New format for Oldies 1310 in Otttawa?

[Montreal radio listener]

From what I've read, French Quebecers abandoned AM decades before the rest of the country.

Among Francophones in the Greater Montreal area, AM remained more popular than FM until 1986.

AM remained relatively strong until the Telemedia/Radiomutuel AM merger in 1994.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

From what I've read, French Quebecers abandoned AM decades before the rest of the country.

Among Francophones in the Greater Montreal area, AM remained more popular than FM until 1986.

AM remained relatively strong until the Telemedia/Radiomutuel AM merger in 1994.

Didn't the 49% non hit rule for FM also apply to Quebec? French or English, that would make it difficult, if not impossible to maintain a hit music format of any sort on FM, forcing the hits to stay on AM until the early 90's when that rule was terminated.

 

[mimo]

That makes sense to me, given the way that radio was in Canada. I do remember reading in magazines that French FM's did better than French AM's in the 80's while it was the opposite in English Canada. AM was strong even into the 90's. As an example. Morning drive time in Calgary in 1992. ALL FM's combined for a 6 share. There were out of town AM's (probably Edmonton's 630 CHED and Red Deer's CKRD 700 (known as radio 7) which had local quality signals. The lowest rated AM in the morning, which was top forty AM 106 did better than the entire FM band combined, and this was reported in the Calgary Herald in the spring of 1992. Granted at the time there were only 8 FM's in Calgary, and only 4 were commercial radio stations. I wasn't so sure that French AM's in Quebec were doing as bad as reported. The hit non hit ratio was the same for FM outside and inside Quebec.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

It also did not help that ads for traffic reports were mostly in the metro (subway) instead of being where car drivers actually go.

Hmmm...add to that the fact that a radio signal might not even reach the subway, so even if traffic were to include subway (Metro) delays, they wouldn't get heard!

They're working on a way to allow a cell phone signal in the Toronto subway system.
That will at least allow people to use their smart phones to catch Toronto transit updates from 680 news, but that's still in the works.

I'm not sure at all about Montreal.
Excellent point about traffic though.
I'm strictly guessing there were ads on surface routes (back of a bus?) for cars etc to see?
Perhaps as a bundled ad purchase?

 

[Tincap]

It also did not help that ads for traffic reports were mostly in the metro (subway) instead of being where car drivers actually go.

Hmmm...add to that the fact that a radio signal might not even reach the subway, so even if traffic were to include subway (Metro) delays, they wouldn't get heard!

They're working on a way to allow a cell phone signal in the Toronto subway system.
That will at least allow people to use their smart phones to catch Toronto transit updates from 680 news, but that's still in the works.

I'm not sure at all about Montreal.
Excellent point about traffic though.
I'm strictly guessing there were ads on surface routes (back of a bus?) for cars etc to see?
Perhaps as a bundled ad purchase?

I believe certain European countries use technologies, which allow you to listen to your car radio, while travelling through some of the rather lengthy tunnels which can be found over there. Install a system like that in the subway and commuters, upon hearing the traffic reports, may perhaps have a reason to put a smile on their faces. ;D

~BG

 

[azumanga]

I believe certain European countries use technologies, which allow you to listen to your car radio, while travelling through some of the rather lengthy tunnels which can be found over there.

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel already has something like that, though it's used for only one AM station. It was first established by CKLW, back in its Top 40 days, but it's currently used by WJR.

 

[Montreal radio listener]

Didn't the 49% non hit rule for FM also apply to Quebec? French or English, that would make it difficult, if not impossible to maintain a hit music format of any sort on FM, forcing the hits to stay on AM until the early 90's when that rule was terminated.

That rule still applies in English in Montreal. I don't think it ever applied on the French side (Francophone stations have French-language music quotas instead).

 

[Yeziknoradio]

I thought the 49% non hit rule was thrown out altogether.
Ottawa and Quebec/Montreal markets would still have the pre 81' rule to prevent oldies on FM though.

 

[Montreal radio listener]

I'm strictly guessing there were ads on surface routes (back of a bus?) for cars etc to see?
Perhaps as a bundled ad purchase?

There were a few ads on buses, but not as many as you would have expected. Billboards near congested autoroutes would have been much more effective.

The two Pierres (Pierre Arcand and Pierre Béland, original owners of 690 and 940 until they sold everything to Corus a year after the format change) preferred to use STM advertising space as they owned the company (Metromedia Plus) which sells said space...

 

[Montreal radio listener]

I thought the 49% non hit rule was thrown out altogether.
Ottawa and Quebec/Montreal markets would still have the pre 81' rule to prevent oldies on FM though.

The non-hit rule was never changed in Montreal and Ottawa.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-61.htm

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Thanks.

I found this (from that link)

17. In light of the above, and with a view to ensuring that its policies remain relevant to the Canadian broadcasting system, the Commission eliminates the policy restricting the broadcast of hits by English-language commercial FM radio stations in English-language markets, effective immediately.

BUT

I also find this:

28. Accordingly, the Commission is satisfied that the policy concerning the broadcast of hits in the bilingual markets of Montréal and Ottawa-Gatineau continues to have a positive effect on linguistic duality and will therefore remain in effect.

29. The definition of a "hit" will remain as follows:

Any musical selection that, at any time, has reached one of the Top 40 positions in the charts used by the Commission to determine hits.


That really stands out!
Where is the "Unless it is a Canadian song..." part of that?

I'm so sure there was also a rule that a Canadian (English language) song could be a hit and refrain from being counted as a hit for the first year wether you're in Montreal or not. (a Canadian wide rule).

Oh well...

 

[webhamster]

29. The definition of a "hit" will remain as follows:

Any musical selection that, at any time, has reached one of the Top 40 positions in the charts used by the Commission to determine hits.

So, wait, how does a station like BOB FM get around this? Don't they mostly play classic "hits"? Aren't they pretty much a "modern oldies" station? I admit I don't listen often but every time I have heard them it seems as though they're playing something that would have cracked the Top 40 at some point. Is 51% of their playlist really "non-hit"?

 

[Yeziknoradio]

I don't know, I thought the true 49% non hit rule was thrown out for all of Canada, but Ottawa and Quebec would keep the pre 1981 rule.

I'm still trying to understand how Jack Smith falls is sounding more and more like an all oldies station!
Aren't they close enough to be part of the Ottawa/Quebec ruling?

 

[webhamster]

More importantly, if that rule is still in effect for Ottawa & Montreal how are HOT, Kiss, and Majic playing alot of current hits? There was some reference to a 1997 rule change that encouraged CHR growth on FM but I'm a little ignorant of what that may have been. Even so, the quoted rule would seem to be quite explicit on the any time portion which one would think includes current charts.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

In 1997 the 49% non hit rule was thrown out for all of Canada.
The Pre 81 rule is the only one that stayed until recently.
That's the rule that got thrown out everywhere except Montreal/Quebec?Ottawa markets.

 

[webhamster]

Oh, OK, I think I see how that works now. They get around it because "at any time" is really "at any time before December 1981" and since their playlist is pretty much 1982 and later with a sprinkling of 70's hits they're actually OK.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Oh, OK, I think I see how that works now. They get around it because "at any time" is really "at any time before December 1981" and since their playlist is pretty much 1982 and later with a sprinkling of 70's hits they're actually OK.

Yes, that would be BOB FM, but Jack on the other hand seems to be playing more 60's 70's.
I guess Smith falls is not close enough to the restricted markets.