The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Brantford's CKPC shutting down Friday Aug. 4th/103.9 Pride going, too

Centerline · August 4, 2023 7:19 am

Stolen from Phil Gilles Facebook post
[color=var(--secondary-text)] [/color][color=var(--primary-text)]CKPC Radio, which started broadcasting in Brantford in 1933, is closing down. Today is its last day in operation.

I remember when CKPC was a thriving station - an important part of everything that went on in the Brantford area. In the '80s there were seven people working in the newsroom.

Like many small market stations, it had fallen on hard times. Next to no capacity to report on local events and issues. Ad revenues had dried up. It was a shell of it's former self.

One significant event I'll never forget.......

When Canada smuggled the six US diplomats out of Iran In January, 1980 (the 'Canadian Caper' - inaccurately portrayed in the Hollywood movie Argo) - Prime Minister Joe Clark was campaigning in Brantford.

Surrounded by around 20 reporters, Prime Minister Clark announced to the world that Canada had gotten the Americans out of Tehran to safety in the West - and he made the announcement in the lobby of CKPC.

I was standing about twelve feet away from the PM as he made the announcement.

A significant day in Brantford history.

Anyway - RIP to a once-proud local broadcaster.[/color]

Last edited by Centerline (August 4, 2023 7:21 am)

leafs67 · August 4, 2023 7:35 pm

https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/news/ckpc-am-1380-signs-off-the-air

Radiowiz · August 5, 2023 8:31 pm

Subject line is wrong and should be corrected.
CKPC:
"Brantford Ontario, June 18, 2021 – Evanov Communications today launched its new format on one of its three Brantford stations, CKPC-FM 92.1. Formerly known as The Jewel 92, the station has been rebranded as LITE 92"
CKPC FM IS STILL ON THE AIR. THE SUBJECT LINE IS NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH.

RadioAaron · August 5, 2023 9:09 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
CKPC FM IS STILL ON THE AIR. THE SUBJECT LINE IS NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH.

Call letters without suffixes are assumed to be AM.

CKPC 1380
CKPC-FM 92.1

Subject line works.

Jody Thornton · August 14, 2023 4:59 pm

One more station to add to the off-air list, and this one isn't even AM - but it is Evanov. Proud-FM apparently is being shut down.

Whew! Today marks four months ago, when at 10 am I walked out the door from CTN. Good thing too, because if I had stayed, I'd have lost two stations I was reporting traffic on. Yikes!

(By the way, this was on the Toronto Mike site - no official word from Evanov, but since he already put it out there, I guess there's no harm in passing it along)
https://www.torontomike.com/2023/08/proud-fm-103-9-going-off-the-air/

Last edited by Jody Thornton (August 14, 2023 5:02 pm)

RadioAaron · August 14, 2023 5:03 pm

103.9 was never really much more than squatting on the frequency to one day somehow get 103.5 a better in-town signal.

Now, with the CRTC rejecting every attempt, and Z103's ratings improving as radio listening moves away from downtown anyway, 103.9 has become moot for Evanov.

RadioActive · August 14, 2023 5:10 pm

Actually, where I am, 103.9 is almost unreceivable, with a very weak signal that I could barely pull in in the northern part of North York. It wasn't my kind of radio station so I likely would not have been a listener in any event, but I hate to see yet another outlet leave - and this one, a Toronto FM, the last thing you'd think a company would shut down. But it had so many issues and so few ears, I guess it was inevitable.

Will someone else try for the frequency, weak though it may be, because they're in such short supply in Toronto?

I guess the fact that it's disappearing at the end of August proves that old adage that "Pride Goeth Before A Fall."

RadioAaron · August 14, 2023 5:14 pm

Yes, the 103.9 signal wasn't that useful in and of itself, but it did allow them to try such tactics as applying for 103.7.

km93 · August 15, 2023 3:31 pm

Well with Proud going dark, that will mean Country 104 from Woodstock will now boom into the GTA!

ckg927 · August 15, 2023 8:59 pm

Jody Thornton wrote:
One more station to add to the off-air list, and this one isn't even AM - but it is Evanov. Proud-FM apparently is being shut down.

Whew! Today marks four months ago, when at 10 am I walked out the door from CTN. Good thing too, because if I had stayed, I'd have lost two stations I was reporting traffic on. Yikes!

(By the way, this was on the Toronto Mike site - no official word from Evanov, but since he already put it out there, I guess there's no harm in passing it along)
https://www.torontomike.com/2023/08/proud-fm-103-9-going-off-the-air/

Radio Insight gave this a signal boost today, and credited Toronto Mike for the reporting.

haydenmatthews14 · August 15, 2023 9:04 pm

I guess this means that The Elvis and Duran morning show show will no longer be heard in the GTA anymore.

Last edited by haydenmatthews14 (August 15, 2023 9:05 pm)

haydenmatthews14 · August 15, 2023 9:08 pm

km93 wrote:
Well with Proud going dark, that will mean Country 104 from Woodstock will now boom into the GTA!

