The CRTC has approved the change of effective control and ownership of Groupe Attraction Radio. The move transfers majority ownership of Groupe’s 14 regional, commercial French-language FM stations in Quebec to Sylvain Chamberland, the company’s current executive VP and CEO, who will have a 50.25 per cent stake in the new group. Taking into consideration Chamberland’s existing interest, the transaction is valued at $21,177,404, with the licencee to pay $1,270,644 in tangible benefits. Chamberland was recruited by Attraction founder Richard Speer in 2011 to set up the radio division.
CISN Country 103.9 Edmonton has added The Bobby Bones show to its lineup. Bones has been awarded National On-Air Personality of the Year from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, and was the youngest personality to be elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2017. The show will air weeknights from 7 to 11 p.m. MT.
Okanagan Valley Newspaper Group launched OkanaganValleyRadio.com this week. Among the online station’s programming offerings are Good Morning Okanagan, produced and hosted by veteran radio personality Allan Holender, who formerly ran online oldies/jazz station Peachland Radio.
Radio Waterloo, a documentary that delves into “the advent of community radio in Canada as told by the people who struggled to create it,” is now available to stream online. The doc debuted part of the Deep Cut Film Festival in Kitchener in July. It follows Radio Waterloo (CKMS-FM) and CKWR-FM Kitchener through the community stations’ development from the 1960s through 2017.
Voicetracker Hub and RCS have launched a search for the inaugural Voice Tracker of the Year Award. Open to any on-air talent that voice tracks, the overall winner will receive $500 USD. Entry is free until the end of September, with the winners to be announced in October.
National Radio Day was celebrated this past Monday. Toronto-based, not-for-profit radio advocacy organization Radio Connects says AM/FM radio is still playing a critical role in the Canadian audio landscape and has maintained its relevance amidst the digital consumption revolution. According to the Share of Ear Canada audio measurement study from Edison Research, despite a constantly changing audio landscape, broadcast radio still accounts for over 60 per cent of the more than four hours a day that Canadians spend with all sources of audio. That compares to nine per cent of time spent listening to audio via pureplay streaming services in Canada. National Radio Day isn’t to be confused with World Radio Day, which is celebrated on Feb. 13. Read more here.
Spotify is moving forward with its own original, branded podcast content. The new podcast series Ebb & Flow, hosted by Jasmine Solano and sponsored by New Amsterdam Vodka, features five 30-minute episodes with hip-hop guests Saweetie, Bryce Vine, GASHI, J.I.D, and Skinny Mars.
Blain Henshaw is celebrating more than half a century in broadcasting. Henshaw, who is still on-air as a host at Halifax community station 105.9 Seaside FM (CFEP-FM), started his professional radio career in Aug. 1966 in the news department at CKBW Bridgewater, but his on-air debut actually came at age 12 on a CFBC Saint John, NB remote from the Digby County Exhibition where he was called upon to play accordion. In 1970, Henshaw moved on to CJCH Halifax as a reporter (referred to as ‘legmen’ in the day), and then CHNS/CHFX-FM. In 1973, he returned to CJCH Radio/TV, which became ATV. Since 2007, Henshaw has been a freelance writer and consultant and has hosted both the Saturday morning Maritime Express and afternoon shows on Seaside FM since 2013.
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