Talk Radio in Quebec

[Gregg]

In Montreal, I understand CKAC 730 has become a Sports Talk station, with political talk in French on 98.5 CHMP, the MP in the call letters standing for Montreal Parle (Speaks). According to Wikipedia, CHMP also runs Oldies programming late nights and weekends as Souvenirs Garantis (is that Guaranteed Memories?).

In Quebec City, 800 CHRC pretty much simulcasts CKAC's Sports Talk programming. But according to Wikipedia, 102.9 CFOM runs mostly the Souvenirs Garantis Oldies format, with only some political talk. Or is CFOM picking up most of CHMP's talk shows? And what happens in Ottawa-Hull, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, where the AM stations that had simulcast CKAC are now off the air? Do they get no talk radio in French, not political or sports?

And the station that had simulcast English Talk outlet 800 CJAD Montreal in the Sherbrooke area at AM 900, is that also off the air?

In the U.S., talk and sports programming is slowly moving to the FM dial. But even though Canada is disbanding the AM dial little by little, it doesn't seem talk and sports programming is migrating to the FM dial, at least not in the Province of Quebec. I suppose in many places, you only have the choice of talk on Radio-Canada or the CBC. Otherwise its all music on FM.



Gregg
[email protected]

 

[azumanga]

In Quebec City, 800 CHRC pretty much simulcasts CKAC's Sports Talk programming. But according to Wikipedia, 102.9 CFOM runs mostly the Souvenirs Garantis Oldies format, with only some political talk. Or is CFOM picking up most of CHMP's talk shows? And what happens in Ottawa-Hull, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, where the AM stations that had simulcast CKAC are now off the air? Do they get no talk radio in French, not political or sports?

CFOM is generally a francophone Oldies station, with a morning talk show (not unlike every other radion station). The stations in Gatineau, Saguenay, Sherbrooke and T-R were originally talk stations on the AM dial, but became oldies upon their conversion to FM, using the same format as CFOM.

CHMP is a talk-formatted station, but picks up Souvenirs Garantis programming from CFOM during late-nights. The late CINF had also done likewise overnight.

 

[mjlarochelle]

In Quebec City, 800 CHRC pretty much simulcasts CKAC's Sports Talk programming. But according to Wikipedia, 102.9 CFOM runs mostly the Souvenirs Garantis Oldies format, with only some political talk. Or is CFOM picking up most of CHMP's talk shows? And what happens in Ottawa-Hull, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, where the AM stations that had simulcast CKAC are now off the air? Do they get no talk radio in French, not political or sports?

A lot of the French news/talk programming in those regions comes from La Premiere Chaine.

And the station that had simulcast English Talk outlet 800 CJAD Montreal in the Sherbrooke area at AM 900, is that also off the air?

That station - I think it was called CKTS - is long gone. Oddly enough that station was owned by Corus, while CJAD was owned by Standard Radio (now part of Astral).

 

[Montreal radio listener]

In Montreal, I understand CKAC 730 has become a Sports Talk station, with political talk in French on 98.5 CHMP, the MP in the call letters standing for Montreal Parle (Speaks). According to Wikipedia, CHMP also runs Oldies programming late nights and weekends as Souvenirs Garantis (is that Guaranteed Memories?).

This is mostly accurate. Actually the "MP" in CHMP stand for "Montréal Parlé", as in "Le FM parlé de Montréal" which would literally, but awkwardly, translate as "Montreal's spoken FM (station)". And the "Souvenirs garantis" music format is mostly based on 1980s music which would make it a classic hits format (not oldies).

In Quebec City, 800 CHRC pretty much simulcasts CKAC's Sports Talk programming. But according to Wikipedia, 102.9 CFOM runs mostly the Souvenirs Garantis Oldies format, with only some political talk. Or is CFOM picking up most of CHMP's talk shows? And what happens in Ottawa-Hull, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, where the AM stations that had simulcast CKAC are now off the air? Do they get no talk radio in French, not political or sports?

The programming on CHRC is almost 100% local. It is no longer owned by Corus. The morning news/talk segment on CFOM was dumped at least a year ago.

And the station that had simulcast English Talk outlet 800 CJAD Montreal in the Sherbrooke area at AM 900, is that also off the air?

CKTS 900 was shut down by Corus in November 2006. CKTS never was a sister station to CJAD even though CKTS was a full-time CJAD rebroadcaster since the early 1990s.

CFOM is generally a francophone Oldies station, with a morning talk show (not unlike every other radion station). The stations in Gatineau, Saguenay, Sherbrooke and T-R were originally talk stations on the AM dial, but became oldies upon their conversion to FM, using the same format as CFOM.

The conversion to FM happened in 2007. The music format only appeared a year ago. They still have news/talk programming in the AM and PM drives, and sports programming from CKAC in the evenings.

 

[e-dawg]

If they can move CHRC in Quebec City to FM that will leave CJAD in Montreal to become 50KW ND-1 instead of 50/10 DA-2.