CBC Report: Radio Station Sold Ads While Not On The Air

Trouble?

A community radio station in NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR collected thousands of dollars in advertising while it was not actually broadcasting, reports the CBC.

The report alleges that RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE DU LABRADOR INC. French Community Radio CJRM (RAFALE FM)/LABRADOR CITY, NL has not produced local programming since 2015, contrary to the station's license mandate which requires all programming to be locally produced in LABRADOR CITY, and has been off the air since last JULY, yet advertising was sold to clients like WALMART, FORD, and the Canadian federal government. The article does not indicate whether the station's rebroadcasting transmitters CKIP/LA GRAND'TERRE and CKIJ/ST. JOHN'S were on the air, but the two additional stations were supposed to be rebroadcasting CJRM in its entirety rather than originating programming themselves.

The station's Managing Dir. GAËL CORBINEAU told the CBC, "No one was paid for anything. We made every effort to save this radio station. We fought to maintain it for years. Unfortunately, a major technical problem disrupted our operations, but also, our volunteers are exhausted." Two former directors of the FRANCOPHONE ASSOCIATION OF LABRADOR, the offices of which are in the same building as CJRM's studios, reported seeing the studios closed and unused since 2015, and listeners reported not hearing the station on the air other than test broadcasts about two years ago.

Meanwhile, the CBC reports, ad agencies MINDSHARE (for WALMART and FORD) and COSSETTE (the latter buying $10,000 worth of ads on behalf of the federal government) and the CANADIAN ENVRIONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AGENCY ($3,363.75 in direct purchases in 2016-18), purchased ad time from the station, and rep firm TARGET BROADCAST SALES sold ads for the station through the end of MARCH, when it learned the station was silent. The CBC also posted at least one affidavit appearing to have been issued to confirm that some spots aired during times that sources told the CBC that the station was in fact silent.

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