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CRTC kills Bell/Astral merger - also denies CKGM switch to French
- Thread starter Fenway1912
- Start date
As far as the radio landscape goes, I was actually hoping that the merger would happen. Under current CRTC rules stations would have been divested, with the chance -slim as may be- of someone offering up a little more variety to the market. With Bell and Astral often competing for the same slices of the market, with similar formats, the dial fills up with the same fare, quite quickly.
~BG
~BG
Tincap said:
We'll never know who would have bought Toronto's Boom 97.3 and Flow 93.5
Oh well. The funny thing is, they did make effort on the radio side to honor the Two AM and Two FM rule.
That's where I'm surprised. As for the TV side, no surprise there! Bell owns enough already!
According to the Toronto Star, Astral's fate is still unclear:
"“Astral has been informed by Bell that it will request that the federal cabinet intervene in the CRTC’s decision to reject Bell’s acquisition of Astral,” Astral said.
Telecom industry consultant Eamon Hoey said it’s unlikely a major media company in Canada would take a run at Astral now for fear of facing the same fate as Bell.
But observers said a number of parties, including companies that opposed the takeover, such as Toronto-based Rogers Communications, could be interested in Astral TV properties."
Source: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1273863--astral-s-fate-unclear-in-wake-of-crtc-ruling
"“Astral has been informed by Bell that it will request that the federal cabinet intervene in the CRTC’s decision to reject Bell’s acquisition of Astral,” Astral said.
Telecom industry consultant Eamon Hoey said it’s unlikely a major media company in Canada would take a run at Astral now for fear of facing the same fate as Bell.
But observers said a number of parties, including companies that opposed the takeover, such as Toronto-based Rogers Communications, could be interested in Astral TV properties."
Source: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1273863--astral-s-fate-unclear-in-wake-of-crtc-ruling
Bell badly miscalculated the situation with CKGM and the CRTC was not going to let them get away with it.
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2012/10/18/chalk-one-up-for-the-little-guy-tsn-690-is-still-alive/
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2012/10/18/chalk-one-up-for-the-little-guy-tsn-690-is-still-alive/
I think Astral is still going to try and sell off its broadcasting properties. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rogers, Evanov, and even Bell picking up some of their stations. Some other smaller regional players have an opportunity to pick up Astral's stations.
M.J. said:
For the sake of strictly speculating, I could easily see Astral media going to the Jim Pattison group.
I'm not fully aware of how many radio stations they'd like to add to their radio division, but I bet they'd love to merge Astral's outdoor advertising with theirs... http://www.jimpattison.com/media/pattison-outdoor.aspx
Interesting scenario. Vancouver, Kelowna, and Calgary would be the only cities where Pattison would have to spin off stations because of the common ownership policy. Whether Mr. Pattison would be interested in the AM stations that might be part of an Astral deal remains to be seen though as his company proudly proclaims that they have no AM facilities left in their roster. He most certainly has the bucks to go on a buying spree.
Astral's two CBC affiliates in BC (CFTK Terrace/Kitimat and CJDC Dawson Creek) would be a good fit with Pattison's existing TV properties in BC, assuming they think they can get them disaffiliated from the CBC.
It would definitely be an opportunity for Pattison to expand eastward, although there's nothing stopping Astral from selling its stations on a piecemeal basis. There's lots of opportunities for Newcap to expand its radio footprint in certain parts of Canada, such as in Toronto.
It would definitely be an opportunity for Pattison to expand eastward, although there's nothing stopping Astral from selling its stations on a piecemeal basis. There's lots of opportunities for Newcap to expand its radio footprint in certain parts of Canada, such as in Toronto.
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EJ204
Guest
A few questions for anyone who knows...
1) Why did CKGM relocate to 690, which has been a French frequency, with 940 available as an English frequency. I imagine 690 has a bit better range but is it that much better than 940? Why flip languages on these two frequencies which had been French and English respectively since the 1940s.
2) What's on 990 now? Is it off the air? Anything proposed for this 50,000 watt frequency?
3) Is someone working on putting a new French station on 940?
4) If the merger had gone through, Bell/Astral said it would have launched a French TV news network. But there's already the CBC's RDI and TVA's LCN. Is there enough of a viewership and advertising base for a third French news channel? Even in the U.S., there's only CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Headline News has morphed into a news-gossip hybrid.
1) Why did CKGM relocate to 690, which has been a French frequency, with 940 available as an English frequency. I imagine 690 has a bit better range but is it that much better than 940? Why flip languages on these two frequencies which had been French and English respectively since the 1940s.
2) What's on 990 now? Is it off the air? Anything proposed for this 50,000 watt frequency?
3) Is someone working on putting a new French station on 940?
4) If the merger had gone through, Bell/Astral said it would have launched a French TV news network. But there's already the CBC's RDI and TVA's LCN. Is there enough of a viewership and advertising base for a third French news channel? Even in the U.S., there's only CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Headline News has morphed into a news-gossip hybrid.
