The CRTC has chosen applicants for two vacant AM’s, while allowing a third to move to a new spot with more power.
Bell Media’s Sports “TSN Radio 990” CKGM will move to 690, allowing it to upgrade from its directional Class B spot to non-directional.
Evanov Communications will take over 990, launching a French language station dedicated to the gay and lesbian community in Montreal billed as “Radio Fierte”. Evanov runs a similar English format in Toronto, “103.9 Proud-FM“.
940 will become home to a French News/Talk operated by Tietolman Tetrault Media.
I wonder if the provincial government of Quebec will go to court to try to order the CRTC to reverse it’s grant of 690 to CKGM and instead grant 690 to someone who will program a French-language format on that frequency.
Why? In the past 940 and 990 were English and 690 was French. Now that’ll be reverted with a net gain of an additional French language station.
The reason I think the provincial government may want to intervene is so that both of Montreal’s major AM signals would be in French to reach much of the province, especially in light that most English-speaking Quebeckers probably live in metropolitan Montreal.
But if this decision holds, the Montreal Canadiens will have their games on a big new AM signal that at night will reach much of North America.
Bell Media do not want any skywave audience in the U.S. The company made it clear to the CRTC that (1) anglophones in Montreal had difficulty tuning in 990 at night and (2) CKGM needed to move to 690 to be viable in the long term.
Unlike in the U.S., the CRTC will not authorize a new station unless the market can financially support it. As 690 has been dark for two years and there were competing applications for the frequency, the CRTC had to consider what Bell Media wanted against what the other applicants wanted.