Vista Radio has announced plans to purchase Clear Sky Radio, which operates 94.1 CJOC-FM and 98.1 The Bridge (CKBD-FM) in Lethbridge, AB, and Summit 107 (CFSM-FM) in Cranbrook, BC. Headquartered in Lethbridge, Clear Sky sold its Classic Hits station, CJCY-FM Medicine Hat, to Rogers Media earlier this year. The Clear Sky stations will bring Vista Radio’s station count to 43, across B.C., Alberta, Ontario and the Northwest Territories. Vista also owns and operates more than 30 locally-focused news, information and online events portals in its station communities. The transaction is expected to close Dec. 31. Read more here.
Vista Radio has completed its fifth annual Million Dollar Charity Drive with an overall goal of generating one million dollars annually for local charities. Each Vista Radio station selected its own local charity to support with a week long fundraising drive ending Dec. 9. Over 300 Vista Radio staff gave of themselves to help families in the cities and towns in which they live. The week ended with donations in food, cash and toys totalling more than $1,600,000.
The CRTC has approved new speciality Christian music stations for Kelowna and Saskatoon. Both will be owned and operated by the not-for-profit International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association Inc. The new Kelowna station would operate at 88.1 MHz (channel 201C) with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 4,200 watts. The rebroadcasting transmitter in Kamloops would operate at 99.1 MHz (channel 256B1) with an ERP of 3,000 watts. The Saskatoon station will operate at 103.1 MHz (channel 276A) with an effective radiated power of 2,000 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 39.9 metres).
CHOD-FM Cornwall, branded as FM 92.1 EST ONTARIEN, and owned by Radio communautaire Cornwall-Alexandria, will receive $253,000 in federal funding for a project that will expand the reach of its antenna. This announcement is part of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023: Investing in our Future, announced in March by Minister Melanie Joly. The Action Plan represents the government’s vision for supporting both official languages and official-language minority communities across the country.
JAZZ.FM (CJRT-FM) Toronto has been ordered by an Ontario Superior Court judge to provide SaveJazzFM with the email addresses of station member donors, so it can lobby for changes to the not-for-profit’s board. The station has also been ordered to cover $20,000 in legal costs, on top of its own. SaveJazzFM plans to call a Special Meeting of Members by February to vote out the incumbent board. In the latest departure from the station, JAZZ.FM parted ways with longtime fundraiser Bryan Snelson, who has raised more than $1 million for the station. Snelson told the National Post, he was given no explanation, other than the station had found a new sponsor.
HOT 107 (CJNW-FM) Edmonton took the opportunity to make some good happen out of the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” controversy last week, by playing the song non-stop to collect warm coats for those in need. Following a Facebook poll that saw 7,000 HOT 107 followers vote 98 per cent in favour of adding the song to its Christmas playlist, the station decided to play the tune back-to-back on Wednesday morning until 107 coats had been collected for local charities The Mustard Seed, Lurana Shelter and Youth Emergency Shelter. HOT 107 ultimately decided to extend the coat drive until 5 p.m. Friday. Promotions director Lacey Slater estimates 350 to 400 coats came in, in addition to mittens, hats and scarves. Read the full story here.
Country 89 (CKYY-FM) Welland and Giant FM (CIXL-FM) Niagara have been “Haulin’ For Hunger” since Nov. 10 in benefit of Open Arms Mission. With the help of local businesses Mike Knapp Ford, The Seaway Mall and Ben Berg Farm and Industrial, along with the generosity of the citizens of Niagara, a total of 12,546.5 lbs. of non-perishable food items were collected.
The Light the Way Day Radiothon on 98 the Beach (CFPS-FM) Port Elgin, Dec. 13 raised $75,000 for the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation (SMHF). The funds will help purchase updated equipment for the Southampton Hospital and go toward the purchase of a new MRI machine at the Owen Sound Regional Hospital.
BIG 105.5 FM (CHUB-FM) and the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group in Red Deer have joined the community partners supporting the local Women’s Outreach Adopt-A-Family program. The program matches about 200 families a year with anonymous sponsors who provide money for gifts and groceries over the Christmas season. The radio station and its partners raised $1,800 for the program this year.
Corus Radio London held a record-breaking Drive-Thru Toy Drive for The Salvation Army on Dec. 14, collecting $29,000 in cash, toy and book donations. Originally started by The Taz Show on FM96 (CFPL-FM), the toy drive has been running for nine years, and has grown to encompass Country 104 (CKDK-FM), 103.1 Fresh Radio (CFHK-FM), and Global News Radio 980 CFPL.
The 69th annual Christmas Cheer Broadcast for the Salvation Army on 900 CKBI Prince Albert raised over $10,000 Tuesday. Funds raised go toward Christmas food hampers and toys for families in need.
The CFAX 1070 Miracle on Broad Street on Dec. 14 raised $585,016.97 for CFAX Santas Anonymous. The 12-hour radiothon has raised more than $2 million over the past four years. Started 41 years ago, Santas Anonymous provides Christmas hampers of food, gifts and food gift cards for 1,500 local families, and shares toys and resources with 11 community organizations that help local children in need.
Stingray’s Mix 96.5 (CKUL-FM) Halifax raised over $10,000 for Children’s Wish through their Children’s Wish Christmas Wishbook. The campaign highlighted wish kids and their families during weekday mornings in December on Mix Mornings with Brad & Natalie. Local companies sponsored each featured child during the campaign and listeners generously added to the donations for Children’s Wish Nova Scotia. The families shared their personal stories – sometimes uplifting, sometimes painful – of how Children’s Wish changed their lives. You can read those stories on the Mix 96.5 website.
Bell Media’s VP of Radio and Local TV Dave Daigle was joined by Graham Mackenzie, head of Business Development, Exchange Traded Funds and Structured Products, TMX Group, to open the Toronto Stock Exchange on Dec. 18 to celebrate the 52nd CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish campaign. Established in 1966, the CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish program is a city-wide toy drive and charity event. It also provides financial assistance to hundreds of agencies, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of children across the Greater Toronto Area enjoy a holiday experience.
The Radio Humber Drama Players have produced the first-ever Radio Humber Holiday Special – a holiday-themed variety show written, produced and voiced by the students from the Radio Humber Diploma Program, under the direction of professors Sheila Walsh and Sean Doyle. The audio feature/podcast is comprised of short and long form holiday-themed radio drama pieces, skits and parody commercials, and is available to listen to exclusively on 96.9 FM Radio Humber (CKHC-FM) Toronto, the Radio Humber Soundcloud and radio.humber.ca. The production is also being offered to the platforms of industry partners and supporters.
Nielsen has released its Total Audience Report: Q2 2018. Focused on the U.S. consumer media landscape, the report indicates that radio has the largest reach across all platforms at 92 per cent. Listening time peaks at 12 p.m., but radio’s share of total media time spent per hour is consistently at its highest between 7a.m. and 5 p.m. Nielsen also found that adults are spending more time on media from 9-10 p.m. than any other hour throughout the day. Nearly 38 out of a possible 60 minutes are spent across live + time-shifted TV, TV-connected devices, radio and digital (computer, smartphone, tablet) during that time. The 9 p.m. hour is also peak viewing time for both TV and TV-connected device usage. The study finds that 19 per cent of American adults are listening to podcasts weekly.
CBC has followed up its Uncover: Escaping NXIVM podcast, with Season 2: Bomb on Board. Hosted by Ian Hanomansing and Johanna Wagstaffe, the podcast is a fresh look at the July 1965 bombing of a Vancouver to Whitehorse flight that killed 52 people. After 50 years, who left the bomb is still unknown.
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