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January 30, 2021 2:44 pm  #1


The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

Mark Sikstrom takes a look at the reasons behind the Bell Media cuts at CTV.

The real reason behind the sudden executive purge at CTV | The Star

https://outline.com/nUbjUe

Last edited by Media Observer (January 30, 2021 2:45 pm)

 

January 30, 2021 6:35 pm  #2


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

Exactly as stated in the article. And, the Internet is doing the same thing to stock markets. Witness short-selling, GameStop and Reddit.

The future is coming. Strap yourselves in. 
 

 

January 31, 2021 3:49 pm  #3


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

torontostan wrote:

I think Bell should sell off their radio assets...

Let's see what they do with Hamilton first. 
 


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

 
 

January 31, 2021 6:08 pm  #4


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

torontostan wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

torontostan wrote:

I think Bell should sell off their radio assets...

Let's see what they do with Hamilton first. 
 

Good point! Certainly something fishy going on there...

I wonder if 1150 is going to go back to music.  CKOC had much better ratings prior to the rebrand of TSN 1150. And they have been sports for well over five years now.  Even though 1150 has a fair amount of different programming than TSN 1050, CHUM covers Hamilton day and night and most of 1150's daytime pattern. They would really mess up 1220 St. Catharines if they decided to flip back to a gold music format prior to CFAJ officially signing on.

 

January 31, 2021 6:21 pm  #5


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

IF CFAJ ever signs on!

 

February 1, 2021 1:46 am  #6


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

paterson1 wrote:

I wonder if 1150 is going to go back to music.  CKOC had much better ratings prior to the rebrand of TSN 1150.

Well, I don't know if they had MUCH better ratings prior to the rebrand, but at least they had some. Wouldn't be the first time an all-sports station said "Whoops, we made a mistake", and switched back to music.  

When CKOC made the switchover in 2015, I criticized the move in a Facebook post and one of my radio friends who worked at Bell Media at the time told me that music was "dead, finished, kaput" on the AM band, and that Bell's move to switch CKOC to TSN 1150 was "part of a five-year plan". Five years in, I'm starting to wonder (and actually, have always wondered) if the five-year plan was something akin to CKSL: complain to the CRTC that the station is no longer profitable, and can we please surrender our license? Switching it over to all sports seemed like a quicker way to sink that ship. 

Maybe if CKOC goes up for sale, Moses should consider buying it and expanding on his Zoomer brand, much the same way Evanov has with The Jewel. 1150 seems like it would be a sweetheart of a frequency to do that, as the people that are missing music there would probably welcome the format with open arms and are definitely in the right age bracket. Just a thought.


PJ


ClassicHitsOnline.com...If you enjoy hearing the same 200 songs over and over again...listen to the other guys!
 

February 1, 2021 9:50 am  #7


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

I think there is a higher chance of "CKOC" being signed off the air vs playing music on AM under Bell.   Ratings when they are mostly 75+ is not attractive to Bell or any major operator outside "Zoomer"   At flip to TSN,  CKOC had most numbers sitting at 65+.   If anything they will contain costs and if that doesn't work.... hand in the license.   

 

February 1, 2021 11:51 am  #8


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

radiokid wrote:

I think there is a higher chance of "CKOC" being signed off the air vs playing music on AM under Bell.   Ratings when they are mostly 75+ is not attractive to Bell or any major operator outside "Zoomer"   At flip to TSN,  CKOC had most numbers sitting at 65+.   If anything they will contain costs and if that doesn't work.... hand in the license.   

Rather than handing in the license, why would they not put the station up for sale?  Might as well get some money out of it.  If Bell handed in the license, the CRTC would have a call for applications on 1150 for a new station.  With a pattern that covers all of the GTA day and night with a clear signal (50,000 watts day and 20,000 night) they would have more groups apply than many would think. There is a chance that CKOC will go back to music with some sort of gold format or music hybrid.

Fall 2014 the last fall rating with music- 4.8% share  48.3 thousand Central Reach  154.3 thousand Full Coverage
Fall 2019 ( last pre covid-19) TSN 1150-  0.3% share  10.1 thousand Central Reach   23 thousand Full Coverage


TSN 1050 and 1150 cover much of the same geography and even though there is decent separate programming they do simulcast as well.  If CKOC played up the fact that they are Hamilton and Ontario's first radio station and acknowledged their status as a heritage top 40 station, they could do much better audience and revenue wise than currently with sports.

