Rogers Shuts Down Six Stations

[TheBigA]

It just means one of Canada's top 5 markets has zero sports stations, and zero news stations.

But to leave all of metro Vancouver with just two English-language AM stations, one commercial and one non-commercial, is ridiculous.

Where are all the broadcasters? Is there no one in either place who could have either made an offer to Rogers or could now make an offer to the CRTC?

I gather the ownership limits probably prevent Stingray from getting involved?

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Where are all the broadcasters? Is there no one in either place who could have either made an offer to Rogers or could now make an offer to the CRTC?

I gather the ownership limits probably prevent Stingray from getting involved?

Ownership limits have been recently adjusted, actually. It's still 4 stations in a market, but now it can be 3 FM and one AM
What it still can not be is 4 FM in a market.
(previously it was two AM and two FM)
I'm not saying this will happen, but Rogers just freed themselves up to declare that they no longer own two AM in various markets, so they can now buy a third FM...

 

[TheBigA]

Rogers just freed themselves up to declare that they no longer own two AM in various markets, so they can now buy a third FM...

Their announcement made it sound like radio is not in their future

These changes are part of our plan to focus our investment in areas that will drive growth long-term.

I'm asking if there's anyone else?? Would someone in those cities flip to sports?

 

[lanceventa]

Where are all the broadcasters? Is there no one in either place who could have either made an offer to Rogers or could now make an offer to the CRTC?

I gather the ownership limits probably prevent Stingray from getting involved?

It's not just the ownership limits. The CRTC takes a long time to approve sales and there are no LMAs. So Rogers would still be operating these stations for 12-18 more months.

By surrendering the licenses, the can sell the tower land and get that money a lot faster.

 

[RF101]

Would any outfit that enters into the CRTC proposal phase be forced to apply to operate in the two formats : news, sports? I know in Canada the broadcast concessions are content-specific.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

I'm asking if there's anyone else?? Would someone in those cities flip to sports?

Sports on FM is still illegal in Canada, so I doubt Vancouver will have a sports station back any time soon.
Otherwise, Rogers would be quick to buy a third FM and dump all their sports coverage there...
(assuming the cost to run an FM is indeed far less than AM and they can somehow sell just the right amount of ad time...)

 

[TheBigA]

Sports on FM is still illegal in Canada

Hockey season starts on September 29. I would expect that by then, there will be an announcement.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Sports on FM is still illegal in Canada, so I doubt Vancouver will have a sports station back any time soon.
Otherwise, Rogers would be quick to buy a third FM and dump all their sports coverage there...
(assuming the cost to run an FM is indeed far less than AM and they can somehow sell just the right amount of ad time...)

No its not:

CKLX-FM - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Onto a semi related related topic.. Im surprised all traffic 730CKGO lasted until early 2025. I was listening during Covid and the anchor was absolutely bored to tears and then some. Im shocked it took till 2025 to ditch that format.

 

[fordranger797]

I know we go over this every time someone asks, why does radio still have traffic reports or weather reports? Your phone can give you everything a radio station gives you and it does it instantly. News, weather, traffic, sports.

But radio gives the info to you in a way your app won't. Let's say Interstate 10 has a traffic jam and that's your route. Your app tells you don't take I-10. But is it caused by an accident? Is the accident going to be cleared by the time you get there? Is it an overturned truck or a giant pothole or a fallen tree?

Tomorrow it will be sunny and 78. May app told me. But will it be windy? Very humid? Are we still in a drought? Is there a cold front for later this week? Any hurricanes developing in the South Atlantic?

Maybe you're a baseball fan and you want your local team's score. But if you like sports, a radio sports updates tells you more about the game than just who won. And it tells you more about sports you may only have a passing interest in and wouldn't check on. You're not going to look up who won the U.S. Open but it's good to know when you talk with your friend who's into tennis.

We are human. We like to hear stories. Facts are cold. A traffic reporter, weather forecaster and sportscaster adds personality and insight to make the info relatable.

You nailed it with this comment. Anyone can look up basic information. But when you frame this information as a story, it becomes much more clear. I hate googling things and getting bullet point information (relating to any topic). I’d rather dive deeper and look into forums or blogs that provide more context about the topic. It’s the same thing with traffic reports, weather reports, or news content. Sure, I can look at Google Maps and see that there’s an issue at the George Massey Tunnel (staying with the Vancouver example), but that information isn’t really that useful. Hearing an actual traffic report of what is going on makes a huge difference.

News 1130 was great at announcing useful information in a predictable and timely manner. Even causal listeners (like me) knew when to listen for the information I needed, most often I stuck around for a while after I flipped over.

Saying that there’s no point in having this kind of content available is absurd.

 

[fordranger797]

Onto a semi related related topic.. Im surprised all traffic 730CKGO lasted until early 2025. I was listening during Covid and the anchor was absolutely bored to tears and then some. Im shocked it took till 2025 to ditch that format.

I’d argue that this station was useful in the prime drive time hours. Outside of those hours, there wasn’t much to talk about on the roads. As a radio format it was interesting (but probably not viable going forward). But this was definitely a case where the traffic information was far better than anything I’ve ever gotten from an app (as someone who has to drive around Vancouver every day).

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I’d argue that this station was useful in the prime drive time hours. Outside of those hours, there wasn’t much to talk about on the roads. As a radio format it was interesting (but probably not viable going forward). But this was definitely a case where the traffic information was far better than anything I’ve ever gotten from an app (as someone who has to drive around Vancouver every day).

Before Covid, maybe... but it was painfully obvious during Covid that playing portuguese langage rap music sung by brazillian nuns would've been more interesting and entertaining. multiple times, the anchor would let the imaging play, the music bed would fire and play out and the anchor is nowhere to be heard... and his tone of voice was clearly exasperated