The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / A couple of notes from the road

**Posted by fybush** November 16, 2024 10:58 pm

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.

**Posted by Radiowiz** November 17, 2024 1:08 am

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.

**Posted by RadioAaron** November 17, 2024 1:13 am

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.

They do this pointless switch every year.

**Posted by mace** November 17, 2024 4:04 pm

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?

**Posted by fybush** November 17, 2024 7:59 pm

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.

**Posted by mace** November 18, 2024 9:56 am

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.

**Posted by Saul** November 18, 2024 11:52 am

mace wrote:
... 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.

Funny, in North Kawathas last night and this morning, for the first time in 45 years of DXing, I heard KNFL Fargo. Last evening it was carrying the Bengals game (guess that's the NFL on KNFL) with some ND ads with a 701 area code and also advertising jobs for truck drivers. This morning,around sunrise I got an actual Fan slogan and KNFL calls. Hard to hear anything underneath when CFMZ is playing music. But when it's the announcer talking, or ads without music, the ID and other talk was in the clear.

**Posted by andysradio** November 18, 2024 12:12 pm

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.

**Posted by Saul** November 18, 2024 12:15 pm

fybush wrote:
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?

If the talk is all or mostly English, I can't see the CRTC challenging that because it would appear to me stations change music formats often enough without checking in with the CRTC. The music could quite arguably be called Punjabi pop - or more likely South Asian pop or even worldbeat pop if the music is not all Punjabi but more varied than that, and possibly even from beyond south Asia. I haven't listened enough to really know the full geographic range of music, or if the talk is all in English or if there are other languages, say in advertising. Curssory listening tells me the station likely serves a considerable-enough demographic - people of South Asian heritage under, perhaps, 45 (or even younger). 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...

**Posted by RadioActive** November 18, 2024 12:36 pm

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?

**Posted by RadioAaron** November 18, 2024 12:47 pm

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

**Posted by Saul** November 18, 2024 1:11 pm

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 ...

**Posted by mace** November 18, 2024 1:25 pm

andysradio wrote:
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.

Once you get to Whitby, the splatter from 680 and 740 disappears. 670/690/730/750 are all very clear there.

**Posted by Radiowiz** November 18, 2024 1:47 pm

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.

**Posted by haydenmatthews14** **Online!** November 18, 2024 1:59 pm

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?

**Posted by radiokid** November 18, 2024 3:12 pm

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.

**Posted by Saul** November 18, 2024 4:33 pm

radiokid wrote:
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.

Wasn't the demise of CHSC in part at least due to the area they were really serving (where they had their premises etc) as opposed to licensed to serve?

If the talk and banter is English, that should be enough. The language of music is music. Classical pieces on 96.3 are - when there are vocals - in everything from Italian and French to German, Russian and Latin, as well as English. The CRTC would also need to establish the language make-up of the music -- is any in English - and where it's produced etc... In modern-day, multicultural Toronto, an FM station with this format might be onto something. I'd go a huge step further and make it truly worldbeat - and Canadian at the same time, because there is production and artistry happening here. The last thing I'd do is divide programming into ethnic time slots; it would be raucous, positively-crazy with serious vibe; and it would have a powerful presence all over the online world. I'd expect my audience to almost consider FM a last resort, because I know they live on small devices. I might even work on the CRTC to make it GTHA in coverage. Because it's time...

**Posted by RadioAaron** November 18, 2024 5:21 pm

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.