Canada’s first radio station is no more, as Canadian media and entertainment empire Corus Entertainment Inc. pulled the plug on two Montreal AM radio stations just after 7pm on Monday 29 January.
Despite the excellence and dedication of station employees, Info690 and AM940 are unprofitable. Corus Québec and its employees worked to grow audience and revenues on both these stations while operating them as efficiently as possible. It is clear that these two AM stations are not viable, particularly in the current economic climate.
This decision affects 10 positions, including eight positions at Info690: three journalist positions, two traffic reporter positions and three operations positions. At AM940 Montreal’s Greatest Hits, two positions were affected: one on-air host position and one technician position.
The Info690 Montréal newsroom, known as CorusNouvelles, will continue its activities as part of 98,5 FM Montréal. CorusNouvelles will continue to invest in providing news content to the entire Corus Québec network and its clients. The majority of journalist positions from the Info690 newsroom (five of eight journalist positions along with three of five traffic reporter positions) will be retained.
AM940 is a direct descendent of Canada’s first radio station, CFCF, originally at the 600 dial on the AM band. In 1919, the Canadian Marconi Co. launched XWA (Experimental Wireless Apparatus) in Montreal and it became the first commercial broadcast radio station in Canada. The name was switched to CFCF in November 1920.
The stations were pulled off at 7:02 p.m., cutting off a recording that had been running since all programming stopped about 10 a.m. The recordings, which were made by the general managers of the respective stations, thanked listeners, and advertisers, and explained it was a difficult decision to close the stations.
“We put tremendous effort into trying to find the right format and content to grow our audience base and operate profitably, but after years of effort it is clear these AM stations are not viable,” said Mario Cecchini, Vice President, Corus Québec. “We would like to thank the employees affected by this decision for their hard work. We would also like to acknowledge the support of listeners and advertising clients of Info690 Montréal and AM940 Montreal’s Greatest Hits.”
The operating licences for these two AM stations will be returned to the CRTC. Corus Québec employs 466 people in Quebec.
Roger’s Broadcasting have promoted Jim Schneider to run their two stations in Victoria BC (The Ocean and Jack FM) replacing Kim Hesketh who retired at the end of last year. Word is Jim told the staff at CJOK-FM & CKYX-FM last Thursday and left for Victoria on Friday.
His Fort McMurrary GM’s job is currently being advertised and you can see the details on jobs section. We are now hearing that PD Gord Edlund is also gone from Jack FM Victoria.
Toronto – CANADA FOR HAITI, Friday’s one-hour, commercial-free special produced collaboratively between CBC Television, CTV and Global Television, has raised more than $13.5 million to date for relief efforts in Haiti, it was confirmed today. When the funds are matched by the federal government, the amount increases to more than $27 million. An additional $6.7 million was raised in Quebec in a French-language telethon that ran concurrently on Friday night, bringing the overall Canadian television total with federal contributions to more than $40 million.
Hosted by Cheryl Hickey, Ben Mulroney and George Stroumboulopoulos, CANADA FOR HAITI was seen on average by 2.4 million Canadians, who watched the special on CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, MTV, MuchMusic, Citytv and National Geographic Channel. 6.65 million Canadians watched some or all of the broadcast.
CANADA FOR HAITI and HOPE FOR HAITI streamed across network sites CBC.ca, CTV.ca, GlobalTV.com, MuchMusic.com and CP24.com, attracting more than 40,000 live video views.
2009 might go down in the record books as one we’d all prefer to forget. The economy tanked, revenue was down and lots of great people lost their jobs. There were casualties in small, medium, and large broadcasting operations, but hopefully we have all learned valuable lessons and are now better positioned to function in this new economy. The indicators are turning positive as we begin a new decade. This is the time of year when we all think about the future and do a little crystal-ball-gazing. Here are a few things that might warrant your attention in 2010.
