Friday, February 11, 2011

BREAKING NEWS: CKLN granted stay of CRTC Decision, Will Remain On Air

TORONTO, ON. ? Thanks to a strong outcry from the media and supporters, CKLN Radio has been granted a stay of the CRTC?s Decision 2011-56, released January 28th, 2011. This decision revoked CKLN?s broadcast license and would have had the radio station go off-air February 12th, 2011.

CKLN granted stay of CRTC Decision, will remain on air pending the outcome of CKLN?s motion for leave to appeal

TORONTO, ON. (February 11, 2011) ? Campus-based community radio station CKLN88.1FM is heartened and encouraged by the decision of Her Honour Madam Justice Layden-Stevenson to grant the station a stay of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission?s (the CRTC?s) Decision 2011-56, released January 28th, 2011. This decision revoked CKLN?s broadcast license and would have seen Toronto?s oldest campus-based community radio station go off-air February 12th, 2011. The stay of the decision will allow the station to continue to broadcast until the Federal Court of Appeal considers CKLN?s request for leave to appeal from the CRTC?s decision, under Canada?s Broadcasting Act, s.31 (2).

CKLN supports CRTC Commissioner Louise Poirier?s dissent which is part of Decision 2011-56 and is available on the CRTC website. This Commissioner criticized the decision as ?unwarranted? and ?inconsistent.? She cited, among other considerations, the Principle of Gradation, under which the Commission should institute lesser measures before issuing a full revocation. Madame Poirier also stated that ?the regulatory measure that has been adopted is disproportionate to the fault? and later that ?the decision to revoke the licence at this time is premature, disproportionate and inequitable.?

CKLN has honoured all commitments given to the CRTC at the Public Hearing before the CRTC. Also as committed to by CKLN, it will be hiring a new Station Manager by February 28, 2011 to oversee the the station?s day-to-day operations. These initiatives follow on the heels of the adoption on December 15, 2011 of new by-laws compliant with Industry Canada?s model by-laws for non-profit organizations.

CKLN offers music that no commercial radio station will play; multi-lingual programming to diverse communities; spoken word programming for the benefit of an incredible array of cultures, political viewpoints, and diverse social and pansexual mores and philosophies. CKLN has been a community radio station since 1983, giving voice to assorted opinions, music, and issues that are under-represented in mainstream media. Ryerson Radio and Television Arts student and CKLN programmer Amiga Taylor says ?we as students have had an incomparable opportunity to express ourselves on the radio because of CKLN.?

Staff Representative and Frequency Feminisms programmer, Joeita Gupta, says ?CKLN?s history, role and mandate are crucial to this city?s non-mainstream artists, journalists and to several different communities. ? CKLN invites you to tune in, turn on and speak out against the idea that alternative media should be silenced as an example to other volunteer-driven community media outlets.

The public can help CKLN by going to www.ckln.fm and:

1. signing our online petition which is linked from the homepage, currently 5241 signatures and counting;

2. writing to the CRTC and their MPs, whose contacts and a letter for this purpose also inviting the writer to inform the MP why CKLN is valuable to them can also be found on the homepage; and

3. urging friends, family and colleagues to engage likewise.

CKLN can be heard at 88.1FM, www.ckln.fm or on Rogers Digital Cable 947.