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Indie 88 Gets New Owner
It's Local Radio Lab, which also owns CKNO-FM (aka FM 101 Orangeville), CJML-FM (FM 101 Milton), and CIMA-FM in Alliston (otherwise known as FM92 South Simcoe.)
Will they keep the format? The Indie music playlist doesn't seem to entirely match what their other owned stations are doing. I can't see the new owners buying a place that made its bones on being Independent and then chasing away its audience, but you never know. All the official press release refers to is a "path forward" for the station, whatever that means.
A story on Broadcast Dialogue seems to indicate there won't be many big changes in the format ahead.
Looks like former morning host Josie Dye got out at just the right time.
Rock 95 Ltd. of Barrie is the seller, although there's no word on what the price was for the Toronto outlet.
Local Radio Lab purchases Toronto’s INDIE88
- Radiowiz
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Is Active rock still on their HD2?
I wonder what will happen to that?
Does Radio Lab even do HD?
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- km93
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Well at least it's still owned by an independent radio company-so still staying true to the "indie" spirit. Hopefully they take the station in a more Adult Album Alternative (AAA) direction, this would fill a true niche! You could go from: 10,000 Maniacs to a great contemporary singer-songwriter like Ray LaMontagne to perhaps a lesser played Hip tune then to some Massive Attack. Many cities in the U.S. have such a station, it's time for Canada to catch up.
- Radiowiz
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Radio Insight input:
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioAaron
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Radiowiz wrote:
Does Radio Lab even do HD?
They do now
- M. David
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I just hope that this acquisition doesn’t spell the end of Indie 88. I’ve been a regular listener since day one, and they do alternative right. It’d be a shame if they changed the format. Plus, Ian March and the gang are all doing a fantastic job.
Last edited by M. David (October 4, 2023 1:40 pm)
Former presenter, producer and commercial writer for CJRS (now CKZW) AM 1650 in Montreal.
- km93
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I just hope that this acquisition doesn’t spell the end of Indie 88. I’ve been a regular listener since day one, and they do alternative right. It’d be a shame if they changed the format. Plus, Ian March and the gang are all doing a fantastic job.
True, just think they could further broaden musically to fill more of a niche.
- Radiowiz
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I just hope that this acquisition doesn’t spell the end of Indie 88.
There were a lot of people wanting the 88.1 FM frequency after CKLN made their exit.
For Indie 88 to have won, surely there's something in their CRTC regulated licence that might make a format change difficult.
From 2013:
“Our licence requires us to play a certain amount of CanCon and a certain number of emerging artists,” says Bingley. “I feel a lot of pride when I hear someone say, ‘I never thought I’d hear XYZ on the radio.'”An emerging artist, she says, is defined as someone who hasn’t had a hit. True to mandate, the station plays a mix of acts new and old, big and small, local and international, known and mostly unknown, leaning heavily on indie pop and indie rock. Its first-ever on-air band was Arcade Fire, and a random morning sampling might include Radiohead, Feist, the Clash, Jack White, July Talk, MS MR, Bastille and the Strokes."
Source:
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioActive
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
It's Local Radio Lab, which also owns CKNO-FM (aka FM 101 Orangeville), CJML-FM (FM 101 Milton), and CIMA-FM in Alliston (otherwise known as FM92 South Simcoe.)
Will they keep the format? The Indie music playlist doesn't seem to entirely match what their other owned stations are doing. I can't see the new owners buying a place that made its bones on being Independent and then chasing away its audience, but you never know. All the official press release refers to is a "path forward" for the station, whatever that means.
A story on Broadcast Dialogue seems to indicate there won't be many big changes in the format ahead.
Looks like former morning host Josie Dye got out at just the right time.
Rock 95 Ltd. of Barrie is the seller, although there's no word on what the price was for the Toronto outlet.
Local Radio Lab purchases Toronto’s INDIE88
So now we have at least a few more answers about this pending purchase. The format apparently won't change when the new owners take it over, but this is broadcasting, so nothing is engraved in stone.
What does a rare Toronto FM frequency sell for these days? They're paying $7 million.
The CRTC will look at the deal and likely approve it when it holds a hearing on March 25th.
