Radio & Podcast News – Corus pulls plug on AM 730, 880 News

Corus Entertainment has pulled the plug on two of its AM radio formats in Vancouver and Edmonton, and laid off staff. 880 News (CHQT-AM) Edmonton, a sister station to 630 CHED, had been owned by Corus since 2000 and re-launched as an all-news station in 2008. AM 730 (CKGO-AM) Vancouver, a sister station to 980 CKNW, was formerly branded as Mojo Sports Radio, prior to the launch of what was billed as North America’s only “all-traffic” station in 2006. Corus says as part of an ongoing efficiency review across the company, it has made “the difficult decision” to reduce AM radio programming in both markets. While not divulging whether it will return the licences to the CRTC or if it is seeking a buyer, the company told Broadcast Dialogue that following a period of simulcasting CKNW and CHED programming on the respective stations, “Corus will only operate one AM news-talk station in each of Vancouver and Edmonton.” Read more here.

The CRTC has approved Radio Huronne-Wyandot’s application for a broadcasting licence to operate an Indigenous (Type B) FM radio station in Wendake, Que. Radio Huronne-Wyandot was originally granted a broadcast licence for a low-power station in 1984 and subsequently a new licence for an Indigenous FM radio station (CIHW-FM) in 2018. That licence was administratively renewed in 2019 and expired in 2022. The FM station would operate at 100.3 MHz (channel 262A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 239 watts, airing 126 hours of local programming each broadcast week, including six hours of programming devoted to spoken word and 120 hours of musical content, consisting of pop, rock, dance, country and Indigenous; 102 hours of French-language programming and 24 hours in various Indigenous languages (Wendat, Innu and Atikamekw).

Triton Digital has released the latest Canada Podcast Ranker for the May 2024 reporting period (April 29 – June 2), as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service. Top ranked podcast debuts included MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries (Wondery Network) for the top podcasts, Split Screen: Kid Nation (CBC/Radio-Canada) for the Canada originated English-language podcasts, and Broomgate: A Curling Scandal (CBC/Radio-Canada) for both the top ranked podcasts and the Canada originated English-language podcasts.

A GoFundMe has been organized in support of Deborah Birmingham, one of the former voices on the OZFM Dawn Patrol on OZFM (CHOZ-FM) St. John’s, NL. Birmingham has been diagnosed with B cell follicular lymphoma and is recovering from surgery to remove melanoma from her leg.

LISTEN: David Farrell was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during Canadian Music Week (CMW) recognizing his more than five-decade career covering the music and broadcast industry. Farrell published industry publication The Record for 20 years, before co-founding FYI Music News, which was acquired by Billboard Canada last year. He joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about the ups and downs of writing about radio and records, the state of music journalism, and more.

LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Jeremy Sinon shares how his tech-savvy background led him to a pivotal role at Clear Channel and later Hubbard Radio. He discusses the evolution of digital departments, the importance of strategic content repurposing, and the potential impact of AI on the industry.

The Pro Bono Group is launching a new PSA for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) titled “Camping.” It replaces the current spot available to stations, “Uncomfortable.” Pro Bono Group will release new creative in six weeks time.