CFNA-FM

On August 22, CKLM-FM Lloydminster was given approval to add a transmitter at Bonnyville on 99.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. CKLM was owned by J. Stewart Dent and Anita Dent. The station had been on the air since 2001.

CKLM-FM-1 went on the air.

CKLM-FM-1 received approval on October 20 to decrease antenna height from 148.2 metres to 121.9 metres.

On November 20, CKLM-FM received permission for a new FM station at Bonnyville, operating on 99.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts.

The applicant currently operates CKLM-FM-1 Bonnyville as a transmitter of CKLM-FM Lloydminster. This application involves the conversion of its Bonnyville transmitter to an originating station. The new station will provide 126 hours of local programming per week. The station will program a rock music format.

At noon on September 28, CKLM (Border Rock 106-1 The Goat) welcomed CFNA-FM (The Lakeland’s Best Rock 99-7 The Goat) into the world. CFNA had operated as a repeater station CKLM-FM-1. 99-7 The Goat ran commercial and announcer free for the first weekend and added airshifts on October 1.

On November 21, the CRTC approved the application by Vista Radio Ltd. to acquire the assets of the radio programming undertakings CFNA-FM Bonnyville and CKLM-FM Lloydminster, Alberta from 912038 Alberta Ltd., a corporation controlled in equal parts by Anita and Stewart Dent. Vista was a wholly owned subsidiary of Vista Broadcast Group Inc., a widely held corporation controlled by its board of directors pursuant to the terms of a shareholders’ agreement.

In May CFNA 99.7 changed format from Active Rock (The Goat) to Country/Southern Rock (The Wolf).

Grant Biebrick left CFNA (99.7 The Wolf) and CKLM (106-1 The Goat) as Program and Music Director to become Program Director for CFWF and CKRM in Regina. J.D. Anderson was promoted from Assistant Program Director/Music Director to Program Director at CFNA-CKLM.

It was announced that Vista President Terry Coles would move into retirement at the end of 2012 and immediately into a consulting role with the company. His successor would be CEO Margot Micallef who would handle the dual roles of President/CEO. Bryan Edwards moves to Senior VP of Business Development. Vista Kelowna General Manager/General Sales Manager Ross Hawse would become the Director Western Operations. Gary Russell, Vista’s Director of Systems and GM of Vista Prince George, would integrate Haliburton and Vista in Ontario as the Director of Integration and Operations, Vista East. Co-Founder/ Executive VP Paul Mann would add Senior VP of Sales and Training and Development to his duties. Assisting him would be Tracey Gard, the GM/GSM of the Cariboo Group of Vista stations, as Director Vista Sales, West and based in Courtenay. The former finance executive at Corus and Telemedia, Chris Lecomte joined Vista as Senior VP/CFO, based in Toronto.

The CRTC approved a change to the effective control of Vista Radio Ltd. from a control exercised by its board of directors to a control exercised by Westerkirk Capital Inc., a corporation controlled by Thomson Investments Limited. Vista Radio Ltd. was the licensee of radio programming undertakings located in British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.