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April 1, 2020 12:05 am  #1


Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Independent radio station Soft 103.9 is turning off the transmitter this Friday after less than 3 years on air.
https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/296019/Kelowna-s-Soft-103-9-shutting-down-operations#296019

 

April 1, 2020 12:23 am  #2


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

ya this is a little odd, since the station was purchased in 2017 for either $600k or $1.2 million depending on which evaluation you use.  It's actually been on air since 2008.  And, in spite of consecutive annual losses, the Commission still imposed a CCD commit of $78,000 as a result of purchase.  It does beg the question why Vista chose to divest itself of this property in the first place back in 2017 and why a single station operator would choose to make this investment.

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2017/2017-358.htm

 

April 1, 2020 12:10 pm  #3


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

I was surprised that the CRTC made the new owners pay the $78,000 as well. Even though it only works out to a bit over $11,000 per year over the seven years.  In 2008 CJUI signed on as The Juice 103.9 with an adult hits format. In November  2017 when the station was sold to Avenue Radio call letter were changed to CKOO with a power increase and the format changed to oldies, branded as Okanagan Oldies 103.9.  Another format change in January 2019 to the current soft AC known as Soft 103.9.  Avenue Radio was selling the station to Glacier Media but I don't know if the sale went through or if it was Glacier Media who is actually going to close CKOO down on Friday.  Did the sale from Avenue to Glacier Media ever get approved or did Glacier decide not to bother with the purchase?

     Thread Starter
 

April 1, 2020 12:30 pm  #4


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

This article has a few more details that the one linked above doesn't. Among them:

"Frost sold Castanet to Glacier Media nearly a year ago for $22 million.

At that time, Glacier Media announced it would pay $2 million for Castanet's shares in Avenue Radio.

The acquisition of the Avenue Radio shares were subject to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Approval. That approval had yet to be granted after nearly a year."


Kelowna radio station to go dark Friday

 

April 1, 2020 8:00 pm  #5


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

The biggies won't want a stand-alone competing against Bell, Pattison, and Stingray clusters in a market that's probably at capacity.

 

April 1, 2020 9:11 pm  #6


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Your options for big-guys buying this one are Rogers and Corus. I just don't see it with the massive revenue hits they're both taking right now. Vista - who are the kings of running on a shoe-string and undercutting rates bailed. Maybe Harvard?

I'd be happier to be wrong on this one...

 

April 2, 2020 12:32 pm  #7


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

I don't know anything about the Kelowna market other than it looks like a beautiful little city.  A few posters on the RadioWest site have said the area has too many stations for a population of 140,000.  Doesn't sound like CJUI or later CKOO had much success. And as geo mentions above, the closure tomorrow doesn't necessarily means it is permanent. If things settle down later this year, possibly someone would be interested in purchasing the station and applying for a license. Community stations seem to survive and if Kelowna doesn't have one already, maybe that is an option.

     Thread Starter
 

April 2, 2020 6:17 pm  #8


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Boomers aren't in radio ad buys. They should be, but that's another topic.
I like the community station idea above.

National ad buys are going to be down 85-90% in April...the big guys aren't going to be buying anything this year.

 

April 2, 2020 8:34 pm  #9


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

RadioAaron wrote:

Boomers aren't in radio ad buys. They should be, but that's another topic.
I like the community station idea above.

National ad buys are going to be down 85-90% in April...the big guys aren't going to be buying anything this year.

Source on National Ad Buys being down 85 to 90% in April?

 

April 3, 2020 11:25 am  #10


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Three other Canadian radio stations are off the air Friday - but not because of finances. The towers that put out the signal of a trio of Bell-owned stations in Fredericton, New Brunswick somehow crumpled in the morning, leaving the stations on only via the Internet. No word on when they may be back. 

Bell Media radio stations off the air in Fredericton after tower collapses

Update: They're back on the air, though the tower remains in ruins.

[img]https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4881011.1585925681!/httpImage/image.jpeg_gen/derivatives/landscape_1020/image.jpeg[/img]

Last edited by RadioActive (April 3, 2020 4:38 pm)

 

April 4, 2020 6:13 am  #11


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Did Kelowna's 103.9 go softly silent yesterday?

 

April 4, 2020 9:19 am  #12


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Ms. C. wrote:

Did Kelowna's 103.9 go softly silent yesterday?

Looks like the station is gone. The 103.9 website no longer exists and couldn't bring them up online. 

     Thread Starter
 

April 4, 2020 9:57 am  #13


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

paterson1 wrote:

Ms. C. wrote:

Did Kelowna's 103.9 go softly silent yesterday?

Looks like the station is gone. The 103.9 website no longer exists and couldn't bring them up online. 

Not gone...still alive online
(news is Canada press, but this is also the week-end):  https://onlineradiobox.com/ca/juice1039/?cs=ca.juice1039&played=1

 

Last edited by Radiowiz (April 4, 2020 10:14 am)


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

April 4, 2020 10:26 am  #14


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

Sorry, I stand corrected! I couldn't find them anywhere on line and their website didn't come up this morning, but here they are!   Maybe there is hope yet. The announcement from the owner just now on air did say that they were closing however, and he thanked the listeners for their loyalty and support. 

 

     Thread Starter
 

April 4, 2020 10:44 am  #15


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

paterson1 wrote:

The announcement from the owner just now on air did say that they were closing however, and he thanked the listeners for their loyalty and support. 
 

That, and the fact that he did not advertise the idea of continuing to listen to the station online.
I'm surprised this stream is still up and running.  
 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

August 14, 2020 10:20 am  #16


Re: Kelowna's Soft 103.9 Closing This Friday

As announced in an earlier thread today (Aug 14) there is hope beyond Hope (BC joke).    Y-a-a-a-y for the underdog.

K.K.