I guess so. Even with the signal power at 51,000 watts. That should be strong enough to reach the GTA.

Tomas Barlow · August 16, 2023 2:11 am

Jody Thornton wrote:
One more station to add to the off-air list, and this one isn't even AM - but it is Evanov. Proud-FM apparently is being shut down.

Whew! Today marks four months ago, when at 10 am I walked out the door from CTN. Good thing too, because if I had stayed, I'd have lost two stations I was reporting traffic on. Yikes!

(By the way, this was on the Toronto Mike site - no official word from Evanov, but since he already put it out there, I guess there's no harm in passing it along)
https://www.torontomike.com/2023/08/proud-fm-103-9-going-off-the-air/

If you had worked at Skywords you still would've had 9 more.

Jody Thornton · August 16, 2023 8:25 am

Tomas Barlow wrote:
If you had worked at Skywords you still would've had 9 more.

Do you mean I'd have nine more stations to be on, or I'd have lost nine more?

BowmanvilleBob · August 16, 2023 12:11 pm

In the category of "weasel words of broadcasting", here's Evanov's entry from today. They're not "closing" Proud FM, they're just "integrating" it with their other properties.

https://broadcastdialogue.com/evanov-moves-to-integrate-gta-stations-proud-103-9-and-z103-5/

Jody Thornton wrote:
One more station to add to the off-air list, and this one isn't even AM - but it is Evanov. Proud-FM apparently is being shut down.

Whew! Today marks four months ago, when at 10 am I walked out the door from CTN. Good thing too, because if I had stayed, I'd have lost two stations I was reporting traffic on. Yikes!

(By the way, this was on the Toronto Mike site - no official word from Evanov, but since he already put it out there, I guess there's no harm in passing it along)
https://www.torontomike.com/2023/08/proud-fm-103-9-going-off-the-air/

RadioAaron · August 16, 2023 7:32 pm

BowmanvilleBob wrote:
In the category of "weasel words of broadcasting", here's Evanov's entry from today. They're not "closing" Proud FM, they're just "integrating" it with their other properties.

https://broadcastdialogue.com/evanov-moves-to-integrate-gta-stations-proud-103-9-and-z103-5/

Jody Thornton wrote:
One more station to add to the off-air list, and this one isn't even AM - but it is Evanov. Proud-FM apparently is being shut down.

Whew! Today marks four months ago, when at 10 am I walked out the door from CTN. Good thing too, because if I had stayed, I'd have lost two stations I was reporting traffic on. Yikes!

(By the way, this was on the Toronto Mike site - no official word from Evanov, but since he already put it out there, I guess there's no harm in passing it along)
https://www.torontomike.com/2023/08/proud-fm-103-9-going-off-the-air/

So Z1035/9. What they’ve been trying to do along, but not the ideal version of it.

Saul · August 16, 2023 8:32 pm

Just so I'm clear - this appears to mean 103.9 will stay on the air, as would 103.5, and they'd simulcast one-another, with some kind of dedicated effort to include the LGBT+ audience. If so, I wonder what the CRTC will think, if it will care...

Last edited by Saul (August 16, 2023 8:34 pm)

paterson1 · August 16, 2023 10:05 pm

Saul wrote:
Just so I'm clear - this appears to mean 103.9 will stay on the air, as would 103.5, and they'd simulcast one-another, with some kind of dedicated effort to include the LGBT+ audience. If so, I wonder what the CRTC will think, if it will care...

The release from Evanov is a bit confusing. It either means what you mentioned Saul, that 103.9 will be a rebroadcaster of Z1035, or they are closing Proud FM and incorporating some talent and features from Proud on 103.5.

mace · August 17, 2023 9:11 am

km93 wrote:
Well with Proud going dark, that will mean Country 104 from Woodstock will now boom into the GTA!

Certainly in the west end. I was in Oakville yesterday and the signal was quite listenable. Very little interference from Proud. I suspect CBC Peterboro will be more prevalent in the eastern parts of the GTA or a mixture of both stations.

radiokid · August 17, 2023 9:29 am

paterson1 wrote:
Saul wrote:
Just so I'm clear - this appears to mean 103.9 will stay on the air, as would 103.5, and they'd simulcast one-another, with some kind of dedicated effort to include the LGBT+ audience. If so, I wonder what the CRTC will think, if it will care...

The release from Evanov is a bit confusing. It either means what you mentioned Saul, that 103.9 will be a rebroadcaster of Z1035, or they are closing Proud FM and incorporating some talent and features from Proud on 103.5.

Based on the wording of their release... I'm willing to put some money down that the plan is to bring over the 2 in house hosts to Z1035 to be able to say they still cover some LGBTQ+ content, and "integrate" 103.9 and 103.5 together as one station. Translation: running the same audio on both signals. Sept 1st we will see, but I won't be surprised if 103.9 remains on air just rebroadcasting instead. It may have taken them a few years, but the accusations of Z103.5 "sneaking in the back door to Toronto" may just be coming true.

