CHON-FM

On January 12, the CRTC approved the application for a licence for an English and native-language FM radio station at Whitehorse on the frequency 88.9 MHz, channel 205, with an effective radiated power of 0.6 watt. The licence would expire September 30, 1987. This term would enable the Commission to consider the renewal of this licence at the same time as that of other FM radio stations in the region. The call sign for the new station would be CHON-FM.

NNBY was a non-profit corporation owned by the fourteen First Nations of the Yukon, and its Mission Statement was “…to reaffirm and maintain First Nation Culture, spiritual beliefs, language, traditional values, land and animals”. Its founding Board members were Alan Buyck, Randell Tetlichi, Albert James, Richard Sydney, Dave Porter, Judy Gingell and Dave Joe.

To achieve its ends, NNBY would expand its radio coverage in future years to reach over 20,000 listeners in the Yukon, Northern B.C. and the Mackenzie Delta. To launch this initiative, NNBY applied for a radio network licence, which was granted on September 5th, and permitted the satellite delivery of “…native and English language programming to remote and underserved communities in the Yukon territory.” The licence would expire on September 30th 1987.

On January 10th, CHON-FM received approval to increase its effective radiated power from 0.6 to 49 watts, to change its frequency from 88.9 to 98.1MHz, and to move its transmitter to share a tower with CKRW Whitehorse.

On June 30th, the CRTC renewed both CHON’s broadcast licence and its network licence for a further four-year term, from October 1st 1987 to 31st August 1991.

This was the year that CHON began building its network. Over the next several years, CHON-FM’s expansion would largely consist of the station’s receiving approval from the CRTC for it to assume the programming responsibilities of small local native and community radio stations, and to have their transmitters become rebroadcasters of the CHON-FM signal.

On April 19th, NNBY received approval to add three such rebroadcasters, each with an effective radiated power of 1 watt and broadcasting on 90.5 MHz. These transmitters were located in Beaver Creek, Keno City, Stewart Crossing and Tagish, all in Yukon Territory. The licences were for a four year term, to expire on August 31st 2005.

On June 14th, CRTC approval was obtained for CHON-FM to increase its effective radiated power from 49 watts to 81.3 watts, and to relocate its transmitter, thereby improving the station’s service to Whitehorse.

On October 28th, the CRTC granted a native television network licence to a non-profit corporation, Television Northern Canada Incorporated (TNCI), to serve northern Canada for the primary benefit of aboriginal people in the North. Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon were full members of TNCI, along with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), the Inuvialuit Communications Society, the OKalaKatiget Society, Tagramiut Nipingat Inc, The Native Communications Society of the Western NWT, Then Government of the Northwest Territories, Yukon College, and the National Aboriginal Communications Society.

The Network would initially provide a service of 100 hours per week of programming, in up to twelve different languages. Some years later, TNCI would
become the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

On February 19th, CHON-FM had its licence renewed for a further seven-year term, to run from March 1st 1992 to February 28th 1999. The station would broadcast 84 hours per week of local programming, of which 13.5 hours would be in seven Yukon aboriginal languages and 70.5 hours would be in English.

The Commission also determined that, under the provisions of Public Notice CRTC1991-63, and with CHON-FM and its transmitters having been licensed together as a radio programming undertaking, there was now no need to renew NNBY’s radio network licence, which would expire on February 28th.

Also on February 19th, CHON-FM received Commission approval to add transmitters at Destruction Bay (on 98.1 MHz), Haines Junction (90.5 MHz) and Mayo Road Subdivision (98.7 MHz), Whitehorse. Each transmitter would have an erp of 10 watts.

On May 22nd, the CRTC approved three more transmitters for CHON-FM, at Burwash Landing, Old Crow and Teslin, YT. Each would operate on 90.5MHz, with an erp of 7.5 watts.

Two more local societies surrendered their licences on February 4th in favour of their transmitters being taken over for the rebroadcast of the CHON-FM signal. These were at Carcross and Ross River, YT. They too would broadcast the signal on 90.5 MHz with an erp of 10 watts.

On July 5th, the addition of CHON-FM retransmitters at Carmacks and Mayo, YT, on 90.5 MHz, was approved by the CRTC.

Dawson City joined the CHON-FM lineup on July 31st, on 90.5 MHz with 10 watts of erp. On the same day, the CRTC also approved a reduction in power of CHON-FM’s Destruction Bay transmitter from 10 watts to 2 watts, with a relocation of the transmitter, which would result in better service to this particular locality.

