Stingray has introduced New Country 93.5 (CFXJ-FM) in Toronto, as the company takes a bet on the rising popularity of Country music.

The New Country format, which is already carried on 19 Stingray stations across the country from Kamloops, BC to Carbonear, NL, replaces the former 93.5 Today Radio. Introduced in Toronto in early 2022, the Adult Hits format is similar to Pattison Media’s NOW! Radio brand.

Stingray Radio President Steve Jones says while the Today format has performed well in Edmonton and had some good books in Calgary, it didn’t take hold in other markets like Vancouver, where Pattison recently dumped the NOW! format to return to playing Alt Rock on CKPK-FM.

“I think what we once thought was a trend wasn’t a trend and the format is a success in Edmonton because of what NOW! Radio in Edmonton does and not because there’s a format that can be picked up and transplanted anywhere,” said Jones. “I think the challenge was we had a real difficult time explaining to listeners and clients what was different about Today Radio. It was hard to translate to clients what was unique about it…we know the variety we played was infinitely wider and conversations infinitely deeper, but it became a really difficult thing to communicate. When you can’t communicate what makes you interesting or different, I think you’re kind of doomed.”

New Country 93.5 will stand alone as the only Country format station in Toronto, as the popularity of the genre surges, particularly amongst younger listeners.

“The timing to launch a country station probably couldn’t be better,” said Jones. “The data that we’ve seen about who is listening to country and why…it’s younger, it’s more urban. Young urban professionals who are trapped in cookie cutter condos in the downtown core of a big city crave the values that Country music stands for and it provides a connection to a different environment than the city life they live.”

“If you’ve been to a Morgan Wallen or Luke Combs show, you know how passionate the fans are,” he continued. “Wallen has arguably become one of the biggest stars on the planet and to watch artists like Post Malone or Beyoncé embrace the format and be embraced by the format is really cool. The format seems to go through phases where it attracts an entirely new audience, like the Garth Brooks era in the early ’90s where a whole bunch of new fans came in. That’s exciting.”

The station, which has soft-launched by playing the “greatest country songs of all time” over the long weekend, will roll out its full branding Tuesday morning. Paul McGuire, Stingray’s Country network midday host, will take on mornings in Toronto (6 – 10 a.m.), in addition to maintaining his network duties. Devin McNeil, who is heard weekends on some New Country stations, will take on middays (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.). Former Today Radio personality Vanessa Newman, who also hosts on Z95.3 (CKZZ-FM) Vancouver, will be heard weekdays, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Casey Clarke, who hosts the regional morning show on New Country 100.7 (CIGV-FM) Kelowna/Penticton and New Country 103.1 (CJKC-FM) Kamloops, will be heard weekday evenings from 7 p.m. – midnight. Samantha Stevens, who co-hosts mornings on Stingray’s XL103 (CFXL-FM) Calgary, will helm weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Jones says the New Country format has been “a reliable, strong performer” for the company in most of the markets where it’s carried.

He acknowledged the class of the outgoing Today Radio team, particularly morning show host Paul Harper, who stayed with the station to usher the brand to the finish line.

“Paul wanted to stay and and take it to the finish line,” said Jones. “He got to say goodbye to the listeners and got to give the station a proper sign off, which in our industry is so rare and he was grateful for the opportunity to do that. He’s an absolute pro.”

*Editor’s note: Today Radio and 2Day Radio are licensed in Canada by Momentum Media Marketing, the parent company of Broadcast Dialogue.

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