Evanov Communications (ECI) has found a buyer for its Ottawa FM station slated for closure. Torres Media Group has reached an agreement to acquire the assets of CJWL-FM, currently operating as Lite 98.5, pending CRTC approval. Torres already operates Rebel 101.7 (CIDG-FM) in the market, which carries a mainstream Rock format. CJWL-FM would be the company’s fifth radio property. ECI announced last week it had found a buyer for CHRC-FM Clarence-Rockland and CKHK-FM Hawkesbury – two of the three Ontario FM stations it had planned to close this month. Read more here.
Stingray is moving away from airing 24/7 news/talk programming on Kamloops, BC heritage station, CHNL. The network says going forward the AM station will now include a mix of music focused in the Classic Hits variety genre, in addition to news, sports, and community information to ensure its long-term viability. Stingray Radio President Steve Jones told Broadcast Dialogue that four staff members were impacted in news and programming. Jones said CHNL will retain a three-person newsroom and continue to provide frequent local news updates. Read more here.
The CRTC will hold a hearing in Yellowknife, NWT on Feb. 11 to consider two applications for new radio stations, one by online broadcaster and publisher Cabin Radio, which is seeking a commercial broadcast licence, and the other from Vista Radio, which is proposing to introduce a Hot AC format, with live morning and afternoon drive shows. Vista operates the lone commercial station in the market, the Classic Hits-driven 100.1 True North (CJCD-FM). The deadline for comments is Oct. 21.
A Day to Listen returns to Canadian radio on Monday, Sept. 30, in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Produced by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF), in partnership with Orbyt Media, the 12-hour broadcast will air on more than 600 radio stations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time). This year, Winnipeg-based radio host, producer, and writer Kim Wheeler takes the helm of the broadcast, joined by singer-songwriter Julian Taylor and Six Nations poet and media producer January Rogers. The theme for this year, the fourth incarnation of the broadcast, is All My Relations, focusing on the Indigenous worldview that all things are interconnected. Read more here.
WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM) Vancouver personalities Tara Jean Stevens and Stirling Faux will host Project Hope on Oct. 11, a fundraiser for ALS research as they salute radio veteran “Downtown” Julie Brown. Brown, who started her radio career at Montreal’s CHOM-FM in the early 1970s, went on to be heard on CFMI-FM Vancouver and later CJAZ-FM and CKKS-FM in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. She was WAVE’s weekend host when the station launched in 2022. Brown, 79, received an ALS diagnosis this past year. She’s also known for performing as part of jazz vocal trio, The Hot Mammas.
MILESTONE: Jack Miller is celebrating 50 years with Quinte Broadcasting. The longtime sports director has been with the company’s stations in Belleville, ON, including CJBQ, MIX 97 (CIGL-FM), and ROCK 107 (CJTN-FM), since 1974, starting as the afternoon drive announcer on CJBQ. The voice of the local AHL affiliate, Belleville Senators, the broadcast booth at CAA Arena bears Miller’s name.
Stingray Karaoke is launching in Ford vehicles – starting with the all-electric F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E models, to be followed by vehicles with the Ford and Lincoln Digital Experience. The experience was developed in collaboration between the Stingray and Ford engineering teams and allows passengers to use their smartphone to scan the QR code and control the karaoke experience from their phone without having to login to an app. The app will roll out via a Ford software update first to eligible owners in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. Owners need an active Ford or Lincoln Premium Connectivity plan or be connected to wi-fi for access.
LISTEN: Leslie Scott is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Her first appearance since 2016 when she was the PD for 107.7 The End in Seattle, since then she’s taken on a few more stations, been elevated to overseeing programming of Audacy’s streaming-only channels…and like so many people in radio, been restructured out of a job. For the most part, her values remain the same: radio and digital should be friends, not enemies; radio stations need to focus on curating personalities above all else; and the youngest generation is a giant well of untapped potential listeners who should be catered to. Her and Matt Cundill also discuss women’s progress in the radio industry, or rather, its stagnation in recent years.
