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No signal beyond the walls

No signal beyond the walls Re CRTC proponent Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Notice No. 200904351: My family and I are long-term residents of Lake Laberge, Yukon. After looking over the proposal and related documents, I have the following comments for

Re CRTC proponent Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Notice No. 200904351:

My family and I are long-term residents of Lake Laberge, Yukon. After looking over the proposal and related documents, I have the following comments for your consideration.

I strongly oppose the replacement of the current AM radio signal with FM as proposed.

This action will have the effect of creating dead air at our place and will also effectively remove service from thousands of other rural Yukoners on the periphery of the communities.

The following should illustrate some of the useful and positive aspects of being able to receive an AM signal at some distance from the city of Whitehorse.

On September 11, 2001, we were starting our day as usual, and our two boys had just boarded the school bus, as we followed the events on the AM radio.

We then proceeded out onto the lake with our boat to collect some biological samples and took the radio with us.

Huge jet airliners, allegedly highjacked, were passing over our heads with fighter jets in pursuit.

Our children had been evacuated from one of the local schools and marshalled in the path of the incoming aircraft. My wife and I quickly took steps to head into Whitehorse and rescue our kids.

Had the CBC’s current proposal been in effect on 9-11, we would have witnessed those events in stunned silence and would not have had a clue what was going on.

This incident should illustrate that the service we receive on the AM signal is not only useful, but may well be crucial in times of crises (think of forest fires, floods, escaped armed and dangerous persons etc.).

Second, the service we receive helps us feel connected to our local and cross-country culture.

We have been inspired, outraged, fascinated and deeply moved by some of the national programming.

Come September there will be dead air. No rhythm of the daily shows, with the wake-up style of The Current to the satirical As It Happens and their unique themes; we would have to start looking at the clock to know what time it was.

Last, I feel that the current proposal as explained by CBC management and Whitehorse smacks of incompetence.

How can these people be serious?

There are certainly technical solutions and alternatives to this proposal that have not been pursued because the good burghers of Whitehorse and the management at CBC simply don’t care if they fail to serve the rural population of the Yukon.

In closing, I urge the CRTC to deny the application and insist that the CBC continue to serve those outside the castle walls of Whitehorse.

Ken Nordin

Whitehorse