TSN 1040 (CKST-AM) Vancouver will remain the official radio broadcaster of the BC Lions with a new deal that extends the partnership through to 2022. Coverage of the coming season will kick off live from training camp in Kamloops on May 20. The 2018 broadcast team will include play-by-play commentator Bob ‘the Moj’ Marjanovich, alongside analyst and former Lions quarterback Giulio Caravatta. Contributing insight and analysis will be CFL Insiders Farhan Lalji, Dave Naylor and Glen Suitor.
Corus Radio is launching a new late-night, national talk show The Shift with Drex. Starting Jan. 22, host Justin “Drex” Wilcomes will offer a take on the day’s headlines. The four-hour show, will air on 980 CKNW Vancouver, 770 CHQR Calgary, 630 CHED Edmonton, 680 CJOB Winnipeg, AM 640 Toronto (CFMJ-AM), 900 CHML Hamilton, and 980 CFPL London, is promising interviews with newsmakers and lively, audience-driven debate via listener calls and online commenting. Drex, an Australian import, has most recently been co-host of the weekday afternoon show Steele & Drex on 980 CKNW, alongside Lynda Steele.
Samsung is the latest company to announce it’s unlocking FM chips in all its upcoming smartphones in the U.S. and Canada. Samsung will partner with the NextRadio app, which connects to local FM stations, using 20 per cent less data and three times less battery than traditional streaming. NextRadio partnered with LG to activate FM in its phones last August and Sprint back in 2013.
The CRTC has approved an application by Byrnes Communications Inc. to acquire CJED-FM Niagara Falls and CFLZ-FM Fort Erie from Vista Radio Ltd. for $800,000. The commission is waiving the payment of tangible benefits, with Byrnes arguing the public interest is better served by it investing in the two stations, which have experienced significant financial losses over the last five years.
Rogers Media has entered into an agreement with Clear Sky Radio Inc. to acquire the broadcasting license for 102.1 CJCY-FM Medicine Hat, subject to CRTC approval. CJCY-FM will join Rogers station 105.3 ROCK (CKMH-FM) Medicine Hat, rounding out the company’s portfolio of 55 radio stations across the country.
The CRTC has approved an application from Comité de la Radio communautaire Huronne-Wyandot inc. for a new broadcasting licence to operate a Type B Native FM radio station in Wendake, Quebec. The not-for-profit currently operates low-power, Native radio station CIHW-FM Wendake. The new station would operate at 100.3 MHz (channel 262A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 239 watts (maximum ERP of 400 watts with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 18.9 metres).
Bell Media has applied to increase the signal strength of KFUN 99.5 (CKKW-FM) Kitchener from 4.3kW to 37.5kW, in part to counter interference from WDCX-FM Buffalo. The move would improve the signal toward Hamilton and Guelph, in addition to Kitchener-Waterloo. The intervention deadline is Feb. 9.
SiriusXM has launched men’s lifestyle channel Barstool Radio, featuring what it’s billing as an “irreverent and unfiltered approach” to covering sports and popular culture. Live, original weekday programming will include call-in shows hosted by ‘El Presidente’ Dave Portnoy, Kevin ‘KFC’ Clancy, Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz, Pat McAfee and others, in addition to airing popular podcasts like Pardon My Take, Laces Out, KFC Radio, and I Am Rapaport.
SiriusXM Canada has unveiled its new platform SiriusXM with 360L, featuring thousands of hours of on-demand content and 200+ live channels. The platform will make its debut in the 2019 Ram 1500 truck. SiriusXM says 360L offers content recommendations based on listening preferences; more variety, including exclusive content; and the ability to sync with a listener’s mobile phone, among other features.
