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October 14, 2020 6:03 pm  #1


New Owner Picked For G98.7

The troubled black-owned station at 98.7 will soon have a new controller. The receiver for the station has chosen the guy behind CINA-AM (1650), the all India formatted station, to take over. If that deal falls through, then the runner up will be Whiteoaks Communications - which runs CJYE, the all religious format at 1250 in Oakville. 

As the linked article notes, that's not the result politicians and officials were hoping for. 

“The Receiver is aware of the importance of the G98.7 FM station to Toronto’s African and Caribbean communities…the SISP did not result in the receipt of any bids from members of the Black Community. As such, the station’s only realistic prospect of survival is through a sale to a purchaser that is outside of the community.”

Neeti P. Ray wins G98.7 bid pending CRTC approval 

 

October 14, 2020 6:58 pm  #2


Re: New Owner Picked For G98.7

This is unfortunate but with no bidders from the Black community the CRTC doesn't seem to have had much choice. (Not that this is the Black community's fault - until recently not a lot of Black people in Canada have been able to get into broadcasting - remember Hal Johnson's story a few months ago about how he was hired, and then unhired, by TSN in the 1980s because they already had their quote of one Black guy and didn't want a second). It also would have been more likely for a consortia of Black broadcasters and performers to pull together a bid had G98 not been badly in debt - and an internal bid would have been possible had the possible bidders not had to choose between putting up money for the station or continuing their lawsuit for money they're owed. 

 

October 14, 2020 7:00 pm  #3


Re: New Owner Picked For G98.7

Hansa wrote:

and an internal bid would have been possible had the possible bidders not had to choose between putting up money for the station or continuing their lawsuit for money they're owed. 

An internal bid was what I was hoping for. Was realistically the only way to keep it Black owned.

 

October 14, 2020 7:15 pm  #4


Re: New Owner Picked For G98.7

I'm cautiously optimistic about this. Mr. Ray, as many 3rd language operators do, has experience with making radio work beyond the traditional ratings=revenues model. Getting advertising from businesses invested in the station's community can work. If this goes through, we'll most certainly hear paid-time specialty shows where the host is also the salesperson for that timeslot. That's not necessarily bad. 

Last edited by RadioAaron (October 14, 2020 7:16 pm)