CKNI-FM

On November 26, Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. was awarded licences for new FM News/Talk stations at Moncton, Saint John and Halifax. The Moncton transmitter would operate on 91.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 40,300 watts. All three stations would share live broadcasts.

On October 11 at 5:30 a.m., CKNI-FM Moncton, CHNI-FM Saint John and CJNI-FM Halifax, officially signed on the air. “News 91.9 – News. Talk. Sports” had studios and offices at 70 Assumption Boulevard in Moncton.

Danny Kingsbury was named general manager – Atlantic Canada for Rogers. He would be based in Halifax and would be responsible for the Moncton and Saint John markets as well.

On July 9, the CRTC approved applications by Rogers Broadcasting Limited to amend the broadcasting licences for CKNI-FM Moncton and CHNI-FM Saint John by changing the condition of licence that limits the amount of music they may broadcast. As a result of this amendment, the maximum proportion of all programming that may be devoted to musical selections increases from 10% to 25%. (Rogers also operates CJNI-FM, a news/talk station in Halifax, but has not applied for an amendment to the conditions of licence for that station.) Rogers submitted that this change is needed to permit the rationalization of costs by eliminating the news wheel approach to programming, and to reduce duplication in programming that currently exists between CKNI-FM and CHNI-FM. Rogers also indicated that the change would allow it to focus its resources on local and regional long-form talk programming.

Talk host Andrew Krystal left the Rogers group of talk stations in the Martimes in July to join CJCL-AM in Toronto.

Rick Howe launched a new afternoon talk show on News95.7 Halifax that also aired on News91.9 Moncton and News88.9 Saint John. He’d been with the Halifax station since August, 2008, doing an afternoon news wheel program. On November 1 the two New Brunswick stations added a provincial news/talk show from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. with host Dan Ahlstrand.

After 50 years on the air, Tom Young announced that he would retire on July 29. He had been doing an afternoon talk show since 2005, on News 95.7 Halifax, News 91.9 Moncton and News 88.9 Saint John and was based in Saint John. 

On August 10, the CRTC administratively renewed the licences of CKNI-FM Moncton and CHNI-FM Saint John, to August 31, 2012. 

Dan Ahlstrand, host of the New Brunswick Morning News on Rogers’ news stations in Saint John and Moncton, moved to Halifax to become morning news co-anchor on News95.7. He succeeded Doug Reynolds who moved to another Rogers property, 660News Calgary, as morning Anchor.

Tyler McLean succeeded Tom Young in doing morning talk at News 91.9 Moncton / News 88.9 Saint John. McLean became the longest tenured producer for Young and last year shared in a national RTNDA award with Young for producing and hosting the best information radio program in Canada.

Danny Kingsbury, the General Manager of the Rogers Atlantic radio properties (Moncton, Saint John and Halifax), added the Kingston, Ontario, stations (K-Rock, Kix 93.5 and The Lake) to his portfolio. He would now be based in Kingston.

On August 8, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CKNI-FM until August 31, 2013.

On June 21, the CRTC administratively renewed CKNI-FM’s licence to August 31, 2014.

On March 14, the CRTC approved an application by Acadia Broadcasting Limited for authority to acquire from Rogers Broadcasting Limited the assets of CKNI-FM. The Commission further approved the applicant’s request to delete conditions of licence relating to the station’s programming, allowing CKNI-FM to move from News/Talk to a music format. 

In August, CKNI 91.9 changed format from News-Talk (NEWS 91.9) to Adult Contemporary (91.9 THE BEND) – as “Metro’s Perfect Music Mix”.