They are legendary call letters in Montreal. But like CHUM here, CKGM is a shadow of its former self. It’s now an all-sports format owned by Bell Media, which somehow avoided this week's big purge. But that doesn't mean the bean counters weren't busy. The company went before the CRTC asking to be allowed to reduce its local programming content from 96 hours a week to just 63.
 
Their reasons are a wonderful exercise in creative writing. According to the CRTC:
 
"The licensee indicated that CKGM’s typical broadcast week consists primarily of locally-produced programming on weekdays from 6 a.m. to midnight. It added that a portion of this content is focused on local sports franchises—the Montréal Canadiens, the Montréal Alouettes and the Montréal Impact—and that the station broadcasts the games of all three franchises, including pre- and post-game coverage.
 
"The licensee indicated that the station also broadcasts approximately 6 to 10 hours of locally-produced programming on weekends. Finally, it specified that CKGM offers local perspectives, including from local experts, on a range of out-of-market sports news and events.
 
"Bell submitted that while it is committed to providing its audience with comprehensive sports coverage, the obligation to broadcast at least 96 hours of local programming during each broadcast week can at times require it to make programming decisions that result in Montréal sports fans being deprived of live play-by-play coverage of compelling sporting events, since such coverage is typically not considered local programming.
 
"Finally, the licensee submitted that the broadcast of live professional and amateur sporting events as they happen is the most in-demand programming by sports fans. Therefore, it argued that a reduction in the local programming requirement from 96 to 63 hours would offer CKGM the flexibility to add non-local programming such as national and international live sporting events programming to the program line-up where appropriate.”
 
The Commission wasn’t having any of it, noting the station is allowed to broadcast up to 30 hours of non-local programming a week and that would be more than sufficient for “live professional and amateur sporting events.”
 
I suspect this was just another cost cutting move. But you’ve got to admire Bell's chutzpah. In the end, the CRTC didn’t. The request was denied.
 
CKGM announcement