There can only be one #1, can't there?

In Edmonton, like any other city, we have a number of different radio stations. In the last two years, we’ve had quite a few format changes for both AM and FM stations, and at least two new FM stations have appeared. One of the new stations is The Bounce, at 91.7 on the dial. Their main competition is 96X at 96.3, one of the old stations. It is these two stations I want to take a look at.

As you can see from the Bounce website, the station advertises itself as “Your New #1.” That seems logical I suppose, considering they are new, but are they really #1? Their arch rival, 96X, advertises itself as “Edmonton’s #1 Hit Music Station.” How can they both be #1? Sounds like one of the two stations has to be wrong!

The two radio stations are making a claim about their position in the radio market in Edmonton. According to the Competition Bureau here in Canada, a misleading representation about market position is prohibited:

Representations about the nature, size and market position of a business…fall within section 52(1)(a), which prohibits representations that are false or misleading in a material respect. Words such as “only” or similar claims of the exclusivity or superiority of a supplier should not be used if the result is to deceive or mislead.

I think it is quite intuitive that two stations cannot be #1 at the same time, so one of the stations must be making a misleading representation! Unfortunately, I do not have any data on listeners, but I would assume that 96X has the largest part of the market, especially considering The Bounce is so new. Now I suppose by saying “YOUR New #1” and not “EDMONTON’s New #1”, The Bounce may be on safe footing, despite the fact that by “your” they probably mean “edmonton’s” anyway.

In the grand scheme of things, they could both advertise using the same words and it wouldn’t affect my life in the slightest (especially thanks to my Zen Touch). I’ll still flip between stations when the commercials start. I just think it’s interesting to be aware of how these companies market themselves.