New country music station puts Vermont Public reception at risk in Montreal

Vermont Public | By Michelle Owens
Published May 31, 2024 at 2:41 PM EDT

Vermont Public has learned that the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has approved a license for a new country music station at 107.9 FM in Joliette, Quebec, 35 miles northeast of downtown Montreal. As a result, listeners in the Montreal region may lose clear reception of our main radio station.

If you’re a Vermont Public listener who lives or works in Canada, you have until Thursday, June 6 to share your thoughts or concerns with the CRTC at this link (you'll need to accept the privacy policy then select the box for Arsenal Media, Inc.).

The station may come online within 3-12 months and would cause interference to WVPS northeast of downtown Montreal. Our HD-2 and HD-3 channels would be impacted as well. Listeners in downtown Montreal and points west and south will likely not experience any interference.

The CRTC is not required to provide protection to WVPS or any U.S. based signal due to an international treaty that provides no interference protection for U.S. signals on Canadian soil, and vice versa. As long as the new station doesn’t interfere with WVPS on the U.S. side of the border, it can legally operate in Canada.

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