Harvard Media is introducing sports talk on Edmonton’s 95.7 CRUZ FM (CKEA-FM), starting Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The Nielson Show, featuring Lt. Eric, will make its debut weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., with three hours of local sports talk, including “a heavy focus on the Oilers,” according to a company announcement Monday.
Hosted by Dustin Nielson, alongside Eric Holt, The Nielson Show has already built a following on YouTube via the Edmonton Sports Talk channel. The show, which will be simulcast, previously had a run on TSN 1260 Radio (CFRN-AM) in the market, which was shuttered by Bell Media in 2023. The show boasts about 500,000 YouTube streams a month.
“Bringing The Nielson Show to 95.7 Cruz FM means we’re filling a major void on Edmonton’s radio airwaves – giving sports fans a live, local morning show dedicated to the teams and stories they care about most,” said Travis Stewart, Director of Local Media at Harvard Media. “We’re thrilled to partner with Dustin and Lt. Eric to bring their passion, personality, and deep Edmonton sports knowledge back to the airwaves.”
“When we launched Edmonton Sports Talk two years ago it was the first 24-7 digital sports station in the country and it’s been very successful. Now we have the opportunity to put Sports Talk on the FM Dial for the first time and we are extremely excited about it,” added Nielson, who serves as president of the Edmonton Sports Talk venture. “Sports media is an industry that is continually getting smaller but now we have a rare chance to change that by trying something new and it’s important to me to show that it can and will be successful.”
CRUZ FM will continue to broadcast local traffic during the morning show, saying listeners “can still expect to hear the music they know and love, ‘Variety That Rocks’ on 95.7 Cruz FM outside of the morning show hours.”
The new show replaces Cruz Mornings with Mark & Jess, hosted by the Harvard network personalities, who are also heard on play 92 (CHMX-FM) Regina, among other stations. Prior to the introduction of Mark & Jess last year, Lochlin Cross was heard in mornings on #THELOCKERROOM, alongside Grant Johnson and James P. White.
