The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » CFRB Rebrands As CTV News Toronto

RadioActive · March 8, 2021 7:42 am

CFRB's storied newsroom is no more thanks to the Bell cuts, so with 640 already touting itself as "Global News Radio," I suppose this was inevitable. Beginning Monday, RB has rebranded its news at the top of the hour as coming from the CTV Toronto Newsroom. They've been using voice reports from CTV reporters (inevitable, since they essentially fired all their own reporters) and they direct listeners to go to CTV Toronto's website for more news.

Even the top of the hour ID has changed and I think it just sounds odd. But I suppose that's because it's new. All this, while retaining the NewsTalk 1010 moniker. You might think they'd go full on with the CTV thing, but apparently they've decided to keep the former ID for now.

This isn't the first time CTV has ventured this deep into radio. A number of years ago, the network launched an hourly newscast aimed at radio stations across the country. (I believe it was run by a newsman named Del Archer, but it was a long time ago.) It was a nice try, but wound up a dismal failure and disappeared. And now the branding is back.

Considering who owns the station now, it's likely here to stay. Should be interesting to monitor other Bell Media stations to see if they follow suit. That is, for those who still do newscasts...

andysradio · March 8, 2021 9:02 am

RA, CFRA went down this road several years back.

Radiowiz · March 8, 2021 10:23 am

There is a local CTV Toronto newsroom, yes, but there is also CP24.
Both equally qualify to be the new newsroom replacement for CFRB.

mike marshall · March 8, 2021 2:28 pm

RadioActive wrote:
...and they direct listeners to go to CTV Toronto's website for more news.

Now, that's going too far...although I guess the lack of "live" bodies in "CFRB's storied newsroom" means
there's no one to do the required constant updates on the 1010 website. What a lot of crap!

Justalistener · March 8, 2021 2:56 pm

AMFM wrote:
So how will this increase listener ship? As one very famous PD once said to me.
"IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT."

It's not about ratings but PROFIT.
Rating may fall but not as much as costs. Shareholder win!!!!

Their view, not mine.

Last edited by Justalistener (March 8, 2021 2:56 pm)

March 8, 2021 3:02 pm

Justalistener wrote:
It's not about ratings but PROFIT

Are they not related?

RadioAaron · March 8, 2021 3:22 pm

geo wrote:
Justalistener wrote:
It's not about ratings but PROFIT
Are they not related?

Only if you bother to think ahead of the current quarter.

March 8, 2021 4:09 pm

RadioAaron wrote:

Only if you bother to think ahead of the current quarter.

Short-term thinking is a long-term problem

Justalistener · March 8, 2021 4:46 pm

geo wrote:
Justalistener wrote:
It's not about ratings but PROFIT
Are they not related?

Not necessarily the way you're thinking. Depends on how responsive demand is the change. They think the cost reduction will effect the bottom line more then lost listeners will.

paterson1 · March 8, 2021 6:00 pm

A big reason they are doing this is to help support and extend the CTV News brand. Like it or not Bell uses radio as a tool to brand CTV, Crave, TSN and a few specialty channels. Sure radio gets TV promo time as well, but most of the cross promotion and branding is for television. CTV recently updated their news website and it is a big improvement. They are now much better situated to take on CBC.ca which is Canada's most visited news website...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/?cid=email:redirect

betaylored · March 8, 2021 9:59 pm

geo wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:

Only if you bother to think ahead of the current quarter.
Short-term thinking is a long-term problem

short-term thinking creates long slow shrinking 😔

Radiowiz · March 8, 2021 10:32 pm

There was once no such thing as CP24, but there always was a Channel 9 newsroom (Currently CTV Toronto)
Channel 9 is ordered by CRTC to have so much news content.
CP24 makes money. (right?)

Therefore, that leaves room to cut CFRB, so bye bye CFRB newsroom.
They meet CRTC regulation using CTV news.

The thing I really do not get is, if it's about cuts to keep costs down, why does CTV Toronto still have a weather centre? Just let them go and do weather from the CP24 newsroom!!

