fybush wrote:

And am I the only one who's noticed that Pure Country is gone from 99.9-HD4 for the holiday season? It's iHeart Christmas for now.

I suspect (not stating a fact) that with 93.5 now serving the New Country audience in Toronto, 99.9 HD4 will be something else on December 26th.  

fybush wrote:

Just back from Winnipeg via Pearson, and I noticed a couple of things on my way back to the US that might be of interest to SOWNY readers.

First, I saw a CHAM billboard on the QEW around Stoney Creek. Big "AM 820" and the "CINA Punjab Radio" slogan underneath.

So the question remains:if what little announcing there is is in English, but the music is all Punjabi, does the CRTC accept that as an English-language station?
(Incidentally, 820 was one of the two best GTA signals at night in Winnipeg, along with 860.)

And am I the only one who's noticed that Pure Country is gone from 99.9-HD4 for the holiday season? It's iHeart Christmas for now.

Was 740 available in Winnipeg?

fybush wrote:

mace wrote:

fybush wrote:

Just back from Winnipeg via Pearson, and I noticed a couple of things on my way back to the US that might be of interest to SOWNY readers.

First, I saw a CHAM billboard on the QEW around Stoney Creek. Big "AM 820" and the "CINA Punjab Radio" slogan underneath.

So the question remains:if what little announcing there is is in English, but the music is all Punjabi, does the CRTC accept that as an English-language station?
(Incidentally, 820 was one of the two best GTA signals at night in Winnipeg, along with 860.)

And am I the only one who's noticed that Pure Country is gone from 99.9-HD4 for the holiday season? It's iHeart Christmas for now.

Was 740 available in Winnipeg?

I could hear it at night but not well. There's a 740 in Fargo with a huge day signal and just enough night power to interfere.

I checked out an AM frequency Skywave site that I occasionally frequent and KNFL Fargo has a daytime signal that reaches well into Manitoba, similar to WGR's signal penetration into Southern Ontario. However, they are inside CFMZ's 750 mile night protection zone so their signal goes north to Winnipeg and states further west. Winnipeg is outside the protection zone, so I can now see why Zoomer Radio can be heard there but not as well as 860.

I have been hearing CKDM 730 Dauphin MB around 6:50 in the mornings in Peterborough. When I was in Sudbury a month or so ago it was armchair copy.

Saul wrote:

I do wonder: Is a demographic that young interested enough in AM radio for music to make the station economically viable? Certainly nothing would stop the owner from changing game plans if this doesn't pan out...

If that's the only place in the area that plays the kind of music they like, my guess is it will work, if only because there's no other players trying for that demo. But how many are searching for that and do they even know it's there?

That's the weird thing about AM - if it's unique enough it could work because there's nowhere else to go, even if it's not FM quality. 

Ironically, I suppose you could have said that about Funny 820, which was also a unique format. There just weren't enough people looking for laughs and the fact the place was on autopilot forever with no real creativity didn't help. (It was much better in the Mike Nabuurs days.)

Still, if this doesn't fly, what's left as far as putting new programming on 820? I can't think of anything that hasn't already been done that might attract an audience, although their signal is pretty good into the GTA. What would you put there if you had a choice?

RadioAaron wrote:

Nothing has stopped that demographic from finding that music before 820, which they will ignore.

...unless they do find it online and the 820 is somehow about the branding...

Or ... maybe this is a placeholder while the owners figure out what they really want to do, or whatever else might be going on ...

RadioAaron wrote:

Nothing has stopped that demographic from finding that music before 820, which they will ignore.

820 should have just up and gone classic country, or classic driven variety country.  
 

Radiowiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

Nothing has stopped that demographic from finding that music before 820, which they will ignore.

820 should have just up and gone classic country, or classic driven variety country.  
 

OR just apply to be a multicultural and offer something that would actually work/make money.   That market has so many classic hits and country on FM, I don't see how you could make any money.   65+ is not a future proof demo.

The CRTC has brought down stations who dared to run talk on FM (one of the dumbest rules existing today), and 1220 for trying a similar stunt as 820 currently.   Unless some backdoor agreement has been had, it's only a matter of time before they get called to a hearing, because I just don't see them allowing a English commercial license to run 24/7 non-english music, just because they put english ID's and jingles on the air.   They also are playing next to zero cancon that I've noticed, which their english license will have a 35% requirement.   

My only issue with what they are doing is not playing by the rules the rest of us do and have to.   

haydenmatthews14 wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

fybush wrote:

And am I the only one who's noticed that Pure Country is gone from 99.9-HD4 for the holiday season? It's iHeart Christmas for now.

I suspect (not stating a fact) that with 93.5 now serving the New Country audience in Toronto, 99.9 HD4 will be something else on December 26th.  

Maybe a Bounce Radio format on HD4?

They're using Pure Country on HD4 so they can say the brand has a Toronto presence for artist promo, etc. No such need for that with Bounce. It also allows them to have a commercial-free Pure Country stream on the iHeart app without paying royalties.