Yellowknife (Jan 19/05) - Businesses in Kam Lake have been getting more than their fill of Canada's national broadcaster lately.

Phone lines in the industrial district have been picking up transmissions from a CBC radio tower located nearby, making it difficult to have a conversation, some say.

"It comes and goes but it can be hard to hear," said Garth Eggenberger who works at Age Automotive just across the street from the tower.

The problem is not a new one said Anne Kennedy, a spokesperson for NorthwesTel. Copper in the phone lines acts like an antenna for radio signals and with the powerful broadcast tower located nearby.

"It has always been a problem and we anticipate it will always be a problem," Kennedy said.

While background noise is common, four or five businesses have recently complained the CBC interference was getting louder.

"Every so often, it becomes hard to hear the person on the other end," Eggenberger said.

NorthwesTel technicians replaced sections of copper wire with fibre-optic cable earlier in the month, which contributed to the increased interference, Kennedy said.

"The problem has probably become worse," she said.

While fibre-optic cable itself does not pick up radio signals, the refitting left the telephone system in Kam Lake with fewer copper wires.

The ones that remain absorb more of the radio transmissions -- increasing the intensity of the background noise, she explained.

NorthwesTel officials are currently working with the CBC to find a way around the problem, but Kennedy said there was no solution on the immediate horizon.

"The strength of the tower is overpowering," she said. Completely replacing the copper wiring with fibre-optics would also be too expensive, she added.