Radio & Podcast News – CRTC greenlights Acadia Broadcasting’s purchase of CIGO-FM

The CRTC has approved Acadia Broadcasting Limited’s purchase of CIGO-FM Port Hawkesbury, NS from MacEachern Broadcasting Limited. Acadia filed an application with the CRTC to acquire 101.5 The Hawk in January. The transaction is valued at $1,363,700, including $81,822 in tangible benefits. CIGO was first established in 1975 as 1410 CIGO AM, before converting to 101.5 on the FM band in April 2000. It has been owned by Robert and Brenda MacEachern since 1993. With the addition of CIGO-FM, Acadia will own and operate 15 stations across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

The CRTC has published applications for two new radio station licences in Quebec. Michel Lambert, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, proposes operating a French-language commercial FM station in Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf, that would operate at 88.7 MHz (channel 204B1) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 7,164 watts. The applicant proposes an adult contemporary music format. An application from numbered company 10679313 Canada inc. is also seeking a licence to operate a French-language commercial FM station in Sainte-Marie. The station would operate at 105.3 MHz (channel 287A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,159 watts. The applicant is proposing a country and folk music format.

SiriusXM Canada is proposing reducing the amount of its Canadian content development (CCD) contributions from four per cent of gross revenues to .5 per cent, in its licence renewal application. According to the CRTC, SiriusXM is already in apparent non-compliance with its CCD dues for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. A commission audit of SiriusXM is currently underway for the 2014-15 broadcast year.

Rogers temporarily rebranded its JACK FM stations Friday to mark International Women’s Day. JILL FM – “Playing What She Wants” greeted listeners tuning into and visiting accompanying station websites and social media platforms in Vancouver (CJAX-FM), Calgary (CJAQ-FM), London (CHST-FM), Smiths Falls (CJET-FM), and Halifax (CFLT-FM). Accordingly, JILL FM’s playlist and imaging went all-female doubling down on Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, Heart, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette, and Joni Mitchell, among other artists. Paul Kaye, VP, Product & Talent, Rogers Radio said the huge, collaborative effort was the first time the entire JACK group of stations has rebranded in unison. Read the full story here.

CBC Music is devoting this Sunday’s programming to this year’s Juno-nominated artists and past Juno winners. Music Day on CBC will begin with Weekend Mornings (6-9 a.m., 6:30 a.m. NL) with Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe highlighting the performers and nominees. Other highlights include The Juno Cover Sessions (11 a.m.-noon ET, 11:30 in NL) with host Raina Douris, featuring covers of past Juno-winning tunes including Charlotte Cardin’s fresh take on Nickelback and Kaia Kater’s electronic version of “Crabbuckit” by k-os, among others. The Juno Songwriters’ Circle (noon-2 p.m. ET) features the stories behind the songs, followed by raw, acoustic performances. Alan Doyle hosts and performs, alongside current and past Juno Award nominees. Deep Dive on Corey Hart (2 p.m. ET) sees Rich Terfry take listeners on a deep dive into this year’s Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee. The coverage culminates in The 2019 Juno Awards simulcast hosted by Terfry and Tetteh-Wayoe (8 p.m. ET), followed by The Strombo Show at 10:15 p.m. ET, with requests from this year’s Juno-nominated artists for songs by other Juno nominees including Boogat, Dave Merheje, Debra DiGiovanni, Dubmatrix, Elisapie, Exco Levi, Hubert Lenoir and Loud Luxury. The show will also feature house sessions from Juno nominees Snotty Nose Rez Kids.

CBC Music has announced Toronto-based hip-hop artist Shopé as the winner of the SEARCHLIGHT 2019 competition. With almost 2,000 original songs entered in this year’s contest, music acts from across the country have been vying for the top spot through a combination of public votes, a Canadian music industry panel and celebrity judges. Shopé, also known by his given name Mosope Adeyemi, impressed judges with his submitted track “Come Wid It.” As part of the grand prize, Shopé will take part in the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class, get a performance spot at the 2019 JUNO Master Class music industry showcase in Toronto, and a trip to the 2020 JUNO Awards in Saskatoon where he’ll perform at JUNOfest. Shopé has also earned a five day residency at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, with access to recording studios, professionals, and a historic instrument collection, in addition to a performance slot at this year’s CBC Music Festival at Toronto’s RBC Echo Beach.

Radio-Canada has issued a final call for interest in its surplus vinyl records and CDs, ahead of its move into a new Montreal headquarters in 2020. The collection includes an estimated 108,000 pieces, including 49,000 33 RPM, 19,000 45 RPM and 40,000 78 RPM records. Then there’s another 57,000 compact discs. Broken down by genre, it’s estimated to include 37 per cent classical recordings, 19 per cent French pop vocal, 17 per cent English pop vocal, 10 per cent instrumental, 10 per cent jazz and blues, six per cent folk, and one per cent other. Community radio stations are among the groups the call for interest is open to, in addition to secondary or post-secondary educational institutions that offer specialized music instruction recognized by a provincial Department of Education; museums; public libraries; and non-profit organizations with a social mission. Institutions interested in acquiring one or more portions of the inventory, as is and without charge, are invited to express their interest by completing the designated form here by Friday, Mar. 29.

Rosalie Award nominations are open recognizing Canadian women who have blazed new trails in radio. Rosalie Award recipients are women who have had successful careers in the radio industry and are seen as leaders, mentors, and people making a difference in the business. The award is named in honour of Rosalie Trombley, renowned music director at Top 40 powerhouse CKLW-AM “The Big 8” in Windsor-Detroit. Trombley’s success and influence during the early years of women in radio inspired the Rosalie Award. She became its first recipient in 2005.

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