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BellGlobemedia buying CHUM?

G

gordo54

The GLOBE AND MAIL is reporting that CHUM LTD., the Canadian radio and TV giant, is about to be purchased by BELL GLOBEMEDIA. Trading of CHUM stock on the TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE has been halted TODAY with an announcement expected later in the day.

BELL GLOBEMEDIA owns the CTV television network, the GLOBE AND MAIL, 17 cable networks, ad 15% of the parent company of the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS and RAPTORS and AIR CANADA CENTRE, while CHUM owns 33 radio stations, 12 TV stations (including the CITY-TV channels in TORONTO, VANCOUVER, WINNIPEG, EDMONTON, and CALGARY and the A-CHANNEL stations throughout ONTARIO and in VICTORIA, BC), and 21 cable networks (including MUCHMUSIC), as well as the MUZAK franchise for CANADA.

Primary ownership of BELL GLOBEMEDIA is changing with BCE INC. reducing its share from 68.5% to 20% and selling 8.5% to the THOMSON family (which will hold 40%), 20% to TORSTAR CORP. (owner of the TORONTO STAR), and 20% to the ONTARIO TEACHERS' PENSION PLAN.
 
1.7 BILLION dollars made it official.

BGM group will now be a powerhouse.
How will they play in this arena where BGM now has this elephant?
 
And the axe has already fallen in BC. CIVI (A-Channel Victoria) is letting go 24 people, and CKVU (Citytv Vancouver) fires 47. (From CKNW AM)

CIVI cuts its morning show ("A-Channel Morning"), but keeps its early evening news block. (Nothing is said of its 11pm newscast.) CKVU does the complete opposite: they're keeping "Breakfast Television", but killing the 6pm and 11pm shows.

Here's CHUM's official press release; I love how they're making it sound like it's a good thing.

It saddens me to see CKVU on its last legs. This station used to be a decent #2 in Vancouver.
 
Yeziknoradio said:
BGM group will now be a powerhouse.
How will they play in this arena where BGM now has this elephant?
Click to expand...

In this "arena", the CRTC gets to play its usual role of "referee", just like they did when CHUM acquired Craig last year. In markets where BCE would end up owning more than two stations, they would either be forced to sell, or restrictions would be imposed. After CHUM's acquisition of Craig, they had to sell Toronto 1 (now Sun TV), since they already had Citytv and CKVR (now A-Channel).

For starters, according to The Globe and Mail, BCE plans on divesting the A-Channel group of stations. And more are likely on the way to satisfy governmental regulations.

Also, some cutbacks are already being made immediately -- according to a CHUM press release, plans include:

- Immediate discontinuation of news on Citytv Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg; to be replaced by local half-hour magazine shows in January 2007
- Expansion of morning shows on Citytv Edmonton and Calgary
- Discontinuation of morning show on CIVI
- CKVR is returning to its focus on Barrie
- Noon news on CHRO is gone

On the radio side, it seems to be a non-issue for now, since BCE owned no radio properties prior to the CHUM mergers.

This will be an interesting developing story in the months to come.
 
I wonder what this will mean for MTV and Much Music? Also, since prior to this BCE had no radio stations, will they keep the radio stations? I'm thinking with whatever spinoffs happen, TV and/or radio and cable, look for Rogers to grow a little too. ;)
 
al_atl said:
I wonder what this will mean for MTV and Much Music? Also, since prior to this BCE had no radio stations, will they keep the radio stations? I'm thinking with whatever spinoffs happen, TV and/or radio and cable, look for Rogers to grow a little too. ;)
Click to expand...

IIRC, MTV Canada is still licensed as a talk station (back when it was still TalkTV), so BCE could leave it and MuchMusic the way they are right now (MTV as a talk/reality-oriented channel, while Much will remain music-oriented). Some of the CHUM Radio stations may be sold (mostly in smaller cities), but I don't imagine too much of them. In fact, I wouldn't be suprised if BCE starts some sort of a full-time "TSN Radio Network" just like ESPN has in the States. (The irony here is that CHUM's attempt at sports radio, The Team, came and went quietly earlier this decade, though some Team stations have kept the format--such as in Ottawa and Vancouver.)