Last edited by radiokid (August 17, 2023 9:32 am)

RadioActive · August 17, 2023 10:13 am

I, too, will be fascinated to see what the CRTC says about this. The licence for 103.9 doesn't say anything about rebroadcasting an Orangeville signal. I'm not sure they're going to let them use the back door to get Z103.5 into the Toronto market, which has been the Evanov goal for years.

Plus, they still won't be off the hook for being forced to cover Orangeville news and traffic, which the Commission insisted on a few years ago, after they virtually ignored their area of licence. You can read the terms of that ruling here. Those are still in effect. So going whole hog in Hogtown might not be quite as easy as they think.

torontomike · August 17, 2023 10:18 am

FWIW, my sources tell me 103.9 will just go quiet... there will be no simulcast of 103.5.

radiokid · August 17, 2023 10:36 am

torontomike wrote:
FWIW, my sources tell me 103.9 will just go quiet... there will be no simulcast of 103.5.

I don't doubt your sources, but their release caused more questions than answers and does make it sound like they could very well try to keep both signals on the air, just run them as one station. If not, I would expect more direct wording of shutting down 103.9, which they are safe to not make any mention of. As they are required to cover Orangeville news and info with 103.5.. they do also cover Toronto... so technically I think it would adhere to requirements there on both signals for local content.

Only Evanov's management and owners know their true plans.... but I wouldn't be shocked Sept 1st either way.

Last edited by radiokid (August 17, 2023 10:38 am)

RadioAaron · August 17, 2023 4:39 pm

Yeah, I misread the release; it's going silent for sure.

paterson1 · August 17, 2023 5:50 pm

I don't think I have ever heard a newscast on Z1035. Maybe they have a couple of short casts in the morning. Orangeville has another real local station with studios and offices in town. Also there are at least three others in the region with Shelburne, Mount Forest and Fergus. I have heard 103.5 announcers mention events occasionally in the Orangeville area and that is likely all they need to do.

And looking at the locator map, they cover almost all of Toronto already with a local signal. I live in Kitchener where the map shows I am in the distant/fringe area and I get them fine in the house off air and in the car.

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=CIDC-FM&s=F

Last edited by paterson1 (August 17, 2023 6:01 pm)

RadioAaron · August 17, 2023 6:07 pm

The issue was that the signal became increasingly unusable downtown as the city grew vertically, which was the reason for their attempts to alter their license, and a prime example of why coverage maps aren’t terribly useful.

However, in recent years downtown listening has become increasingly irrelevant, thus reversing their fortunes.

ckg927 · August 17, 2023 8:54 pm

Re Proud 103.9: Lance Venta's Radio Insight covered this matter today as well. In short:

1. Evanov says yes, 103.9 is going dark at the end of the month.
2. Both of their on-air staffers, Jared Sereda & Tyler Carr, will be seguing to Z 103.5; Sereda will be doing features in the mornings and afternoons(with entertainment news and communty updates), while Carr brings the Weekend Pop-Up Party to Z 103.5 .

tvguy · August 18, 2023 9:11 am

paterson1 wrote:
I don't think I have ever heard a newscast on Z1035. Maybe they have a couple of short casts in the morning. Orangeville has another real local station with studios and offices in town. Also there are at least three others in the region with Shelburne, Mount Forest and Fergus. I have heard 103.5 announcers mention events occasionally in the Orangeville area and that is likely all they need to do.

And looking at the locator map, they cover almost all of Toronto already with a local signal. I live in Kitchener where the map shows I am in the distant/fringe area and I get them fine in the house off air and in the car.

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=CIDC-FM&s=F

Radio locator does not show the actual contours of CIDC. The 3 mv/m signal of 103.5 does not hit the City of Toronto. The CRTC has used the 3 mv/m as is definition of "market" of a licensee. True the 0.5 mv/m signal encompasses much of the City of Toronto, but that's the issue. Moving the 3 mv/m signal into toronto has been a major regulatory issue with the CRTC and the incumbent stations. In 2020 the CRTC denied the station a frequency change to 103.7 at Orangeville. They filed a comparative map of the 103.5 (current) 3 mv/m and 0.5 mv/m versus 103.7, My browser won't allow the upload of the map, but it is the basis of the CRTC decision and the objections of intervenors. It's on the CRTC's website under CIDC-FM - 2020 decisions CRTC 2020-39
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2020/2020-39.htm

Last edited by tvguy (August 18, 2023 9:15 am)

Radiowiz · August 20, 2023 2:45 am

Proud FM has been struggling for years.
They even tried to get a stronger signal, but they "failed to meet the criteria" so Rock 95 inc got the 88.1 FM licence instead.
SOURCE: https://xtramagazine.com/power/torontos-proud-fm-loses-bid-for-new-signal-31921

RadioActive · December 4, 2023 12:27 pm

Another "for the record" announcement from the CRTC, making it official. CKPC had been on the air since 1933.

CRTC Officially Revokes CKPC Licence