Editing Media of Canada (section)

==Radio==
{{See also|List of radio stations in Canada}}{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
The first radio broadcast station in Canadian history was WXA in Montreal, later called CINW. The first broadcast was on May 20, 1920.<ref>"Canadian Broadcast History" http://www.oldradio.com/archives/international/canada.htm, Retrieved October 20, 2011.</ref> Canada's first national radio network was established by a railway; the national radio was a product of the [[Canadian National Railway|CNR]], a state agency. Through this national radio, its creators saw a way of fostering and promoting immigration, enhancing the image of radio, and supporting the nation through communication with large groups of listeners.<ref>Robinson, Daniel. (2009). ''Communication History in Canada''. Oxford University Press. p. 55.</ref>

Canada is served by approximately 2,000 radio stations, on both the [[AM radio|AM]] and [[FM radio|FM]] bands.

As with television stations, radio callsigns in Canada are made up of four letters beginning with the [[ITU prefix|two-letter combinations]] of ''CF'', ''CH'', ''CI'', ''CJ'', or ''CK'', although a few stations use three-letter callsigns. In addition to private stations [[CKX-FM|CKX]] and [[CKY-FM|CKY]], some CBC stations have three-letter callsigns, generally in major cities where the stations first aired in the 1930s. Newer CBC stations have normal four-letter callsigns, however. As with CBC television, CBC radio uses callsigns beginning with ''CB'', through a special arrangement with the government of [[Chile]]. A few exceptions, such as [[CKSB (AM)|CKSB]] in [[Winnipeg]] and [[CJBC (AM)|CJBC]] in [[Toronto]], exist where the CBC acquired an existing station with a historically significant callsign.

The combinations ''CG'', ''CY'', ''CZ'' and several combinations beginning with ''V'' and ''X'' are also assigned to Canada. Only four Canadian radio stations, all in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]], have taken call signs in those ranges. Three of these stations, [[VOAR (AM)|VOAR]], [[VOWR]] and [[VOCM (AM)|VOCM]], began broadcasting before Newfoundland was a Canadian province, and retained their ''VO'' call letters when Newfoundland joined [[Canadian Confederation]] in 1949. The other station, [[VOCM-FM]], adopted the callsign in 1981 because of its ownership association with VOCM. With the exception of VOCM-FM, radio stations licensed in Newfoundland after 1949 use the same ''CF''-''CK'' range as other Canadian stations.

The future of ''VO'' callsigns in Canada is unknown. It would not be at all unusual for [[Industry Canada]] to simplify all callsigns used in Canada as part of the ongoing modernization and simplification of domestic telecom regulations.<ref>[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sp_dgse-ps_dggs.nsf/eng/gg00073.html Broadcasting undertaking callsigns possibly available for assignment]{{snd}} [[Industry Canada]]</ref>

There is no clear rule for the call letters of repeater stations&mdash;some repeaters are labelled by the call-letters of the originating station, followed by a number, while others have their own distinct call letters. Low-power repeater transmitters (LPRTs) have their own unique callsign format, which consists of the letters VE or VF followed by four numbers.

As of 2020, the four largest major commercial radio broadcast groups in Canada are [[Stingray Group]], [[Rogers Radio]], [[Corus Radio]], and [[Bell Media Radio]]. However, many smaller broadcasters operate radio stations as well. Most genres of music are represented on the Canadian commercial radio spectrum, including [[pop music|pop]], [[rock music|rock]], [[hip hop music|hip hop]], [[country music|country]], [[jazz]] and [[european classical music|classical]]. News, sports, talk radio and religious stations are also available in many cities. In addition, many Canadian universities and colleges have licensed [[campus radio]] stations, and some communities also have [[community radio]] stations or [[List of Christian radio stations in Canada|Christian radio stations]] licensed to [[non-profit]] groups or [[co-operative]]s. Canada has approximately 14 full-time ethnic radio stations, based primarily in the major metropolitan markets of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.<ref name=ojo>{{cite journal |last=Ojo |first=Tokunbo |title=Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada |journal=Journalism |date=August 2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=343–361 |doi=10.1177/1464884906065517|s2cid=54669338 }}</ref>

As well, the publicly owned [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] operates four national radio networks, two each in [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]]. The English [[CBC Radio One|Radio One]] and the French ''[[Ici Radio-Canada Première]]'' provide news and information programming to most communities in Canada, regardless of size, on either the AM or FM band. The English [[CBC Music]] and French ''[[Ici Musique]]'' provide arts and culture programming, including classical music and opera, and are always on FM, generally serving larger communities only.

