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May 17, 2024 7:01 am  #1


Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

I'd never heard of the website "RadioTV Deals" until a SOWNY poster sent me the address off board. According to the site, there's a Toronto-area radio station up for sale for the "bargain" price of $3 million, (reduced from $5 million.) 

There's no date on this mystery listing, and it also doesn't say whether it's on AM or FM. The only clues are the place has its own app and website, streams online and broadcasts in English. In other words, it could be any station. It claims to reach the entire GTA. Probably the biggest hint is in its status as a "stand alone," which likely means it's not part of a station group owned by a Bell or a Rogers.

See the listing here.

Any guesses who or what this and whether this is actually legit?

Thanks to the poster for sending this intriguing mystery to the board. 

 

May 17, 2024 7:21 am  #2


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Would the CRTC care that it's being sold for USD$? Likely not. Certainly it'd need a Cdn buyer...

 

 

May 17, 2024 8:18 am  #3


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Only station that fits all the criteria is FLOW.

 

May 17, 2024 8:27 am  #4


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

I'm reminded that the listing does say "AM Station" at the very top, which is easy to miss. That really narrows it down. Sauga960? What other stand alone English language AM station that reaches Toronto could it be? I can't really think of another one, if what the listing says is true. 

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2024 8:36 am  #5


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

That coverage would be WAY exaggerated, and that station doesn't have its own app. Also that would be incredibly over-priced. If it's real, I'd maintain that it's FLOW and just under the wrong heading.

 

May 17, 2024 9:23 am  #6


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

What about the recently sold Indie 88.1?

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2024 9:37 am  #7


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

I think that Sauga 960 is the one. The 2 mV contour encloses about 4.7 million. Incidentally, the 2 mV/m contour is an American reference only, and specifically for AM. Here we use 25, 15, 5, and 0.5
While they don't appear to have a downloadable app, there is a player function embedded in their web site.
It is rather bizarre though that it would be offered on an American site, unless they're trying to appeal to someone with dual citizenship or family connections to a Canadian citizen.
 

Last edited by Skywave (May 17, 2024 9:48 am)

 

May 17, 2024 10:28 am  #8


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioActive wrote:

What about the recently sold Indie 88.1?

Nah. That's significantly less than it sold for.

Another possibility: If you take "stand-alone" to mean what the station would be once sold, rather than what it is now, you open up more options.

Last edited by RadioAaron (May 17, 2024 10:28 am)

 

May 17, 2024 11:00 am  #9


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

There are quite a few wealthy Canadian media people living in the US and somebody could be interesting in owning or running a station that covers the GTA.  Since it looks like it has been on the market for a while with no nibbles at $5 million I think it may be Sauga 960.  Or an outside chance of CKDO in Oshawa, but they don't exactly have great dial position at 1580.  And they have the FM rebroadcaster.

Maybe Bell wants to unload CKTB St. Catharines?

 

Last edited by paterson1 (May 17, 2024 11:02 am)

 

May 17, 2024 11:02 am  #10


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

paterson1 wrote:

Maybe Bell wants to unload CKTB St. Catharines?

Haven't they already?
 

 

May 17, 2024 11:20 am  #11


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Binson Echorec wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

Maybe Bell wants to unload CKTB St. Catharines?

Haven't they already?
 

OOPS, you are correct..thanks.

 

May 17, 2024 11:51 am  #12


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

If it's 960 we'll never know, since $4M CDN is *insane" for that station.

 

May 17, 2024 1:58 pm  #13


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

I'm hard pressed to think of any other AM place it could be except Sauga 960, with the possible remote exception of CJYE, the station at 1250 AM in Oakville. Everything else that's not owned by one of the Big 3 are ethnic and the ad specifies it's an English-speaking format. 

If you accept it's on the AM band, that really doesn't leave a lot of other possibilities.

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2024 2:19 pm  #14


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

770 WTOR where the FCC could care less what it broadcasts?

 

May 17, 2024 2:41 pm  #15


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

100% it's 960.

 

May 17, 2024 4:55 pm  #16


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

And then the question has to be asked: Is Sauga960 really worth $3 million U.S.?

