The CRTC says Corus Entertainment wasn’t authorized to transform its Q107 FM from rock music to a simulcast of its 770 CHQR AM news and talk programming
A local radio broadcaster that had dropped rock for talk has found it can’t always get what it wants following the intervention of a federal regulator.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled last month that Corus Entertainment’s shifting Q107 FM from classic rock to simulcasting talk from its 770 CHQR AM violated guidelines.
As a result, the CRTC last month renewed licenses for both stations and a Banff affiliate but added Corus had failed to follow regulations by prematurely making the format changes.
Corus has now decided music will return to 107FM’s spot on the dial.
“While there may have been commercial reasons for these changes, the Commission reminds Corus that licensees need prior approval from the Commission for any such changes,” the CRTC stated in its decision.
“Therefore, while these licences are renewed, the short-term renewal period for each station will allow for an earlier review as to whether the licensee has brought itself back into compliance with regulatory requirements.”
In January 2023, Corus Entertainment’s move to transform its Q107 FM from rock music to a simulcast of its 770 CHQR AM news and talk programming was done without the required transmitter and licence, the CRTC said at the time.
“According to commission records … there are no rebroadcasting transmitters authorized to simulcast the programming of the commercial AM station CHQR Calgary,” states a Jan. 24 letter sent from CRTC senior radio analyst Laurent Robillard-Cardinal to Karen Gifford, the broadcaster’s senior director of regulatory compliance and licensing.
“The licensee has not applied for a licence amendment to request that CFGQ-FM be authorized to operate in the specialty format.”
The letter went on to say Corus only possessed the authorized transmitter to simulcast its news/talk format 24/7 in Banff.
This week, a spokeswoman for the broadcaster said they’re making the shift back to a music format after the CFGQ-FM failed to financially perform as expected.
“The decision was made to revert back to a music format because we were not able to monetize QR on both AM and FM, the way we had hoped,” Cathy Paine said in an email.
“We are committed to continuing to deliver the best news and talk content in Calgary on QR 770AM and are focused on finding new audiences across streaming and other platforms.”
She wouldn’t say what type of music the station would be broadcasting, adding “we will be announcing a new music station on 107FM soon.”
The talk content broadcast on the station will cease at the end of the month, said Paine.
That move comes at a time of uncertainty for Corus, which on Monday reported a loss of $769.9 million attributable to shareholders for the latest quarter and said it expects to cut 25 per cent of its full-time workforce by month’s end.
CIBC Capital Markets says it is dropping coverage of the television and radio station owner because of the “material uncertainty” surrounding its equity value.
At the same time, analysts have dramatically reduced their financial estimates and stock price targets for the company.
— With files from The Canadian Press.