The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » New Tobermory Radio Station Rocks the Bruce

paterson1 · June 14, 2021 11:26 pm

Last July the CRTC approved Bayshore Broadcastings application for a new radio station in Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. The station was to be called 92 The Wave and be a repeater of CFPS FM in Port Elgin which had an A/C Gold format called The Beach. Eventually the station had plans for some local programming during the day.

The station went to air last month on May 20th not as The Wave but rather 91.9 The Bruce. The Beach in Port Elgin changed format at the same time and is now known as 97.9 The Bruce. The Bruce has a New Rock/Classic Rock format and has similar imaging as Bayshore's Modern Rock station in Orillia with interesting and funny voice breaks from Jeff Lumby.

The stations sound great and definitely are a real change and may just work out well up and down The Bruce for all of the cottagers, tourists and eclectic locals that live there. Not a lot of OTA radio available so who knows?

Some of the most interesting radio is happening in the small markets who don't seem to be afraid to take a few chances and try something different....
https://www.rockthebruce.ca/music/

Last edited by paterson1 (June 14, 2021 11:34 pm)

turkeytop · June 15, 2021 12:03 am

Thanks for posting that. I lived for the biggest part of my life up on the Bruce Peninsula. So I still like to follow what's happening up there.

Last edited by turkeytop (June 15, 2021 12:51 am)

paterson1 · June 15, 2021 8:54 am

turkeytop wrote:
Thanks for posting that. I lived for the biggest part of my life up on the Bruce Peninsula. So I still like to follow what's happening up there.

You are welcome turkeytop. Always important to know what's is goin' on "north of the checkerboard!"

turkeytop · June 15, 2021 8:59 am

paterson1 wrote:
turkeytop wrote:
Thanks for posting that. I lived for the biggest part of my life up on the Bruce Peninsula. So I still like to follow what's happening up there.
You are welcome turkeytop. Always important to know what's is goin' on "north of the checkerboard!"

"North of the checkerboard." You must also be a native of the Bruce. LOL.

paterson1 · June 15, 2021 9:13 am

turkeytop wrote:
paterson1 wrote:
turkeytop wrote:
Thanks for posting that. I lived for the biggest part of my life up on the Bruce Peninsula. So I still like to follow what's happening up there.
You are welcome turkeytop. Always important to know what's is goin' on "north of the checkerboard!"
"North of the checkerboard." You must also be a native of the Bruce. LOL.

Hahaha!! I figured you would know what I was talking about.... I lived in Owen Sound for about 12 years, so I am very familiar with The Bruce and the checkerboard! The new station has a contest called "code of the Bruce" which taps into local slang and meanings. They were just talking about wackin. Listening to the morning show right now with Longy and Bruffer and it is pretty good. Saturday nights they have a request show called the Saturday Night Bush Party. Bush and field parties are a bit of a thing up there. Being a Bayshore station very local with local news. Their slogan on air is "Respect The Rock."

Last edited by paterson1 (June 15, 2021 9:20 am)

June 15, 2021 10:11 am

paterson1 wrote:
Being a Bayshore station very local with local news "

BULLSHIT (for details plse refer to your p.m.

geo

paterson1 · June 15, 2021 11:35 am

geo wrote:
paterson1 wrote:
Being a Bayshore station very local with local news "
BULLSHIT (for details plse refer to your p.m.

geo

Oh really geo? The Bruce had a live interview this morning regarding a local charity fundraiser and I heard a 9am local news weather and sports package. 9:10 a nice live handoff from the morning show to the mid morning host, very casual and funny. And I only listened from 8:25 to about 9:15. I worked for Bayshore, and they do push the local aspects of their stations. Try listening to CFOS Owen Sound, still full service in a small market. They even have a sports director. Too bad the council in Wasaga is disappointed now. However the station isn't there to please the town council. I have friends that live in Wasaga and think MAX FM is great. In fact when they moved to Wasaga from Quispamsis N.B. my friends commented how much better Wasaga's station was than what was offered in Quispamsis, which has a similar population. They liked that Bayshore's station actually had local/regional news. So beauty is in the eye of the listener I guess...

markow202 · June 15, 2021 11:54 am

Used to be TV up there with CKCO repeater in Wiarton/Lions Head and was a flamethrower in the analog days!

turkeytop · June 15, 2021 4:45 pm

markow202 wrote:
Used to be TV up there with CKCO repeater in Wiarton/Lions Head and was a flamethrower in the analog days!

So, I suppose it's gone now. When we left that area in 1996 there was local coverage from CTV, CBC, Global and TVO. I guess all of them are gone now. Someone without a dish won't get any TV.

markow202 · June 15, 2021 4:56 pm

turkeytop wrote:
markow202 wrote:
Used to be TV up there with CKCO repeater in Wiarton/Lions Head and was a flamethrower in the analog days!
So, I suppose it's gone now. When we left that area in 1996 there was local coverage from CTV, CBC, Global and TVO. I guess all of them are gone now. Someone without a dish won't get any TV.

