I heard they tried to sell the stations but negotiations fell apart. As a result this is what happened unfortunately

RadioQuiz wrote:

Lite sounded very good - maybe just lacked people power and promo power.

.

They’re in a not bad spot right between Move and Boom; but to your point, they didn’t tell anyone they’re no longer The Jewel.

Well, if Bell and Corus can do it...we may as well, too.

Ottawa is a crowded market for radio and Hawkesbury and Rockland can tune into Ottawa stations and Montreal stations quite clearly. I am not surprised they closed up shop, the business model doesn't work as well as it did when they opened up years ago!

I am wondering if this might happen in Toronto soon on the FM side.

 

I wasn't within regular earshot of any of these. Heard 107.7 and 98.5 once or twice, barely, from Kawarthas, and never DX-logged the 92.5 at all (Toronto, Rochester, Montreal and Pembroke all pretty much dominate the channel). So I have no idea what their content was like. Did the Hawkesbury and Rockland stations somehow fail to serve their communities and develop a truly local identity? I would think that's in suburban or rural communities needed when so many other pre-existing signals are within reach, even on FM.



Yes Saul, the Rockland and Hawkesbury stations are about 40 and 60 KM outside of Ottawa, they were local, however ratings probably dropped and the stations were not economically viable.

The Montreal market can be heard in these 2 places and the Ottawa stations are also accessible.

Trust that helps Saul!

Cheers

Last edited by Muffaraw Joe (September 5, 2024 8:45 pm)

RadioAaron wrote:

Muffaraw Joe wrote:

Yes Saul, the Rockland and Hawkesbury stations are about 40 and 60 KM outside of Ottawa, they were local, however ratings probably dropped and the stations were not economically viable.

They weren't rated.
The started with some local presence, but since COVID had been run from Ottawa with no local hosts

That'll do it... Radio is far from an easy business. But imagine a community paper with no local-based writers ... done like dinner.

The biggest problem I have with their company's official press release is how they casually blame "increased competition" and reference "fake news, misinformation and open social media borders" as the ultimate perpetrators of the demise of those broadcast outlets, as if a "free" country shouldn't have an open internet with unrestricted access to content from the outside world and the perspectives, insights and cultures that come with it. The author of the release openly claims in the third paragraph that "the media industry, still regulated and a trusted source of news and information in a quagmire of fake news, misinformation and open social media borders, has not received the necessary support and relief sought during the crises or as a pre-emptive and insurance measure that would have us and our fellow broadcasters at a different place at this point."

I beg to differ. Major "private" news outlets have been very heavily subsidized by the federal government for the past several years, and this hasn't prevented rounds of mass layoffs at the major corporate outfits and even the total closures of local news outlets, particularly the shutdowns of several Corus-owned AM radio stations such as CHML. Maybe their company has never received such public funding handouts, but that statement is just ignorant and tone-deaf.

Slightly off topic, but still relevant: We're also in a day-and-age and turning point in our history where more and more of us (myself included long ago) no longer consider "mainstream" news outlets, "private" or public to be unbiased sources of news and information and wish to seek out other online sources that often point out perspectives or actual facts that are disagreed with by public authorities or our federal government which funds them.

I think you fellow-members have done a good job of pointing your fingers at the factually correct contributing factors. The communities that those stations serve (minus CJWL-FM Ottawa) are small, appear to have stagnant or declining populations and economies (long typical of non-metropolitan areas in Eastern Ontario and North America in general), and get good reception of Ottawa and/or Montreal area stations, depending on location and many locales that those stations serve are even in the "service contours" of Ottawa and/or Montreal stations, meaning that the stations of one or the other are technically officially considered "local" from a field signal strength standpoint.

Last edited by tdotwriter (September 7, 2024 5:14 pm)

rk12 wrote:

CJWL 92.5 rating of 2.0 .There seems to be about 8 stations in Ottawa with less ratings.Odd they cant make a go of it in such a big market.

Far lower in 25-54....and a standalone. That's not a recipe for profit.

tdotwriter wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

rk12 wrote:

CJWL 92.5 rating of 2.0 .There seems to be about 8 stations in Ottawa with less ratings.Odd they cant make a go of it in such a big market.

Far lower in 25-54....and a standalone. That's not a recipe for profit.