CKOC could attract a whole new layer of advertiser that currently doesn't use radio (similar to Zoomer) and be quite successful.  More and more stations will need these new advertisers to survive, and CKOC has an opportunity to be one of the first if they return to a music format. 




 

Last edited by paterson1 (February 1, 2021 11:55 am)

 

February 1, 2021 12:01 pm  #9


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

paterson1 wrote:

radiokid wrote:

I think there is a higher chance of "CKOC" being signed off the air vs playing music on AM under Bell.   Ratings when they are mostly 75+ is not attractive to Bell or any major operator outside "Zoomer"   At flip to TSN,  CKOC had most numbers sitting at 65+.   If anything they will contain costs and if that doesn't work.... hand in the license.   

Rather than handing in the license, why would they not put the station up for sale?  Might as well get some money out of it.  If Bell handed in the license, the CRTC would have a call for applications on 1150 for a new station.  With a pattern that covers all of the GTA day and night with a clear signal (50,000 watts day and 20,000 night) they would have more groups apply than many would think. There is a chance that CKOC will go back to music with some sort of gold format or music hybrid.

Fall 2014 the last fall rating with music- 4.8% share  48.3 thousand Central Reach  154.3 thousand Full Coverage
Fall 2019 ( last pre covid-19) TSN 1150-  0.3% share  10.1 thousand Central Reach   23 thousand Full Coverage


TSN 1050 and 1150 cover much of the same geography and even though there is decent separate programming they do simulcast as well.  If CKOC played up the fact that they are Hamilton and Ontario's first radio station and acknowledged their status as a heritage top 40 station, they could do much better audience and revenue wise than currently with sports.

CKOC could attract a whole new layer of advertiser that currently doesn't use radio (similar to Zoomer) and be quite successful.  More and more stations will need these new advertisers to survive, and CKOC has an opportunity to be one of the first if they return to a music format. 

 

Once Ti cat games get the go ahead to get back up and running, that alone will make 1150 look profitable. Music or no music. 


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

 
 

February 1, 2021 12:05 pm  #10


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

torontostan wrote:

I think Bell should sell off their radio assets...

They're more interested in merging rather than selling... http://sowny.net/viewtopic.php?id=5815 
(unless you are part way correct, that maybe they should sell at least some of their stations in some markets...)
 


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

 
 

February 1, 2021 1:11 pm  #11


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

Is there any market for a classic country format?

Given CKOC's big signal they could offer a unique format to a large coverage area and solicit advertisers from out of town. I acknowledge this won't target the coveted age range of the audience everyone is after, but most of this younger audience isn't listening to AM anyway. The station could be highly automated and run with a minimum of staff.

CKNX 920 seems to be holding their own with a sort of hybrid classic and modern country format.

If not classic country, what about a mix of country, folk and rock. There is a station from Port Huron Michigan calling itself the "Hill" at 1590 and a low power translator mono FM at 92.7 doing this style.

 

February 1, 2021 1:16 pm  #12


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

paterson1 wrote:

radiokid wrote:

I think there is a higher chance of "CKOC" being signed off the air vs playing music on AM under Bell.   Ratings when they are mostly 75+ is not attractive to Bell or any major operator outside "Zoomer"   At flip to TSN,  CKOC had most numbers sitting at 65+.   If anything they will contain costs and if that doesn't work.... hand in the license.   

Rather than handing in the license, why would they not put the station up for sale?  Might as well get some money out of it.  If Bell handed in the license, the CRTC would have a call for applications on 1150 for a new station.  With a pattern that covers all of the GTA day and night with a clear signal (50,000 watts day and 20,000 night) they would have more groups apply than many would think. There is a chance that CKOC will go back to music with some sort of gold format or music hybrid.

Fall 2014 the last fall rating with music- 4.8% share  48.3 thousand Central Reach  154.3 thousand Full Coverage
Fall 2019 ( last pre covid-19) TSN 1150-  0.3% share  10.1 thousand Central Reach   23 thousand Full Coverage


TSN 1050 and 1150 cover much of the same geography and even though there is decent separate programming they do simulcast as well.  If CKOC played up the fact that they are Hamilton and Ontario's first radio station and acknowledged their status as a heritage top 40 station, they could do much better audience and revenue wise than currently with sports.

