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A Sirius solution for the CBC

The recently announced decision by CBC to replace AM radio with FM broadcasts is regrettable. FM service is pretty well a line-of-sight type of radio transmission.

The recently announced decision by CBC to replace AM radio with FM broadcasts is regrettable.

FM service is pretty well a line-of-sight type of radio transmission. A substantial number of people, particularly those residing in remote and semi-remote areas of Yukon, will no longer have access to important weather information, current affairs, public warnings, etc.

It appears to be a done deal. However, I feel there could be at least one solution worthy of consideration.

I would suggest that CBC should consider feeding signals to its new outlying FM transmitters by using a new channel on the existing Sirius Satellite Radio system for that purpose. Many remote listeners would then have the option of receiving CBC Yukon programming from any location in the territory. Surely, this could well be a cost-effective solution, while continuing to provide listeners with information about news, sports, public affairs, community announcements, and a host of other topics.

I am confident CBC Yukon would appreciate input from the listening public about this issue. I would therefore ask residents to give some thought to this suggestion. If you agree, please contact CBC Yukon and make your opinions known to them.

With enough public support, this suggestion could very well become a reality. Otherwise, a lot of people will simply have to go without this valuable daily service.

Donald Taylor

Watson Lake