RadioAaron · March 8, 2021 10:41 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
The thing I really do not get is, if it's about cuts to keep costs down, why does CTV Toronto still have a weather centre? Just let them go and do weather from the CP24 newsroom!!

The people in charge of implementing cuts are seldom those who ordered them. Those doing the dirty-work don't cut anything they absolutely don't have to, even if they can, because they need to save some of the stuff that can be cut for the inevitable next round.

Radiowiz · March 8, 2021 11:27 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Those doing the dirty-work don't cut anything they absolutely don't have to, even if they can, because they need to save some of the stuff that can be cut for the inevitable next round.

...right after the next Bell let's talk day,

RadioActive · March 9, 2021 5:01 pm

Now the cross branding is really apparent - both CFTO anchors Nathan Downer and Michelle Dube were doing top of the hour news on CFRB Tuesday afternoon. I wonder how they feel about pulling the extra duty.

betaylored · March 9, 2021 8:02 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Now the cross branding is really apparent - both CFTO anchors Nathan Downer and Michelle Dube were doing top of the hour news on CFRB Tuesday afternoon. I wonder how they feel about pulling the extra duty.

quite the situation, would an employment lawyer say they have a good case...

RadioActive · March 9, 2021 9:01 pm

Zuraidah Alman has joined the CFTO newscasters, after 7 PM.

RadioAaron · March 9, 2021 9:05 pm

betaylored wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
Now the cross branding is really apparent - both CFTO anchors Nathan Downer and Michelle Dube were doing top of the hour news on CFRB Tuesday afternoon. I wonder how they feel about pulling the extra duty.
quite the situation, would an employment lawyer say they have a good case...

Nope. "And additional duties, as assigned by the News Director"

RadioActive · March 9, 2021 10:17 pm

Another sign of the pairing of the two - I believe ALL of the stories on the NewsTalk 1010 website are taken from CTV Toronto, with some of the TV reporters' web stories ending up on both sites. I suppose CFRB has no one else to write them so they have to get it from somewhere.

Carl Patrick · March 10, 2021 9:52 am

The minute the CRTC allowed the major players to hold multiple licenses in individual markets, this was inevitable. It doesn't make it right, but the business model is the law of the jungle - adapt or die.

RadioActive · March 10, 2021 12:07 pm

It just got stranger. CKTB, which is taking the Jerry Agar Show, just simulcasted CFRB's 11 AM newscast, right down to the local references and the Toronto weather. How little service are they going to provide for their other outlets? I wonder if other stations in the chain heard the T.O. news, as well.

What a terrible way to run a radio network and it wouldn't surprise me if listeners in those cities weren't happy with this idea.

Radiowiz · March 10, 2021 9:49 pm

RadioActive wrote:
It just got stranger. CKTB, which is taking the Jerry Agar Show, just simulcasted CFRB's 11 AM newscast, right down to the local references and the Toronto weather. How little service are they going to provide for their other outlets? I wonder if other stations in the chain heard the T.O. news, as well.

What a terrible way to run a radio network and it wouldn't surprise me if listeners in those cities weren't happy with this idea.

There's no regulation in place requiring them to have local Niagara news?

RadioAaron · March 10, 2021 9:51 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
It just got stranger. CKTB, which is taking the Jerry Agar Show, just simulcasted CFRB's 11 AM newscast, right down to the local references and the Toronto weather. How little service are they going to provide for their other outlets? I wonder if other stations in the chain heard the T.O. news, as well.

What a terrible way to run a radio network and it wouldn't surprise me if listeners in those cities weren't happy with this idea.
There's no regulation in place requiring them to have local Niagara news?

No.

But still I'd hope this was an error and not intentional. Playing all these network shows will only work if supplemented with local content.

Last edited by RadioAaron (March 10, 2021 9:59 pm)

turkeytop · March 10, 2021 9:52 pm

I remember when CFRB was one of the great radio stations (about 50 years ago)