As noted below, BCE has said they plan to sell off the A-Channel stations (Victoria, Barrie, London, Windsor, Wingham, Ottawa), but they'll keep the CityTV stations (Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, and the Toronto flagship). A Globe and Mail report this week makes note of BCE's plans to have CTV and CityTV cater to separate audiences--CTV towards an older audience, CityTV towards a younger audience not unlike WB in the U.S. Since CityTV isn't in every Canadian household, it wouldn't suprise me if CityTV became a digital subchannel for the CTV stations in non-City areas (such as, say, Northern Ontario or the Maritimes).
 
Darrel M said:
Since CityTV isn't in every Canadian household, it wouldn't suprise me if CityTV became a digital subchannel for the CTV stations in non-City areas (such as, say, Northern Ontario or the Maritimes).
Click to expand...

What about ASN? They could simply become Citytv for the Maritimes.
 
Also, what the heck is going to happen with 1050 CHUM?
they now have a .9 share. Rock bottom!
When they were team they were a .8 share.

I wonder if BGM will try a TSN sports radio network on 1050, even though it already failed once as team 1050... (doubt it.)
 
Yeziknoradio said:
Also, what the heck is going to happen with 1050 CHUM?
they now have a .9 share. Rock bottom!
When they were team they were a .8 share.
Click to expand...

What were their ratings before "The Team"?
 
azumanga said:
Yeziknoradio said:
Also, what the heck is going to happen with 1050 CHUM?
they now have a .9 share. Rock bottom!
When they were team they were a .8 share.
Click to expand...

What were their ratings before "The Team"?
Click to expand...

Before going to the "team" format they had a 2.3 share.
I believe many listeners made the switch to Oldies 1150 and never came back.
 
What will happen to CTV local news and CITY TV News. Will they fold CITYtv News all together and consolidate into CTV News. Also, what about the Citytv Studios in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Edmonton? Will they move into CTV building and sell of their studios/building?
 
As I heard, both Citytv and CTV's news operations would remain separate, since they pursue different demographics (Citytv skewing younger, CTV skewing older).
 
azumanga said:
As I heard, both Citytv and CTV's news operations would remain separate, since they pursue different demographics (Citytv skewing younger, CTV skewing older).
------------------
and e-dawg writes: "Also, what about the Citytv Studios in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Edmonton? Will they move into CTV building and sell of their studios/building?" <----scroll down the page and read the bold.
Click to expand...

In some markets (Not Toronto) CityNews has been cancelled. In its place is a 30 minute news magazine. (Vancouver being one of the markets.)

In other markets, the noon news has been cancelled. (but that change was most likely a CHUM decision regardless of sale)

Adam Vaughan (Former Political specialist for CityNews Toronto, now involved in Toronto politics, and no longer with City.) writes this for all to read:

The Emerging Media Monster
Toronto needs to stop bell globemedia from swallowing the chumcity empire
BY ADAM VAUGHAN

The mega-merger of Bell Globemedia and CHUMCity should worry Torontonians. As the Watters family, who started CHUM and saved Citytv by buying it in the late '70s, tries to bow out of the media business, and as the company that owns the CTV television network, the newspaper chain run by The Globe and Mail and the telecommunications giant Bell continues to grow, it's tempting to worry about this latest development as yet another example of media concentration. But there's a lot more to worry about than just that. Especially for people living in Toronto.

[EDIT-post truncated because it represents unauthorized use of a copyrighted source which is in violation of radio-info's TOS. The poster was kind enough to insert a URL at the bottom of the page so that the rest of the story is available. Please follow the link directly beneath this paragraph. Thanks, Global Moderator]





Link: http://www.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_07.20.06/city/news.php
 
Yeziknoradio said:
azumanga said:
As I heard, both Citytv and CTV's news operations would remain separate, since they pursue different demographics (Citytv skewing younger, CTV skewing older).
------------------
and e-dawg writes: "Also, what about the Citytv Studios in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Edmonton? Will they move into CTV building and sell of their studios/building?" <----scroll down the page and read the bold.
Click to expand...

In some markets (Not Toronto) CityNews has been cancelled. In its place is a 30 minute news magazine. (Vancouver being one of the markets.)

In other markets, the noon news has been cancelled. (but that change was most likely a CHUM decision regardless of sale)

Adam Vaughan (Former Political specialist for CityNews Toronto, now involved in Toronto politics, and no longer with City.) writes this for all to read:

Link: http://www.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_07.20.06/city/news.php
Click to expand...

Thank-you. Sorry, I will try not to let this happen again.
 
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