VANCOUVER, BC, Canada—Three radio stations, namely Sher-e-Punjab, Radio Punjab and Radio India, may be shutting down soon. Although these radios also operate online, they will lose much of their audience if their frequencies are shutdown.
CRTC had issued a notice to all three radio stations, seeking documents, however none of them responded to the notice. They were asking to submit comments by August 28, before the October 15 hearing.
CTRC had stated that these stations may have been broadcasting in Canada, even though they did not have licenses to do so. These radio stations cater primarily to Punjabis in Canada, and they are funded mostly by Canadian businesses.
Patricia Valladao, CRTC Media Relations Manager, stated that these Punjabi radio stations were quite popular in Canada, however they were not in compliance with the broadcasting regulations of the country.
The CRTC is apparently also in touch with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission regarding the issue.
In addition to being popular in Canada, these radio stations do have a large audience based out of the United States. They remain quite popular within Punjabi truckers that haul mostly on the West Coast. Radio Sher-e-Punjab is amongst one of the most popular radio stations in North America, it is notorious for some of its anti-Panthik radio talk shows.