CKOC could attract a whole new layer of advertiser that currently doesn't use radio (similar to Zoomer) and be quite successful.  More and more stations will need these new advertisers to survive, and CKOC has an opportunity to be one of the first if they return to a music format. 




 

Sadly... those numbers are 12+ and old at this point..   When you dig deeper...   They are majority in the 65+ demo.  Spots running at the end of music seemed to be bottom of the barrel clients, retirement and funeral homes. No major client with money really wants 75+ and a AM radio station playing music.  Ratings are only part of the converstation.    It's more about being able to sell to a sellable audience.   12+ numbers don't sell a station with clients only caring about demos they want..  I also would remind you... the music audience has aged since sports launched and was not showing replacement  beforehand.   It's not a great business plan.   

No buyer in their right mind will buy a AM station in 2021 especially to play music, especially for any price tag Bell would want.  They will get more to close it and write it off.   

For Bell, CKOC would be a write off if they handed the license in, just like the others they closed down in the past.   50K or not, if it's costing more to operate, than they can make, I just can't see any plan to try and throw music on... pay copyright payments, staff etc.    

I get most on here are in that older demographic and like to remember the "good ol days" but if you look at North America and Canada in particular, AM is nearing end of life especially stations stuck playing music.  (unless there is a FM repeater involved) 

I have no inside info and couldn't tell you what any plans would be...  I just base my opinion on past movement by Bell

Last edited by radiokid (February 1, 2021 1:26 pm)

 

February 1, 2021 1:22 pm  #13


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

darcyh wrote:

Is there any market for a classic country format?

Given CKOC's big signal they could offer a unique format to a large coverage area and solicit advertisers from out of town. I acknowledge this won't target the coveted age range of the audience everyone is after, but most of this younger audience isn't listening to AM anyway. The station could be highly automated and run with a minimum of staff.

CKNX 920 seems to be holding their own with a sort of hybrid classic and modern country format.

If not classic country, what about a mix of country, folk and rock. There is a station from Port Huron Michigan calling itself the "Hill" at 1590 and a low power translator mono FM at 92.7 doing this style.

Michigan doesn't have to worry about Can Con regulations.  
I worry a Legends format similar to what 820 tried to do for a short time might steer toward an audience that is too old. 
A mix of Legends & great (90's) classics might actually work. 


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

 
 

February 1, 2021 1:30 pm  #14


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

radiokid wrote:

[
I have no inside info and couldn't tell you what any plans would be...  I just base my opinion on past movement by Bell

CKOC still has some life left in it. Just throw in the rights to cover the Ti cats and CKOC will do just fine. 
1150 should go back to oldies/classic hits and 820 should go back to classic country, but with 90's included in the mix.


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

 
 

February 1, 2021 1:43 pm  #15


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

It's been tried here before, but on a very weak station no one could get (i.e. 1280 AM.) But what about a business format?

WBBR in New York (the old WNEW) isn't exactly killing it in the ratings, but they're owned by Bloomberg, and have carved out a niche in the world's most competitive market. Perhaps Bell could leverage their own BNN Bloomberg and add a version of it to their radio property.

And they could still air the Ti-Cat games if they wanted. 

It gets rid of the "music on AM" stigma and nobody is doing it here, which perhaps makes it worth a try before giving up on 1150 altogether.

 

February 1, 2021 2:32 pm  #16


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

So long at the Hamilton AMs are owned by Bell, there will be no attempt at a ratings-driven format at all. They'll either be something that keeps the lights on and costs nothing, or something that plays into a bigger brand extension.

They are both of those things now with Funny and TSN.

If Doug Kirk ends up with the cluster, he could try Wave 820 and Grand 1150.

 

February 1, 2021 2:43 pm  #17


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

RadioActive wrote:

It's been tried here before, but on a very weak station no one could get (i.e. 1280 AM.) But what about a business format?

WBBR in New York (the old WNEW) isn't exactly killing it in the ratings, but they're owned by Bloomberg, and have carved out a niche in the world's most competitive market. Perhaps Bell could leverage their own BNN Bloomberg and add a version of it to their radio property.

And they could still air the Ti-Cat games if they wanted. 

It gets rid of the "music on AM" stigma and nobody is doing it here, which perhaps makes it worth a try before giving up on 1150 altogether.

BNN Bloomberg on radio isn't unprecedented; Bell's CFTE 1410 in Vancouver - the old C-FUN - broadcasts the BNN Bloomberg format.

