ZoomerMedia

Early in the year, CFMX-FM Cobourg and CFMX-FM-1 Toronto became CFMZ-FM and CFMZ-FM-1 to reflect the new MZ Media ownership. (Digital transmitter became CFMZ-DR-1).

On December 28, Znaimer’s Olympus Management Limited, a private Ontario corporation, acquired control of Fifty-Plus.Net International Inc. through a reverse take-over.

On February 19, the CRTC approved the application by MZ Media Inc. to amend the licence of CFMX-FM-1 Toronto by deleting its rebroadcasting transmitter CFMZ-FM Cobourg. The commission also approved the application by MZ Media for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language Specialty FM radio programming undertaking in Cobourg. MZ Media noted that because CFMZ-FM received all of its programming from its originating station CFMX-FM-1 Toronto, the station could offer only full coverage advertising rates based on CFMX-FM-1 operating as a Toronto central market area station. The applicant submitted that approval of its applications would benefit local Cobourg and area businesses since it would be able to offer customized local advertising packages directed specifically to Cobourg and the surrounding area at rates significantly lower than the current full coverage rates. MZ Media stated that it would provide, on average, a maximum of 24 hours per week of differentiated local programming content directed specifically to listeners in Cobourg and the surrounding area. MZ Media defined this differentiated content as advertising and spoken word material that would not be broadcast on CFMX-FM-1 during the same broadcast week.

On March 31, the CRTC approved the sale of CHWO Toronto by Primetime Radio Inc. to MZ Media Inc.

With the purchase of CHWO, the station relocated to join new sister station Classical 96 (CFMZ-FM) at 550 Queen Street East (Suite 205) in Toronto. George Grant was president and CEO of MZ Media Inc. (Radio). Gene Stevens was CHWO’s director of programming and operations. 

On June 15th, ZoomerMedia announced it had agreed to buy certain assets of Vision TV, subject to the CRTC approving the transaction.

On July 1, Fifty-Plus.Net International Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Fifty-Plus.Net Inc. and ZoomerMedia Limited amalgamated and now carried on business under the name ZoomerMedia Limited. CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) Magazine which was part of Fifty-Plus.Net was renamed Zoomer Magazine. Zoomer served the 45 plus demographic, and this would be the goal for all ZoomerMedia operations.

On July 22, CHWO became CFZM, to match new sister station CFMZ-FM (Classical 96.3). The station was still calling itself “AM 740”. CFZM would target “Zoomers” (boomers with a zest for life).

CFMZ-FM-1 Toronto changed its call sign back to CFMX-FM-1. The Cobourg transmitter retained the CFMZ-FM call letters.

On March 30, the CRTC approved, subject to certain conditions, the applications by ZoomerMedia Limited, on behalf of itself and on behalf of Christian Channel Inc. and ONE: The Body, Mind and Spirit Channel Inc., for authority to effect a multi-step transaction involving the specialty television service VisionTV, the Category 1 specialty television service ONE: The Body, Mind and Spirit Channel and the television stations CHNU-TV Fraser Valley and CIIT-TV Winnipeg, as well as for a new broadcasting licence to continue the operation of VisionTV. Further, the Commission approved an application by MZ Media Inc. (CFZM, CFMZ-FM, CFMZ-DR-1 Toronto and CFMX-FM Cobourg) for authority to transfer all its issued and outstanding shares from Mr. Moses Znaimer to ZoomerMedia.

The proposed transactions would be implemented in the following four steps: Acquisition by ZoomerMedia of the assets of the specialty television programming undertaking VisionTV from Vision TV: Canada’s Faith Network/Réseau religieux canadien (Vision TV Network). Transfer to ZoomerMedia of all the issued and outstanding shares of CCI. Transfer to ZoomerMedia of all the issued and outstanding shares of Vision TV Digital Inc. The corporate reorganization: Transfer to ZoomerMedia of all the issued and outstanding shares of MZ Media. Vision TV Network, the current licensee of VisionTV, was a not-for-profit corporation and the sole shareholder of CCI, the current licensee of CHNU-TV and CIIT-TV. In addition, Vision TV Network was the sole shareholder of Vision TV Digital. In turn, Vision TV Digital held a voting interest of 47.22% in ONE, the current licensee of ONE: The Body, Mind and Spirit Channel, and exercised control by virtue of a voting trust agreement between ONE’s shareholders. ZoomerMedia was a public corporation effectively controlled by Mr. Moses Znaimer, who owned directly and indirectly, through his holding corporation Olympus Management Limited, 77.89% of the voting interest in ZoomerMedia. Following the transaction, Mr. Znaimer would own, directly and indirectly, a 66.28% voting interest in ZoomerMedia and continue to exercise effective control of the corporation.