New transmitters for CHON-FM were approved by the CRTC on August 28th for Atlin, BC (on 98.1 MHz), and Watson Lake (90.5 MHz) and Upper Liard (98.1 MHz), YT.

On November 21st NNBY received Commission approval for their main transmitter in Whitehorse to increase its effective radiated power from 81.3 watts to 4261 watts.

CHON-FM’s service expanded further on February 25th with the addition of a transmitter at Lower Post, B.C., operating on 98.1 MHz with an erp of 3 watts. 

Barry Zellan joined CHON-FM as general manager, succeeding Leanne Brassard. Zellan had been with CKLB Yellowknife.

On February 26th, the CRTC issued CHON-FM an administrative licence renewal from March 1st 1999 to August 31st 2000, “to consider the renewal of this licence following the review of its native broadcasting policy”.

On July 17th, the CRTC issued further administrative licence renewals to CHON-FM and several other native radio program undertakings and networks, from September 1st 2000 to August 31st 2001. The Commission said that it needed time to consider comments on various policy issues related to native broadcasting that it has published that day in Public Notice CRTC 2000-105.

New transmitters for CHON-FM were approved by the CRTC on February 2nd, to be sited at Aklavik NWT and Good Hope Lake, B.C. The Aklavik transmitter would broadcast on 90.5 MHz, and the Good Hope Lake transmitter on 98.1 MHz, each with an erp of 10 watts.

On June 15th the CRTC gave CHON-FM and its transmitters a seven-year licence renewal, from September 2001 to August 31st 2008. The new licence included new popular music Canadian content requirements, and encouraged CHON-FM and other native radio stations to use programming from other native radio stations or networks as wrap-around programming after their daily sign-off.

On October 1st, Pelly Crossing, YT, became the newest location approved for a CHON-FM transmitter, to operate on 90.5 MHz with an erp of 10 watts.

The CRTC gave its approval on April 23rd for CHON to establish a new transmitter in Faro, YT, to broadcast on 90.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1 watt.

On January 27, the CRTC approved the application by Northern Native Broadcasting to amend the licence for CHON-FM in order to operate a transmitter in Tsiigehtchic. The new transmitter would operate at 90.5 MHz (channel 213LP) with an effective radiated power of 10 watts. Given that the technical parameters approved were for a low-power unprotected FM service, the Commission reminded the licensee that it would have to select another frequency if the Department of Industry so required.

August 27th saw the Commission award CHON-FM, and its network of transmitters in Yukon Territory, British Columbia and the North West Territories, a new seven-year licence, to run from September 1st 2008 to August 31st 2015. 

On March 7, the CRTC approved the application by Northern Native Broadcasting, Yukon to amend the licence for CHON-FM Whitehorse in order to operate a low-power FM transmitter at Johnson’s Crossing, Yukon Territory, to expand its existing network. The new transmitter would operate at 90.5 MHz (channel 213LP) with an average effective radiated power of 45.44 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 3 metres). Given that the technical parameters approved in this decision were for a low-power unprotected FM service, the Commission reminded the licensee that it would have to select another frequency if the Department of Industry so required. 

On March 16, the CRTC approved the application by Northern Native Broadcasting, Yukon to amend the licence for the English-language Type B Native radio programming undertaking CHON-FM Whitehorse in order to operate a low-power FM transmitter at Takhini River Subdivision, Yukon Territory, to expand its existing network. The new transmitter would operate at 90.5 MHz (channel 213VLP) with an average effective radiated power of 10 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 3 metres). The Commission also approved a transmitter for Klukshu, Yukon Territory. It would operate at 90.5 MHz (channel 213VLP) with an average effective radiated power of 10 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 3 metres). Given that the technical parameters for these transmitters was for low-power unprotected FM service, the Commission reminded the licensee that it would have to select another frequency if the Department of Industry so required. The Commission noted that the licensee appeared to be in non-compliance with section 9(2) of the Radio Regulations, 1986 relating to the filing of annual reports for the 2007-2008 to 2009-2010 broadcast years. The Commission also noted that the licensee had not had the opportunity to comment on this apparent non-compliance in the context of this application. Accordingly, as the licence for CHON-FM Whitehorse would expire on August 31, 2015, the Commission would address this issue in the context of the renewal of the licence. 

On November 27, the CRTC approved the application by Northern Native Broadcasting to amend the licence for CHON-FM Whitehorse in order to operate a very low-power FM transmitter in Dease Lake, British Columbia, to expand its existing network. The new transmitter would operate at 90.5 MHz (channel 213VLP) with an average effective radiated power of 9.48 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of -83 metres).

In October, CHON-FM-4 Dease Lake (BC) signed on the air.