Revenue: Generating local dollars will be more important than ever. National dollars have declined in many markets over the past two quarters because of the economy, along with the shifting of dollars to larger and other medium markets. With that in mind, here are five areas you might want to look at to be successful in 2010 when it comes to generating local revenue.
Identifying Your Benefits: What are the assets of your radio station? Mark Ramsay spoke about this recently and made a powerful argument for the importance of identifying your assets. He says for a brand to be talked about it must be inherently interesting. So ask yourself this question – “What is interesting about your brand?†Once you know what your core assets are, only then can you focus on protecting and promoting them. Perhaps one of your key assets is your morning show, or perhaps it’s your huge coverage or quality of signal. In some cases it may be the station website, or your standing in the community. It is unlikely to be your format position or that you’re #1 all people 25-54. Listeners don’t care and they are becoming increasingly jaded by all the meaningless statements they hear in the media day in and day out. 2010 should be the year that you review and replace all your on air imaging so every image cut has a purpose and it promotes a specific listener benefit.
New Media/Social Media: Many broadcasters are still trying to come to grips with what all this means and how it might apply to their business. Stations have set up a presence on Facebook and Twitter, but in our opinion, few are doing it properly. Social Media is the fastest growing segment on the web and experts predict it will become even bigger over the next 12 months. A recent example of one media outlet using Social Media tools effectively was the Seattle Times. They used Google’s Wave to cover the tragic Saturday morning murder of four police officers in Lakeland, Washington, plus the search for the shooter. It became a live document that allowed folks on the Web to take part in helping to move it forward. It was a snapshot of what became real-time group reporting, and a creative solution for a newspaper. The people from the Outback Steakhouse are also using Social Media tools effectively. They offered a free Bloomin’ Onion to the first 500,000 people who became its fans on Facebook. Their list grew by 125,000 in just 8 days in November. When it comes to Social Media and how best to utilize and integrate these tools into your broadcast strategy, we have some proven ideas and Dave Charles is happy to talk with you about this.
Personality Development: What happens between the records in 2010 will be more important than ever. So this is the year to look outside the box and find talent who know how to truly communicate with your listeners. The good news is that applications at most of the broadcast schools in Canada are up and the level of interest in radio has never been higher. Jerry Chomyn, Director of Broadcast Media at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning says “We train our graduates to be compelling storytellers on a number of platforms, rather than just focusing on the audio requirements of radio. We want people that understand that effective media storytelling involves cross-platform work in audio, video and written script.†Jerry says “Good talent development is good business with concrete dividends.†Jim Car who runs the broadcast program at Seneca in Toronto says “We still have more applications than seats each year. However, the makeup of the applicants has changed, in that the students who apply today have either already been working in traditional radio as volunteers or have hosted their own programs at their high schools, or online web stations. More are walking in the door with some experience and a better understanding of what they want and they are also slightly younger.†Brian Nuttall from Fanshawe College says, “This past September we accepted the largest first year group in the history of the program. Our experience has shown that there is much interest in the ‘craft of radio’ and Ontario is a desirable destination to further one’s broadcast studies. The industry needs to know that there are some extremely creative young minds at the doorstep.†So, make the effort to reach out to these broadcast colleges and look for talent. Also, give some thought to how your station will upgrade the skills of your on-air talent. Ensure they are exposed to new ideas, know how to seek out and deliver compelling content, and become more interactive with their audience. This will help with staff retention, and what comes out of the speakers will be so much better.
