video games and policy revisions, early morning edition

It’s 6:30am and I haven’t slept yet. I’ve been writing writing writing straight into the morning, and I gotta be up bright and early to sell tickets for the CKXU Super Smash Brothers Tournament in the Atrium. If you’re around between 10-11am be a pet and buy me a coffee.

The CRTC have recently asked for comments regarding their “hits policy” for commercial FM stations, as well as which charts determine a “hit”. This can potentially affect the campus/community radio sector and, in turn, CKXU through our Top 40 policies. Lots of people ask me about the CKXU Top 40 policy, and I usually just simply say that as per our FM license agreement as a campus/community radio station we are not allowed to compete with commercial radio stations (I’ll be honest right now, I have no recollection of where I read any policy that was worded like that, but I swear I got it from somewhere… I apologize if this is complete bullshit). To simplify that even further, I say “It’s illegal.” Admittedly, I don’t get very in-depth with face-to-face conversation.

Here are four things you didn’t know about Top 40 policy (termed “hits” by CRTC):

• Even commercial FM stations are limited to how many hits they can play; currently it is no more than 50% of their total weekly content.
• CKXU, as a campus-based community FM station, has a limit to our hits count as well. The number of hits played cannot exceed 10% of total weekly content.
• Currently, a “hit” is defined as a musical selection that has appeared on the following charts: (1) Billboard Hot 100 Singles, (2) The Record Country, (3) RPM 100 Country Tracks, (4) Billboard Hot Country (there are further stipulations for “past hits”, feel free to browse the entire policy here). However, the definition has not been revised since 1997 and the CRTC have acknowledged that the two Canadian-based charts no longer exist and need to be replaced. The suggestions are discussed here but have not been written into policy yet.
• CKXU, along with many other campus/community radio stations, have mandates of providing programming that is alternative to commercial stations within their community, and thus embrace a 10% restriction of hits so we can focus on exposing lesser known and emerging artists.

So, now we wait for revised policy!

On another note, I’m starting to get kinda psyched for attending NCRC 2008. Here’s a picture of me at NCRC 2007 talking to some guy from CKUT about Podcasting. My hair was so short.

Revised edit: Writing at 6am is not the most effective way of writing, sheesh.