Winnipeg man banned from broadcasting
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2024 (366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A Winnipeg man and his company have been banned from broadcasting after the national regulator found he improperly operated a commercial ethnic radio station.
Baldev Gill’s company, Gill Broadcasting Ltd., was granted an exemption under federal broadcasting regulations in 2016 to operate a low-power tourist station in Winnipeg.
Such exempt stations, which do not require broadcast licences, are meant to provide information about traffic and road conditions, weather, transportation schedules and local attractions. Tourist stations are barred from broadcasting music beyond incidental background tunes and they cannot air religious or political programs.
However, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission found the station, operating as Radio Awaz, did just that.
The station aired foreign language music and programs targeted to cultural groups.
Gill and his company entered into a consent agreement with the CRTC prior to a public hearing in Ottawa on Nov. 5.
The agreement included mandatory orders barring Gill from broadcasting unless he complies with the federal Broadcast Act and requires him to obtain written permission before operating under an exemption.
The CRTC issued a public notice of its decision and orders this week.
The regulator had received a complaint from Dufferin Communications Inc., which operates licenced Winnipeg ethnic radio station CKJS, in 2021.
Evanov Communications Inc., Dufferin’s parent company, issued a statement Tuesday about the CRTC decision.
Evanov said the launch of Radio Awaz was promoted as Winnipeg’s first 24/7 South Asian station, in far excess of the scope of the exemption under which it operated.
“This occurred despite (Evanov’s) objections, as CKJS, its licensed and compliant ethnic station, was already serving Winnipeg’s South Asian community,” said the statement.
“Over the past eight years, (Evanov) has consistently voiced its concerns, culminating in the CRTC’s issuance of (mandatory orders.)”
Gill said he was not prepared to comment.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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