How People Consume and Use Radio Will Continue To Change In 2010: There will be several technological developments in this next year that are likely to impact terrestrial radio both positively and negatively. For example, city-wide WiFi coverage will become a reality in more urban areas across North America. Sprint is now rolling out their 4G network and is selling “MiFiâ€, which offers a personal Wi-Fi bubble that allows consumers to enjoy broadband access over a large geographical area for a monthly fee. Nearly one in three people surveyed in the States said they were interested in listening to online radio in-car, and most industry experts agree that the increasing popularity of online radio – driven by expanding WiFi and mobile devices that can stream stations – is just what radio needs. As the popularity of online radio increases, more and more advertisers are coming around to it, spelling great revenue growth for stations. Broadcasters that stream online are poised to take advantage of the continual growth in online radio dollars over the next several years. This will allow mobile consumers to listen to and consume more digital media than ever before. Tuning to online audio streams will continue to increase as smartphones make it easier than ever to listen to audio streams. According to the recent Arbitron report, more people are listening to News/Talk radio via streaming on their computer or wireless device. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why News/Talk/Information is still the #1 format in the US with 12.6% share of listeners over the age of 12. Bridge Ratings projects mobile phone radio audiences to reach 40 million by 2015, and based on current converging trends internet radio will have 180 million listeners by 2020. However, Bridge Ratings goes on to say that terrestrial radio will still have 250 million listeners. Another technical change that will benefit radio in 2010 may see Apple unlock the radio tuners rumoured to be built into the Apple iPhone, but are inactive at this point. The Nano already has this feature, and other cell phones such as the Samsung P2 and Nokia’s E72 come with FM tuners enabled. I am told that the delay from Apple is because they want the software to automatically identify the songs heard on the radio and then make it easy for the user to link directly to iTunes for purchase. But no matter how technology changes, I believe that if radio remains local and immediate, listeners will consume it and advertisers will need it.
Ad-Supported Music: Price Waterhouse Coopers released a report in June indicating that CD sales will fall at a 2.5 percent annual rate over the next five years as non-physical formats overtake them. Revenue from music distributed online will surpass physical sales by 2012 as consumers switch to online or wireless formats, including downloads, internet radio and ring tones. Advertising-supported services such as Vevo and iTunes will drive the increase in non-physical sales. So the way consumers enjoy their personal music will continue to change and I think this creates an opportunity for radio. Chart shows and countdowns will become more relevant than ever. I believe there is also a revenue opportunity for radio with the possible demise of record stores, since stations can easily display the songs they play on their website and allow listeners to download the music. Radio will be providing a service to listeners and also generating a commission on each sale.
Content: I think the goal of every on air performer should be to make every break count in 2010. It is the quality of the content that brings listeners back or keeps them listening longer. This means putting the effort into finding the best material, and 75% of it or more should be focused on local. Also, take the time to review the music log and build creative teases to hook people forward and then spend the time while you’re on the air crafting each and every break. Off the air make time to listen to other stations online to hear what others in your daypart are doing and you’ll be sure to pick up some tricks. To get you started, here are a few stations offshore covering multiple time zones: Check out 106.2 Heart in London, England, 96.9 Nova in Sydney, Australia, 94.2 Jackaranda FM in Johannesburg, South Africa or More FM in Auckland, New Zealand. These are all very successful stations, and one of the things they have in common is personalities who really know how to prepare, create and deliver compelling, local content in order to make a real connection with their listeners.
Conclusion: I believe more people will consume radio in 2010 than ever before. Radio listening is up with the average of five radios in each home, radio remains the dominate medium in the car, and 2010 will see more streaming and FM tuners in mobile devices. This means we will have more opportunity than ever to make the local connection, entertain, inform, serve our communities, and make some money as well. Have a great year!
With the recent earthquake devastation in Haiti, Corus’ network of news-talk stations will air Operation Haiti, a live radiothon hosted by Charles Adler on Monday, January 18 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET, to raise funds for Canadian Red Cross relief efforts.