Music-based commercial radio stations in Canada are mandated by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] to reserve at least 35 per cent of their playlists for [[Canadian content]], although exemptions are granted in some border cities (e.g. [[Windsor, Ontario]]) where the competition from American stations threatens the survival of Canadian broadcasters, and for stations whose formats may not have enough Canadian recordings available to meet the 35 per cent target (e.g. classical, jazz or pop standards).

In recent years, a notable trend in Canadian radio has been the gradual abandonment of the AM band, with many AM stations applying for and receiving authorization from the CRTC to convert to the FM band. In some Canadian cities, in fact, the AM band is now either nearly or entirely vacant. Because Canada is more sparsely populated than the United States, the limitations of AM broadcasting (particularly at night, when the AM dial is often overwhelmed by distant signals) have a much more pronounced effect on Canadian broadcasters. AM radio stations have the additional protection that [[cable television|cable]] companies which offer [[cable FM]] services are required by the CRTC to distribute all locally available AM stations through conversion to a cable FM signal, but cable FM only accounts for a small percentage of radio listeners in Canada.

[[Digital audio broadcasting]], or DAB, is an emerging technology in Canada. Although many radio stations in major metropolitan markets offer [[digital subchannel]]s with distinct programming from the primary station, not many consumers yet own digital radios and digital broadcasting is usually not available in midsized or small markets. No Canadian radio broadcaster currently operates exclusively in DAB format.

On November 1, 2004, the CRTC began hearing applications for [[satellite radio]] services. Three applications were filed: one by [[XM Radio Canada]], one by [[Sirius Canada]], and one by the partnership of [[CHUM Limited]] and [[Astral Media]]. These services, which were approved by the CRTC on June 16, 2005, were Canada's first official satellite radio services, although a small ''[[grey market]]'' already existed for American satellite radio receivers. Sirius and XM both launched in December 2005. The CHUM-Astral service, however, was never launched, and its license expired on June 16, 2007; CHUM stated that its business plan was based in part on the expectation that in the interests of Canadian content, the CRTC would have rejected the Sirius and XM applications, approving ''only'' the CHUM-Astral service. The two active services, XM and Sirius, merged into [[Sirius XM Canada]] in 2011, several months after a similar merger between their American counterparts.<ref name=broadcaster>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/sirius-canada-and-xm-canada-complete-merger/1000486539/ "Sirius Canada and XM Canada Complete Merger"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810044003/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/sirius-canada-and-xm-canada-complete-merger/1000486539/ |date=August 10, 2014 }}. ''Broadcaster'', June 21, 2011.</ref>

The consensus about radio in Canada as well as in most parts of the world is that it is a dying medium.<ref name="typepad1">{{cite web|url=http://harkerresearch.typepad.com/radioinsights/2010/08/is-radio-dying-growing-or-what.html |title=Radio InSights: Is Radio Dying, Growing, or What? |publisher=Harkerresearch.typepad.com |date=2010-08-11 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> With innovations such as television and the Internet, which have allowed for audio communication paired with visual, there has been less need for radio. Furthermore, the introduction of personalized and portable listening devices (namely [[mp3 players]]) have replaced bulkier radios for many. Whereas Internet advertising revenues have steadily increased over recent years, advertising revenue for radio only increased by about 1.5 percent from 2006 to 2007, and this rate is likely to be even smaller now.<ref name="typepad1" /> However, it is not fair to assume that radio is going to become obsolete in the near future; new forms, including online and satellite radio, have been introduced which provide new benefits for listeners. The fact that the radio industry has been able to hold its ground for so many years after the introduction of television is a testament to its longevity.