If You Don’t Like It Change the Channel: Radio Censorship Policies and Enforcement in Canada

This project is an exploratory study of private radio regulation in Canada. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) is a self-regulating organization (SRO) made up of private broadcasters who create regulatory policies for radio as well as make decisions regarding consumer complaints about violations of the same policies. Primary research consisted of twelve decisions made by the CBSC regarding complaints as well as two interviews with members of the broadcasting community. Data were coded and analysed using the qualitative research software NVivo 10. This research led to conclusions that indicate the CBSC has little public accountability as well as flaws within the regulation process as well as the regulations themselves.