CRTC Release
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Thread Starter- torontostan
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Remember that the Bingley family is at least 7 million dollars richer because of childish behaviour by the various board members at CKLN, and their failure to run a largely volunteer campus station. Good for him for creating a successful operation, and I wish him the best in (semi-)retirement.
- markow202
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Well at least it's still owned by an independent radio company-so still staying true to the "indie" spirit. Hopefully they take the station in a more Adult Album Alternative (AAA) direction, this would fill a true niche! You could go from: 10,000 Maniacs to a great contemporary singer-songwriter like Ray LaMontagne to perhaps a lesser played Hip tune then to some Massive Attack. Many cities in the U.S. have such a station, it's time for Canada to catch up.
This would be a great format! The closest to this is iheartradio's streaming station called "Freeform Radio".
- Tomas Barlow
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Well at least it's still owned by an independent radio company-so still staying true to the "indie" spirit. Hopefully they take the station in a more Adult Album Alternative (AAA) direction, this would fill a true niche! You could go from: 10,000 Maniacs to a great contemporary singer-songwriter like Ray LaMontagne to perhaps a lesser played Hip tune then to some Massive Attack. Many cities in the U.S. have such a station, it's time for Canada to catch up.
This would be a great format! The closest to this is iheartradio's streaming station called "Freeform Radio".
Online is the perfect place for a niche format like that.
- RadioAaron
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Well at least it's still owned by an independent radio company-so still staying true to the "indie" spirit. Hopefully they take the station in a more Adult Album Alternative (AAA) direction, this would fill a true niche! You could go from: 10,000 Maniacs to a great contemporary singer-songwriter like Ray LaMontagne to perhaps a lesser played Hip tune then to some Massive Attack. Many cities in the U.S. have such a station, it's time for Canada to catch up.
This would be a great format! The closest to this is iheartradio's streaming station called "Freeform Radio".
Online is the perfect place for a niche format like that.
Or non-com, which most US AAA's are.
- Muffaraw Joe
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What an interesting acquisition, the station took over a few MY FM markets and now a one off Indie station in Major market. This is a challenging mix of stations to make it work...It is gutsy for sure in a competitive environment.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out and I do hope it is a successful take over.
The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
- RadioAaron
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What an interesting acquisition
If this one's interesting, the rest of what's going to happen this year will blow your mind.
- brian451
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What an interesting acquisition
If this one's interesting, the rest of what's going to happen this year will blow your mind.
Agreed. I got an email today from someone I know quite well and the information I got about station sales and some stations maybe shutting down and a bunch of other news is going to be really interesting. And it's not just one company making a lot of moves. Another bigger company is going to be doing a lot too. Canadian radio by December is going to look really interesting.
- RadioActive
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This post was originally put up in October of 2023.
And I noticed that on the CRTC's agenda for the coming week is the official change in ownership for CIND-FM. I suppose it's just a rubber stamp, but it's a reminder of how the wheels of radio regulation certainly grind slowly.
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Some interesting sidebars to the decision.
-The purchase price is $7 million.
-The owner of Rock 95 Broadcasting, which controlled the station, is retiring, hence the sell off.
- The format won't change and no jobs will be lost. "Local Radio Lab would continue to use CIND-FM to showcase emerging Canadian musical talent, prioritize local programming and to employ existing station staff."
-Its CanCon requirements are 40%.
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Thread Starter- markow202
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Re: Indie 88 Gets New Owner
Some interesting sidebars to the decision.
-The purchase price is $7 million.
-The owner of Rock 95 Broadcasting, which controlled the station, is retiring, hence the sell off.
- The format won't change and no jobs will be lost. "Local Radio Lab would continue to use CIND-FM to showcase emerging Canadian musical talent, prioritize local programming and to employ existing station staff."
-Its CanCon requirements are 40%.
If retiring, wonder if any changes for Rock 95 Barrie themselves. Legendary long time station
- Paul Jeffries
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The format won't change and no jobs will be lost.
One of the most feared phrases in radio.
PJ
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- brian451
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I have heard that the format will not change, just be modified as it has been playing a little more classic alternative tracks lately. There will be changes to the on air lineup from what I have heard but the existing hosts were promised jobs by the new owners for a minimum of 18 months, but most likely longer. From my understanding is the new owners will hire a couple more hosts and possibly juggle the existing lineup to maximize how many people are on air throughout the day.