 

February 1, 2021 5:12 pm  #18


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

torontostan wrote:

Interesting he didn't touch on Bell's radio assets. The streaming subscription model just won't work there, at least not at a local station level. However pre-pandemic, local radio ratings weren't seeing nearly the same kind of losses that broadcast television was.. so maybe there's hope terrestrial radio will outlive conventional television for a while yet.

I think Bell should sell off their radio assets.. the benefits of vertical integration weren't what they'd hope they would be, it's not ever going to help the BCE share, and they clearly don't want to invest in radio content. Just make the new owner license TSN radios branding/content, and provide in-kind commercial time for Bell. 

Looks like Bell is now moving forward on the radio front, in Montreal.

https://blog.fagstein.com/2021/02/01/cjad-guts-newsroom/
 

     Thread Starter
 

February 1, 2021 5:20 pm  #19


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

So Jon Pole is gone, a frequent fill-in for when Barb DiGiulio is off. Luckily, as part owner of the MyFMs, he'll still be busy. 

But it has to be asked: if CJAD is being torn apart, can CFRB be far behind? If anything, I think CJAD has better overall ratings in its market than its Toronto counterpart has here. I hope it doesn't happen, but Bell has been taking a wrecking ball to both staff and management in the last month or so.

What a shame. News was always the hallmark of the station and RB has a similar heritage. (Remember "Ontario's Authoritative News Voice?") 

If I were at 1010, I'd be nervous right now. 

Montreal Gazette: Bell Media confirms 'limited' number of job cuts at CJAD

I love how they stress "limited," as if that somehow mitigates the job losses. 

 

February 1, 2021 6:09 pm  #20


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

As I've posted here before,  like many others I grew up hearing nothing but 'RB on the kitchen radio.  When we would visit family in Longueuil,  Quebec,  I would hear CJAD in their kitchen.

     Thread Starter
 

February 1, 2021 6:20 pm  #21


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

darcyh wrote:

Is there any market for a classic country format?

Given CKOC's big signal they could offer a unique format to a large coverage area and solicit advertisers from out of town. I acknowledge this won't target the coveted age range of the audience everyone is after, but most of this younger audience isn't listening to AM anyway. The station could be highly automated and run with a minimum of staff.

CKNX 920 seems to be holding their own with a sort of hybrid classic and modern country format.

If not classic country, what about a mix of country, folk and rock. There is a station from Port Huron Michigan calling itself the "Hill" at 1590 and a low power translator mono FM at 92.7 doing this style.

I am not sure that country on AM would really work anymore.  CHAM in Hamilton had a good run with country 30 years ago but you really need to be on FM for a country format today.  CKNX is in a big rural area made up of many small towns and villages.  They don't cover any large metro areas, so they are kind of unique.

The hybrid country, rock and folk mix might work but will never happen with Bell.   If CKOC was sold to a smaller chain or independent, the owner could look at something like that.   Cancon is not an issue at all with a hybrid format like this.  K106 in Owen Sound had that format for about 8 years back in the 90's and it sounded great, but it was dropped when Bayshore launched Country 93 in 2001.

All this is moot if Bell is only using TSN 1150 as a write off or only using the radio as a vehicle to promote TSN.  However I still think if they closed the station or turned in the license, the CRTC would absolutely be open for applications for a new station at 1150.  And I think there would be people or groups more than willing to give a new station a shot and not necessarily with a 100% music format.  Even a community AM radio station for Hamilton and area could work.  Low overhead, big coverage area and tons of new local advertisers could be had with an AM community station. 

 

February 1, 2021 10:44 pm  #22


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

paterson1 wrote:

Rather than handing in the license, why would they not put the station up for sale?   

It would depend on what type of shape the transmitter site is in.  In other cases Bell had let them fall into such disrepair that they weren't worth fixing.  No buyer wants to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars upfront on an AM site.

 

February 2, 2021 12:08 pm  #23


Re: The CTV Cuts & Broadcasting's Future?

Further to the Fagstein blog outlining the CJAD cuts, and Sikstrom's insider look at the Bell Media/CTV restructuring, it would appear that Bell has no shame in accessing taxpayer money to help shore up wages, er, shareholder returns...

Bell accesses $122 million from federal government CEWS program...   kinda rich dont'cha think

from the TekSavy blog..

https://blogs.teksavvy.com/bell-blasted-for-cews-subsidy-dividends