Stingray has announced it will launch Sports 1440 in Edmonton next month, bringing a dedicated sports talk radio station back to the city just months after Bell Media’s move to shutter TSN 1260 (CFRN-AM).
Stingray plans to launch the new format on Sept. 5, which will air on CJKR-AM, licensed to the Edmonton bedroom community of Wetaskiwin. The station is currently branded as W1440 and carries an Oldies format.
The effort is a collaboration between Stingray Radio, former NHL‘er Jason Gregor’s Just A Game Productions and digital sports media site The Nation Network, which was acquired by Playmaker Capital in 2021. The lineup at launch will include:
- The Kevin Karius Show: 7:00 am – 11:00 am
- Fantasy Frenzy with Halley & Douglas: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
- The Lowdown with Lowetide: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
- The Jason Gregor Show: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
“We understand the importance of sports in the lives of people in the Edmonton area,” said Stingray Edmonton’s Jackie Rae Greening, who’ll act as Program Director at Sports 1440. “With Sports 1440 on the AM dial, fans can once again get their daily dose of sports content, expert analysis and passionate discussions that they’ve been missing.”
“We are very excited to be partnering with Jason Gregor and Stingray on this project,” added Jay Downton, CEO of The Nation Network. “Edmonton is a fantastic sports market and deserves quality and accessible content. Not only does this mean the return of engaging sports talk on radio, we will also be distributing across the Oilersnation.com digital eco system. By layering these elements there will be no limits to the size of audience we can create.”
The Stingray announcement comes as some other broadcasters make a concerted shift away from the AM band and sports talk radio. TSN 1260 was among six AM stations under Bell Media ownership that went dark in June, marking the sports network’s ongoing disappearing act from the dial. TSN 590 (CJCL-AM) Toronto and TSN 690 (CKGM-AM) Montreal are the only remaining radio properties operating under the banner.
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