On May 4, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released their decision approving the Peach City Community Radio Society (PCCRS) application for a low-power English language community FM radio station in Penticton. In 2016, Peach City Radio plans to broadcast a 49.9 Watt signal under call letters CFUZ and at a frequency of 92.9 MHz on the FM dial.

The Society submitted an application for licence to the CRTC on August 18 2014. Peach City Radio members have been waiting for the results since a January 13th CRTC public hearing. In the application the station commits to 126 hours per broadcast week of programming, 106 hours of which is to be locally produced.

"We are overjoyed with the decision today from the CRTC. It is the culmination of 5 years of hard work by our Board and volunteers. A broadcasting community radio station is long overdue in the Okanagan. We are proud to have earned this licence, it's a nod from the CRTC to make this station happen for the citizens of Penticton. Today's decision is a giant leap forward for our organization.", said Dave Del Rizzo, PCCRS President.

Peach City Radio fundraising efforts are ongoing. The Society is seeking funds to purchase transmission equipment required to begin FM broadcasting, and hopes to reach their $30,000 goal in 2015. In light of the timing of this announcement, Peach City Radio is also currently requesting assistance from the community in finding a suitable studio location for this next phase of operation.

"The goal is that within 6 months we will have a studio equipped, and be broadcasting live-to-internet-stream. This will give our volunteers and our organization the experience necessary to facilitate a seamless transition from online and podcast formats to live FM broadcasting some months later", said Del Rizzo. Currently, Peach City Radio streams online 24 hours per day but changing to a live studio format will take some getting used to. Close to 30 volunteers are now experienced community radio hosts and DJs, but more will be needed in order to fill the promised 106 local hours of content. "We truly feel that Peach City Radio over the FM airwaves will change how people interact within our community. We'll build the infrastructure and have a station in place allowing citizens to provide the content, and interact directly with the community on the FM dial."

Peach City Radio will allow local citizens to access the airwaves, discussing and sharing the issues, music and information important to them, and their community. Listeners can expect an eclectic mix of music including pop, rock, dance, country, folk, easy listening, classical, world beat and jazz. Local music and musicians will be highlighted regularly. Once operational, the station will broadcast at 92.9 FM with the tongue-in-cheek call letters of CFUZ, perfect for the Okanagan's Peach City.

View the CRTC decision document