz on the FM dial.
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