An Erin Radio official says now is the time for the station to apply for a power increase and frequency change.
“I do not want to wait,” station manager Jay Mowat told Erin council last week. He explained the station would like to apply by the second week of April to move to 88.1FM and increase its power to 249 watts.
“That way, 95% of the town would be covered,” Mowat said, adding that the station’s current signal is too weak to reach a lot of areas in the municipality.
Increasing its power means the station will move to 88.1 because its current 50-watt frequency, 101.5FM, is not protected. Stations that are 51 watts and higher can apply for protection, meaning no other companies can apply for a broadcasting licence on that frequency.
The station previously had plans to move to 88.1 because three Guelph companies had applied for licences on 101.5, the only remaining FM frequency available in the Guelph area. But in January the CRTC denied those requests, citing concerns with the economy.
Ironically, that decision will end up costing Erin Radio money.
The prospective Guelph stations had all agreed whichever company won the 101.5 frequency would cover Erin Radio’s costs to move to 88.1FM, including a new antenna, engineering documents, and incidental costs like new signs and advertising. The companies also agreed to help Erin Radio with its application for protected status.
With all that lost now, the station will re-launch a fundraising campaign to help cover at least $5,000 for a preliminary engineer’s report as well as costs for a new transmitter and an antenna, to be placed on the new Bell tower at Barbour Field.
But the first priority is the CRTC application, and Mowat said that will not be successful without the help of Erin residents and businesses.
“We need support from the entire community,” he said. “Local people, local councils and local letters really make a difference.”
He asked council – as a whole and individually – to take part in the station’s call for letters of support to the CRTC.
“They pay attention to the community – they really do,” he said of the officials with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commis-sion.
He noted last year the three companies applying for the 88.1 frequency each received about 880 letters from Erin residents who wanted to keep Erin Radio on the air. And he’s hoping the community can rally one more time to support the station.
Council unanimously passed a resolution stating it would petition the CRTC to allow Erin radio to increase its power.