ZoomerMedia assumed control of the CCI properties on June 30.

A restructuring plan at ZoomerMedia, connected to the recent acquisition of Vision TV, ONE: The Body, Mind & Spirit Channel, Joytv 10 Vancouver and Joytv 11 Winnipeg, resulted in the loss of 25 positions in Toronto and Vancouver. Division President Bill Roberts said personnel losses resulted from redundancy in marketing and sales within ZoomerMedia. The restructuring was expected to result in annual cost savings of about $1.5 million. 

All production staff at JoyTV 10 – seventeen people – were let go. Apparently new owner ZoomerMedia was working on a six to eight-month plan to turn the station’s fortunes around.

Zoomer Media had begun making arrangements for its move to 64 Jefferson Avenue in Toronto. The company purchased the building that had been housing Corus Entertainment’s broadcast facilities. Corus was moving to an expanded facility on the city’s lakeshore. Zoomer Media, owned by Moses Znaimer, would combine its Toronto radio stations (AM 740 and Classical 96), TV stations for which they had recently received CRTC approval and its magazine operations.

On February 29, the CRTC approved in part an application by MZ Media Inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate a new specialty FM radio station to serve Collingwood. MZ was told that it must submit an amendment to its application proposing the use of an FM frequency other than 104.9 MHz, within 90 days. The Commission also approved a request by MZ Media to grant its new station an exception to the Commission’s policy on local programming as it related to soliciting or accepting local advertising. The Commission noted that the predominance of the proposed FM station’s programming would originate with CFMZ-FM Toronto and offer that station’s Classical and Fine Arts music format to the Collingwood area. The proposed station would provide, on average, a maximum of 24 hours per week of differentiated local programming content directed specifically to listeners in Collingwood and the surrounding area. The applicant indicated that it would broadcast, on average, up to 18 hours and 54 minutes per broadcast week of differentiated advertising content, of which up to 12 hours and 36 minutes per broadcast week would be advertising specific to Collingwood and the surrounding area. MZ noted that although all programming would be produced in Toronto at its CFMZ-FM studio, its differentiated local programming content for Collingwood would be produced for exclusive broadcast on the proposed station. The proposed station would receive 100% of its music programming from CFMZ-FM. Consequently, the proposed station would be subject to CFMZ-FM’s current incremental condition of licence pertaining to the minimum level of content category 3 (Special Interest Music) Canadian musical selections to be aired. Moreover, the level of content category 3 Canadian musical selections to be broadcast on the proposed station would reflect the level in force for CFMZ-FM as of the date of this decision (i.e., 18%). This percentage would increase by 1% per broadcast year until it reached 20% by the beginning of the 2013-2014 broadcast year, and would remain at that level for the balance of the licence term. Furthermore, the proposed FM station would also be subject to CFMZ-FM’s current condition of licence requiring that a minimum of 70% of all musical selections broadcast during each broadcast week be devoted to musical selections drawn from content subcategory 31 (Concert).

On March 15, the CRTC approved an application by MZ Media Inc. to operate CFMO-FM Collingwood at 102.9 MHz.

On August 8, the CRTC announced that they had denied the application by Zoomer for Vision-TV to  be mandatory for carriage by cable and satellite Broadcast Distribution Undertakings, because, in the Commission’s view, they had not  “….successfully demonstrated to the CRTC that they met the criteria for a mandatory distribution order.”

CFMO-FM Collingwood signed on the air.

In September, CIIT-TV Winnipeg was rebranded as FaithTV.

On July 24, at the request of ZoomerMedia, the CRTC revoked the licence for Category B service The Beautiful Little Channel.

ZoomerMedia launched ZoomerTV and ONETV US on DistroTV in the U.S., the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming TV platform. ZoomerTV focused on health and wellness, money, technology, travel, sex and relationships, while ONETV US was a 24-hour fitness channel featuring yoga, strength building, weight loss, dance and cardio classes as well as useful tips for healthy living.