Airing across Canada, Operation Haiti can be heard live on air or online on the following Corus news-talk stations:
– CKNW AM 980 (Vancouver) – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT – AM 770 (Calgary) – 12 noon to 3 p.m. MT
– 630 CHED (Edmonton) – 12 noon to 3 p.m. MT – CJOB 68 (Winnipeg) – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT
– AM640 Toronto Radio (Toronto) – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET (available as a live video stream on 640toronto.com)
– AM 900 CHML (Hamilton) – 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET – AM980 (London) – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
– AM 1220 (Cornwall) – 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Other non-Corus news-talk stations that will also carry Operation Haiti include:
– C-FAX 1070 (Victoria) – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT
– Radio NL (Kamloops) – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT
– AM 1150 (Kelowna) – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT
– AM920 CKNX (Wingham) – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
“As Canada’s largest private news-talk network, we have the strength, reach and impact to galvanize listeners to assist the residents of Haiti,” said Doug Rutherford, Vice President, Western Radio, Corus Entertainment. “With 12 news-talk stations on board and Charles Adler at the helm, our staff and affiliates are enthusiastically embracing this on-air initiative to help raise relief funds for Haiti.”
Astral Media Inc. today announced that it will hold a special “Help Haiti Day” – an unprecedented national fundraising initiative in support of the relief efforts of the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti – on Monday, January 18, 2010.
All 82 Astral Media Radio stations in 45 cities across Canada will be inviting listeners to donate via a dedicated 1-800 number and webpage. On-air announcers on Virgin Radio, NRJ, Rock Détente, boom fm, EZ Rock, Newstalk, The Bear and all other Astral radio stations will urge listeners to help in this effort by giving what they can to help Red Cross volunteers.
“Astral Media has reached out to the Canadian Red Cross with an offer to raise money through a Canada-wide initiative,” said Conrad Sauvé, Secretary General of the Canadian Red Cross. “This assistance from Astral Media is greatly appreciated and is the kind of timely support that will provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to people devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.”
“Our employees, listeners, clients and partners have been deeply saddened by this terrible catastrophe and on their behalf, I wish to extend our heartfelt sympathies to all Haitians around the world,” declared Jacques Parisien, Group President, Astral Media Radio and Astral Media Outdoor. “Astral Media employees across Canada have rapidly come together to organize this radiothon and we are proud to contribute to this international wave of support and generosity by encouraging our listeners to give what they can to help volunteers’ efforts in the field.”
DJ WIlliams, is a Canadian born sales and creative guru, who has provided creative services for major market powerhouse stations such as 1010 WINS in New York City, KIIS FM in Los Angeles, WSM AM in Nashville and WEEI AM in Boston before joining Clear Channel Radio as Director of Client Services for their company-wide, internal advertising agency called Creative Services Group (CSG).
His formula for radio-marketing success has been developed for radio station sales representatives who want to attract new advertisers, for radio advertisers who want their hard-earned marketing dollars to work and for radio listeners who demand that you at least entertain them while you interrupt the flow of music or talk on their favourite station.
This 4 hour, action packed seminar has been designed for General Managers, Sales Managers and Sales Representatives who want to:‪‪
– re-capture, re-identify and re-establish radio as an exciting place to advertise‪
– celebrate the power of sound…and unite the sales and creative departments together‪
– learn how powerful a strategic radio marketing plan can be when everyone communicates‪
– differentiate between branding and direct response campaigns‪
– see and hear real life case studies from campaigns that have worked‪
– demonstrate how to make radio station sales departments sexy, cool and engaging‪
– get back into the business of selling sound and BIG ideas‪
– offer solutions that will help energize, challenge and inspire new (and veteran) sellers‪
– walk through a simple marketing “boot camp” for sellers and prospects
Cost: OAB Members – $150.00 **
Non-Members – $200.00 **
** The prices include a ticket for the Crystal Awards Luncheon
Where – Canada Music Week Toronto
When Thursday March 11th 10:15am – 12:15pm and then 2:45pm – 4:45pm
Register Here
Broadcast media consultant Rob Braide will be recognized for his achievements and contributions to the Canadian broadcasting industry with an induction to the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame…
It’s always refreshing to get a perspective on digital strategy from outside the radio industry and from experts who know it like the back of their proverbial hands…