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2024 5:03 pm  #17


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioActive wrote:

And then the question has to be asked: Is Sauga960 really worth $3 million U.S.?

Not even close.

 

May 17, 2024 7:23 pm  #18


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

You people are all more knowledgable than I am regarding Toronto radio. My first thought was CFZM 740. There has to be a good reason why no one else has suggested that.


After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.
 

May 17, 2024 7:38 pm  #19


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

I guess it depends on how you define the term "stand alone." AM740 is owned by Moses Znaimer, who also runs Classical FM and a few other TV broadcast properties. Can AM 740 be a stand alone if there are other radio stations involved? I would say no, but it depends on how you look at it. 

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2024 8:08 pm  #20


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioActive wrote:

I guess it depends on how you define the term "stand alone." AM740 is owned by Moses Znaimer, who also runs Classical FM and a few other TV broadcast properties. Can AM 740 be a stand alone if there are other radio stations involved? I would say no, but it depends on how you look at it. 

Thanks. That makes sense to me now.


After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.
 

May 18, 2024 10:31 am  #21


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioAaron wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

And then the question has to be asked: Is Sauga960 really worth $3 million U.S.?

Not even close.

I'm having a hard enough time trying to understand how the original 5.5 million price tag came about, let alone this current 3 million figure...U.S. at that!




 


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

 
 

May 18, 2024 10:35 am  #22


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

The big CHAM and CKOC signals went for under $200K each.

 

May 18, 2024 10:36 am  #23


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioActive wrote:

I guess it depends on how you define the term "stand alone." AM740 is owned by Moses Znaimer, who also runs Classical FM and a few other TV broadcast properties. Can AM 740 be a stand alone if there are other radio stations involved? I would say no, but it depends on how you look at it. 

Depends on whether stand-alone defines its current status or its status once separated for its cluster after being sold.

Last edited by RadioAaron (May 18, 2024 10:36 am)

 

May 18, 2024 11:05 am  #24


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioAaron wrote:

The big CHAM and CKOC signals went for under $200K each.

Do you know if there was a transfer or assumption of debt associated with the $200K purchase price above for the CHAM / CKOC deals?  Is Bell holding onto the acreage at the transmitter sites?  Or is there a lease provision in place?  Maybe Bell already sold the property for the transmitter sites?  The whole area of Binbrook, Saltfleet, Empire Corners in undergoing intense residential development...

 

May 18, 2024 1:28 pm  #25


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

According to the CRTC filings, Bell retains ownership of the sites and can unilaterally have them vacated upon six months notice. And the decomissioning costs rest with the purchaser.  Ouch!

 

May 18, 2024 2:03 pm  #26


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Skywave wrote:

According to the CRTC filings, Bell retains ownership of the sites and can unilaterally have them vacated upon six months notice. And the decomissioning costs rest with the purchaser.  Ouch!

Would've been a helluva deal if $200k included the transmitter sites!

 

May 18, 2024 7:21 pm  #27


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Skywave wrote:

According to the CRTC filings, Bell retains ownership of the sites and can unilaterally have them vacated upon six months notice. And the decomissioning costs rest with the purchaser.  Ouch!

Oh my. Between that and the state of FLOW, it's going to be a wild couple years for the CINA radio group.

 

May 19, 2024 10:04 am  #28


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

The key here is has it's own app.


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

May 19, 2024 10:44 am  #29


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

Leslieville Bill wrote:

The key here is has it's own app.

And if that claim is true, and the tech specs point to AM, then TT may be right,

 

May 20, 2024 8:32 am  #30


Re: Is Some Owner Really Selling A Toronto Radio Station?

RadioAaron wrote:

Leslieville Bill wrote:

The key here is has it's own app.

And if that claim is true, and the tech specs point to AM, then TT may be right,

Honestly, I thought AM 740 would not go up for sale until after the passing of Mr. Zniamer. 
Corus, with all their financial troubles currently would also make good sense to let go of AM 640,
but again, if it's nothing to do with the big guys, that gets ruled out anyway.


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