Harvard Broadcasting redubs CKPW-FM Edmonton as ‘Play 107’

Harvard Broadcasting’s CKPW-FM Edmonton finally has a new name after several months of uncertainty following a lawsuit by Corus Entertainment over use of the “Power” brand in the market.

PLAY 107 made its debut Friday, with the Classic CHR station’s new moniker selected from listener suggestions following a contest that saw the lucky winner awarded $1,007.

Harvard agreed to rename the station last month after a judge granted Corus a temporary injunction against use of the Power brand, which it previously operated CKNG-FM Edmonton under (now 92.5 The ‘Chuck), most recently in 2003. While Corus had let its trademark on the Power 107 and Power 92 brands lapse in 2015, it launched the lawsuit in September, less than a month after Harvard rebranded CJNW-FM to Power 107.

Tamara Konrad, General Manager for Harvard Broadcasting in Edmonton, says the renaming effort garnered a lot of suggestions, which they ultimately narrowed down to 10. The station also used the absence of a name to raise funds for the Edmonton Christmas Bureau, re-imaging itself as Laser City 107 for a single day on Thursday, after the local business won a bid based on donations.

“Launching Play as our new Classic CHR brand is a great conclusion to a long and strange journey for our team in Edmonton. I’m proud of how they’ve handled themselves through this whole ordeal, and am excited to finally be able to fully concentrate on delivering a great listening experience for the city,” said Christian Hall, National Program Manager, in an email to Broadcast Dialogue.

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