I think you mean 98.5, but I have the same thoughts. The metropolitan area is well over 1,000,000 strong and growing with good median incomes. Ottawa does lack the cultural sophistication of the GTA, Montreal, Vancouver and several American markets, so a second modern/alternative rock station along the lines of Indie88 in Toronto might not be feasible, and other formats also might not be, but do find it hard to believe that there's not *something* that could be a good alternative to throwing in the towel and literally shutting down the station, as in, the transmitter.

Most bigger markets have more stations than available ad dollars can sustain. 

Evanov also had a higher price tag on the station than anyone was willing to pay.

Radiowiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

Evanov also had a higher price tag on the station than anyone was willing to pay.

Didn't they dictate that one must take all three stations, otherwise just one station alone is not for sale? 
I see how only wanting ONE station (Ottawa) might be the problem if this is the case.
I wouldn't want to get stuck with the other two stations either. 

 

This explains everything. They ought to have just written off the two rural stations and taken a reasonable sum for the Ottawa station. They would have pocketed a good sum and the new owner would have acquired a medium to large-ish market station that could have really worked. If this is true, I can't say I'm surprised given that they basically pointed their fingers at the bain of our modern existence for the demise of all three of the stations.

Last edited by tdotwriter (September 7, 2024 6:31 pm)

RadioAaron wrote:

tdotwriter wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

Didn't they dictate that one must take all three stations, otherwise just one station alone is not for sale? 
I see how only wanting ONE station (Ottawa) might be the problem if this is the case.
I wouldn't want to get stuck with the other two stations either. 

 

This explains everything. They ought to have just written off the two rural stations and taken a reasonable sum for the Ottawa station. They would have pocketed a good sum and the new owner would have acquired a medium to large-ish market station that could have really worked. If this is true, I can't say I'm surprised given that they basically pointed their fingers at the bain of our modern existence for the demise of all three of the stations.

Worth noting that RW's post is speculation.

And no, there is nothing that can make a low-ish power stand-alone FM in the market work; that's the real reason there were no buyers.
 

It looks like my ranting got a little too aggressive at that point. 1.1kW ERP with 2.5kW maximum from a 110 meter (361 foot) tower isn't much, but the service contour does look like it covers the most heavily populated areas around the city decently. Is stronger rural coverage around the Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Perth area, etc. necessary for the station to be potentially viable?

Last edited by tdotwriter (September 7, 2024 9:12 pm)

tdotwriter wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

tdotwriter wrote:

This explains everything. They ought to have just written off the two rural stations and taken a reasonable sum for the Ottawa station. They would have pocketed a good sum and the new owner would have acquired a medium to large-ish market station that could have really worked. If this is true, I can't say I'm surprised given that they basically pointed their fingers at the bain of our modern existence for the demise of all three of the stations.

Worth noting that RW's post is speculation.

And no, there is nothing that can make a low-ish power stand-alone FM in the market work; that's the real reason there were no buyers.
 

It looks like my ranting got a little too aggressive at that point. 1.1kW ERP with 2.5kW maximum from a 110 meter (361 foot) tower isn't much, but the service contour does look like it covers the most heavily populated areas around the city decently. Is stronger rural coverage around the Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Perth area, etc. necessary for the station to be potentially viable?

If some of those areas are part of the rated market, it would help. But still, as a stand-alone it would need at least a 3.0 25-54 to be in the black.

As a freelance writer, I once met with the solo publisher of a small trade magazine who, when things struck me as a bit dicey business-wise, acknowledged he didn't have a business plan. He struck me as sincere enough, so I joined as editor on a freelance basis (no real commitments on either side) to see what was going on and, if possible, help correct the ship. It was a field I was keen on, and there was absolutely no risk to me aside from perhaps not being paid for one issue. It didn't last long, and I was paid. But I learned a lot about the perils start-ups face, and all of the wherewithal that has to go into such an effort. The lessons were many and varied and would apply to radio, a helluva challenge just on its own these days...

Forward Power wrote:

Just announced... the Hawkesbury and Rockland stations will be sold to GO FM and remain on the air. No word, though, on 98.5 Ottawa.

Isn't GO FM the operators of the LPFM community station in Casselman and repeater in St. Albert?