An interesting way to go lol

https://blog.fagstein.com/2014/08/09/ckco-wiarton/

turkeytop · June 15, 2021 7:13 pm

First off, the locals don't call it Tobermory.

It's known as "The Tub."

Last edited by turkeytop (June 15, 2021 7:14 pm)

Tomas Barlow · June 15, 2021 10:59 pm

geo wrote:
paterson1 wrote:
Being a Bayshore station very local with local news "
BULLSHIT (for details plse refer to your p.m.

geo

Didn't you once refer to either Bayshore or Larche as an evil empire? Is that not a bit over the top for a radio company in cottage country?

MJ Vancouver · June 16, 2021 11:51 am

turkeytop wrote:
markow202 wrote:
Used to be TV up there with CKCO repeater in Wiarton/Lions Head and was a flamethrower in the analog days!
So, I suppose it's gone now. When we left that area in 1996 there was local coverage from CTV, CBC, Global and TVO. I guess all of them are gone now. Someone without a dish won't get any TV.

From my understanding Global is still there - they converted the Owen Sound transmitter (channel 4) to digital. Not sure how far it reaches.

I Used Carts · June 16, 2021 3:00 pm

MJ Vancouver wrote:
turkeytop wrote:
markow202 wrote:
Used to be TV up there with CKCO repeater in Wiarton/Lions Head and was a flamethrower in the analog days!
So, I suppose it's gone now. When we left that area in 1996 there was local coverage from CTV, CBC, Global and TVO. I guess all of them are gone now. Someone without a dish won't get any TV.
From my understanding Global is still there - they converted the Owen Sound transmitter (channel 4) to digital. Not sure how far it reaches.

I get Global near Port Elgin. Occasionally handy if recording 2 things on the PVR or if the dish is out. But that's the only signal left here.

darcyh · June 17, 2021 9:10 pm

Thanks for the update Paterson1.

Bayshore started with one AM station, CFOS 560 in Owen Sound and have grown that into several FM's serving smaller markets. I am guessing the company is run by 'radio people' (that's a compliment), is carefully managed and uses its resources efficiently. Their stations have distinct identities and they still run a fair amount of live programming.

I often listen to CFOS 560 and occasionally 104.9 FM and can attest they do a good job covering local news / events.

Bayshore has long had a presence in the Bruce Peninsula and the 'repeater' in Tobermory is a natural extension of the Port Elgin station (that began as a repeater of CFOS). I wish them success with this undertaking.

Last edited by darcyh (June 17, 2021 9:11 pm)

turkeytop · June 17, 2021 9:55 pm

I'm old enough to remember when CFOS was on 1470 KHZ. I was just a kid. We lived about 4 miles from their transmitter. Could see the lights on their towers from our backyard. Good daytime reception but, at night, there was often something else in the background.

Last edited by turkeytop (June 17, 2021 10:53 pm)

paterson1 · June 18, 2021 1:20 pm

darcyh wrote:
Thanks for the update Paterson1.

Bayshore started with one AM station, CFOS 560 in Owen Sound and have grown that into several FM's serving smaller markets. I am guessing the company is run by 'radio people' (that's a compliment), is carefully managed and uses its resources efficiently. Their stations have distinct identities and they still run a fair amount of live programming.

I often listen to CFOS 560 and occasionally 104.9 FM and can attest they do a good job covering local news / events.

Bayshore has long had a presence in the Bruce Peninsula and the 'repeater' in Tobermory is a natural extension of the Port Elgin station (that began as a repeater of CFOS). I wish them success with this undertaking.

Bayshore has nine stations now, ten if you include the repeater in Tobermory. I give them lots of credit being a smaller independent company that has well run stations that all sound great and with varied formats. Best of all they are still growing, adding a new station in the Muskoka's in 2018 and the rebroadcaster in Tobermory last month.

Now I am a bit biased since I worked for Bayshore twice. They were a great place to work, great people, always professional and we had fun. Bayshore has turned out some pretty impressive broadcasters over the years like Norm Perry, John Robertson, Heather Hiscox, John Northcott, Christie Knight, Janice Mackay Fryer and others who got their start at CFOS.

Like you darcyh, I wish them much success with the new station and format. Here is a map that shows their coverage over cottage country.
.

turkeytop · June 18, 2021 7:48 pm

Don Daynard also got his start at CFOS.

https://peoplepill.com/people/don-daynard

paterson1 · June 19, 2021 8:03 pm

turkeytop wrote:
Don Daynard also got his start at CFOS.

https://peoplepill.com/people/don-daynard

Dazzlin' Don Daynard, how could I have missed him? (scheesh,slap my head!) They still talk about, and love Don Daynard up in Grey/Bruce. I judged the "Festival Queen" competition for the Wiarton Groundhog Festival with Don years ago when he was the star of CHFI. What a super guy, funny and a real pro. He regularly came back to "The Bruce" for years. I think he had/has a cottage somewhere on the peninsula.