Well Ej, Start at the left of the dial...one station at a time.
Start here: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/CRTC+approves+English+talk+radio+station/7525401/story.html
990 AM will target the gay community in Montreal now, owned by Evanov radio group, signing on in 2013
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/990_AM_Montreal
Start here: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/CRTC+approves+English+talk+radio+station/7525401/story.html
990 AM will target the gay community in Montreal now, owned by Evanov radio group, signing on in 2013
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/990_AM_Montreal
EJ204 said:
As both are Class-A clear channels, I think both are on the same level as to power and range. While 690 and 940 were historically French and English, respectively, since the CBC days, apparently it no longer matters what language a station broadcasts in, as long as the owners meet federal and provincial ownership laws as to language.
EJ204 said:
Currently, 990 is simulcasting 690, at least through December, in which the station will leave the air and, eventually, be replaced with Evanov's francophone LGBT station, expected to start up in early 2013.
EJ204 said:
Paul Tietolman, son of legendary broadcaster Jack, was awarded the frequency for a French-language talk station; plans for it have yet to be announced. He originally applied for 690 (which would have kept that frequency French like its predecessors), but got 940 after CKGM was awarded 690.
...but how well will the new English talker do?
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EJ204
Guest
For the record, 690 was originally a Class I-A station. All other stations on 690 in North America had to protect CBF and most had to go off the air at sunset within 1000 miles or so of Montreal. 940 was a Class I-B frequency, which CBM had to share with XEQ Mexico City. 690 is a Canadian Clear Channel frequency, 940 a Canadian-Mexican Clear Channel frequency.
Most I-B stations had to protect the other I-B stations on their frequency using a directional antenna at night. But Montreal and Mexico City are far enough from each other that both stations were allowed to operate with a non-directional 50,000 watt signal. That's fairly unusual, that two non-directional, high-powered stations operate on the same Clear Channel frequency. I believe the only other examples are 540, where CBK Watrous-Regina and XEWA San Luis Potosi operate (with XEWA at 150,000 watts), and 1070 where CBA Moncton and KNX Los Angeles were far enough from each other to operate 50 kw non-directional.
These days, those protections have been scaled way back. There are full-time AM stations in Connecticut that operate on 690 and 940. While both point their signals away from Montreal, that's still only 300 miles or so from Montreal. Those stations had been day-only operations originally but got full time authorization in the 90s.
So yes, 690 is a better signal than 940, simply because it's lower on the AM dial. But with 50 kw non-directional transmitters, both are nearly equal.
Most I-B stations had to protect the other I-B stations on their frequency using a directional antenna at night. But Montreal and Mexico City are far enough from each other that both stations were allowed to operate with a non-directional 50,000 watt signal. That's fairly unusual, that two non-directional, high-powered stations operate on the same Clear Channel frequency. I believe the only other examples are 540, where CBK Watrous-Regina and XEWA San Luis Potosi operate (with XEWA at 150,000 watts), and 1070 where CBA Moncton and KNX Los Angeles were far enough from each other to operate 50 kw non-directional.
These days, those protections have been scaled way back. There are full-time AM stations in Connecticut that operate on 690 and 940. While both point their signals away from Montreal, that's still only 300 miles or so from Montreal. Those stations had been day-only operations originally but got full time authorization in the 90s.
So yes, 690 is a better signal than 940, simply because it's lower on the AM dial. But with 50 kw non-directional transmitters, both are nearly equal.
Okay, what's the deal with AM 600? It's new (soon to launch) but has it been used before?
Yeziknoradio said:
600 was home to CFCF (later CIQC) from 1935 to 2000.
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EJ204
Guest
Montreal has two significant unused AM frequencies... 600, former home to CFCF, which had programmed English-language Talk. And 850 CKVL Verdun, which had programmed French-language Talk.
Some would say they migrated to 940 and 690 respectively, when the CBC switched CBM and CBF to FM stations, and those two frequencies became commercial All-News stations in English and French, CINW and CINF (NW for News and INF for Information). But they didn't take those heritage call letters, CFCF or CKVL, with them.
600 and 850 aren't bad frequencies. 600 was 5000 watts, 850 was 50 kw by day, 10 kw by night. CFCF had called itself "Canada's First Station," having gone on the air in 1919.
Some would say they migrated to 940 and 690 respectively, when the CBC switched CBM and CBF to FM stations, and those two frequencies became commercial All-News stations in English and French, CINW and CINF (NW for News and INF for Information). But they didn't take those heritage call letters, CFCF or CKVL, with them.
600 and 850 aren't bad frequencies. 600 was 5000 watts, 850 was 50 kw by day, 10 kw by night. CFCF had called itself "Canada's First Station," having gone on the air in 1919.
Well then, I wish Montreal businessmen Paul Tietolman all the best with his new talk 600 AM radio station, which signs on in the spring. It will be interesting to see what the ratings will be like...
EJ204 said:
CKVL had a nasty habit of not going to nighttime power which caused WEEI Boston all kinds of problems at night.
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