By David F. Rooney
City Council has agreed to write the Canadian Radio-Television Commission and ask that Revelstoke be included in CBC Radio listening area covered from Kelowna — not Kamloops as has been the case since about the beginning of October.
The city had for years been covered from Kelowna but when the CBC opened a new bureau in Kamloops it asked the CRTC, which regulates broadcasting in Canada, to include Revelstoke in the new bureau’s coverage area.
The decision, which was never run by the public here in Revelstoke or with City Council, has provoked a wave of anger in town.
“We’ve had a flood of e-mails — probably up to 50 of them so far and we’re still getting them,” Mayor David Raven noted during Council’s Tuesday meeting.
One e-mail, from Bob Bellis, said Golden, Salmon Arm, Nakusp, Castelgar and Nelson are still included in CBC Kelowna’s listening area. Click here to read Bellis’ full e-mail to Council.
“This puts Revelstoke on an island from its neighbour communities,” Bellis said. “Many people in Revelstoke rely on the community news from the aforementioned communities for business, cultural and pleasure activities. In addition, this new listening area does not align to either provincial or federal electoral districts.
“It is asinine to think that Revelstoke belongs in the Kamloops region. Revelstoke exists at the crossroads of the Columbia-Shuswap and the Kootenays. This community is not, nor ever has been, associated with the Thompson-Nicola region. The logical place to divide listening areas would be Salmon Arm. West of Salmon Arm should fall in the new Kamloops area while Salmon Arm-East would remain with Kelowna.”
Councillor Chris Johnston said he is “inclined to agree” with Bellis. So did the rest of Council.
Council voted unanimously to write to the CRTC and the CBC asking that Revelstoke be re-aligned with the CBC Kelowna listening area.
