What will we broadcast?

Since last year, we have been streaming at www.valleyfm.ca. It is a good beginning, and we have some great local content that has been created and streamed on our service. But, we are still just beginning to build a community radio that reflects our broadcasting goals and aspirations.

We want to be community radio station that brings everyone together and reflects the dynamics of our diverse, inclusive, and vibrant community.

We aim to provide local news, sports, events, culture, and music to the media landscape of our city.

Click here to see a more detailed picture about us and our programming goals.

About 97.9 Valley FM.

Are you a singer-songwriter? Member of a Band?  Submit your music for airplay on Valley FM!

Media Submission

Volunteers are invited to participate in all areas of the station, including on-air slots as a DJ / Host / Presenter; Journalism; Producer; Operator; Copywriting; Admin assistance; Promotions and more.

DJ-Host Application

Opportunity Application

Our proposed block programming schedule may change as our launch date approaches. The community is invited to submit ideas for original local programming.  

The Federal regulatory body governing broadcasting is the Canadian Radio-television and telecommunications commission. (“CRTC”).  Under CRTC policy and regulations, low power FM community stations are subject to some requirements that do not apply to regular commercial stations.

• These requirements include conditions of license that require at least 15% spoken word content. The CFAV-FM schedule calls for 20% spoken word programming, which includes news, public affairs, interviews and public access programming such as an open line radio show.
• In addition, at least 5% of the total musical selections broadcast on the station must be in the form of specialty music, defined by the CRTC as “Category 3” music. (Further detail below). Valley FM will broadcast up to 15% “category 3” music, which includes Jazz & Blues, Folk and folk oriented, Classical, electronic music and more.
•  In each broadcast week, the licensee shall devote no less than 20% of its musical selections to musical selections from content subcategories other than content subcategory 21 (Pop, rock and dance) . The Valley FM schedule will devote no less than 30% to content other than Pop, Rock and Dance.
• Governance is entirely different between conventional private broadcast stations and a community station. With a non-profit society, there is no share capital issued, meaning the station cannot be bought or sold.
• Other than as noted above, there are no material operating differences between commercial stations and community stations.

Unlike conventional commercial stations, the station will not establish a narrow demographic as a programming target. Broadly speaking, niche access programming excepted, the appeal of the station will be persons of all ages with an equal distribution of men and women.

• 97.9 Valley-FM will broadcast 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
• The new undertaking will operate with a deep music playlist of over 2,000 selections at any given time, with the playlist periodically refreshed from a library of over 5,000 musical selections providing significantly less repetition than on existing commercial stations.
• The station will employ “block programming” principles which will encourage appointment tuning. Like CBC programming strategies, listeners will soon become acquainted with scheduling patterns. The diversity of content will ensure a broad audience reach in the market.

97.9 Valley FM will broadcast 40% Canadian content in music, with a special emphasis on new and emerging Canadian artists, which often struggle to obtain airplay on commercial stations.  (CRTC requirement: minimum 35%).

What are the call letters?

– Industry Canada has assigned the call letters CFAV-FM

When will you begin broadcasting?

We have begun streaming as of 1st Feb 2023

We are on track to start ON AIR broadcasting by September 1, 2024

Can we issue a tax receipt for donations?

– Regrettably, the Canada Revenue Agency does not consider Community Radio to be a charity. However, most businesses account for donations as a sponsorship, a common business expense.

Community Radio is new to me. How common is it?

Over 131 non-profit campus and community radio stations are licensed in Canada. Communities throughout B.C. enjoy community radio, including Salmon Arm, Kamloops, Nelson, the Kootenays, Fraser Valley, Burnaby, Vancouver, Lilloet, Revelstoke, Penticton, Prince George, Mackenzie, and more.

At what power will you broadcast?

– Average effective radiated power will be 630 watts, and peak power will be 1,000 watts.

Will you sell commercials and how many minutes per hour should we expect to hear?

– Yes, 97.9 Valley FM will be dependent on local ad sales and sponsorships. Unlike major commercial stations, which require 8 to 12 minutes of ads per hour, our community station will be viable with 3 to 5 minutes of advertising per hour.

Will your signal reach Lumby or Enderby?

– Yes, via streaming. No for over-the-air. Once the Greater Vernon facility is established, it may be possible to extend coverage to Lumby and Enderby via a re-broadcast transmitter.

Will you stream the station’s audio online?

– Yes. We have been streaming as of 1st Feb 2023

If the Vernon Community Radio Society (VCRS) turns a profit, what will they do with it?

– We will re-invest in programming, volunteer training, capital improvements and scholarships or bursaries for students.

Does Greater Vernon have the capacity to support another radio station that sells advertising?

– The CRTC carefully evaluated the market and reviewed the financial performance of existing commercial stations. They concluded that a new community station would cause no harm to incumbent broadcasters and that the Vernon Community Radio Society would depend on just 5% of the total radio advertising market in the North Okanagan.

Recent layoffs and cutbacks at Bell Media and other stations are attributed to a decline in radio ad revenues. Will the new station be affected?

– The trends affecting the large conglomerates are not negatively affecting community stations; in fact, the opposite is true! Data in the most recent published CRTC shows non-profit community radio with a 3.2% increase in revenues.

Can the station ever be sold?

– No. There are no shares in the enterprise. The Vernon Community Radio Society is a registered non-profit society.

How to volunteers get involved?

– Membership in the Vernon Community Radio Association is open to all residents of legal age, as well as minors with parental consent. Annual dues are $30. Additional, project-specific volunteers are welcome at any time.

New questions not answered here?

1. – Please relay your question to: info@valleyfm.ca.