CJTS-FM

On July 2, André Gagné, on behalf of a company to be incorporated to be known as Groupe Génération Rock, received approval to operate a new commercial FM station at Sherbrooke. It would broadcast on a frequency of 104.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1,300 watts. The proposed music format would be composed of classic rock, soft rock and new rock. The station’s target audience would be the 18- to 44-year age group. All of the programming would be produced locally. The two principal shareholders of Groupe Génération Rock were André Gagné (33.3% of the holder’s voting shares through his company 2846-2059 Québec inc.) and Jean-Pierre Beaudoin (30.7% of the voting shares). The other two shareholders were Michèle Gagné (20% of the voting shares) and the company 9114-9724 Québec inc., which is controlled by Danny Houle (16% of the voting shares).

CIGR-FM began operations on May 31.

It was announced June 18 that an agreement had been reached to sell CIGR-FM to Corus Entertainment of Toronto. On October 30, the CRTC approved the sale of CIGR-FM by a Corus Entertainment Inc. subsidiary from Groupe Génération Rock inc. The Commission denied some amendments to the station’s licence, proposed by Corus. This included the replacement of the Rock music format, which comprised classic, light and new rock, with a CHR/Top 40 format similar to that broadcast by CKOI-FM Montréal. It should be noted that Corus was the owner of CHLT-FM in Sherbrooke.

Corus closed on its purchase of CIGR-FM on January 28. CIGR-FM became CKOY-FM. The format changed from Active Rock (Generation Rock) to Contemporary Hits. The CKOY call letters were used for many years in the Ottawa market and later in Northern Ontario.

For the record, CKOY’s studios and offices were located at 4020, Boulevard de Portland in Sherbrooke. The station’s slogan was More Rock! More Fun! Jocelyn Proulx was general manager. On May 8, CKOY-FM was authorized to increase the average effective radiated power from 1,300 watts to 9,100 watts and the maximum ERP from 1,300 watts to 50,000 watts, and to increase the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 173 metres to 190.2 metres, and to replace the omni-directional antenna with a directional antenna, and to move the transmitter and antenna site. The changes would improve coverage of Sherbrooke and its surrounding area. The antenna, once relocated, would occupy the same site as the antenna for co-owned CHLT-FM. On August 27, the CRTC renewed CKOY-FM’s licence until August 31, 2016. Corus proposed the imposition of a new condition of licence concerning the broadcast of category 2 musical selections that would require it to devote at least 40% of such selections to Canadian selections. As regards the condition of licence relating to the broadcast of new musical selections, Corus requested that the licensee be granted flexibility to conform to the Commission’s new policy on emerging artists once the policy is established. According to Corus, deleting these conditions of licence would enable the station to better compete in the Sherbrooke market. The CRTC approved this amendment. The licensee commits to broadcasting a total of 2.8 hours of local news from Monday to Friday and 10 minutes of local news on weekends.

On April 30th, Corus Entertainment Inc. announced that they had reached an agreement with Cogeco Inc. for Cogeco to purchase the Corus Quebec radio stations: CKOI-FM , CKAC-AM, CHMP-FM and CFQR-FM Montreal , CFOM-FM102.9 and CFEL-FM Quebec City, CJRC-FM Gatineau , CIME-FM St-Jérôme, CHLT-FM and CKOY-FM Sherbrooke, and CHLN-FM Trois Rivieres. The deal would be subject to CRTC approval.  On December 17, the CRTC approved the transfer of various commercial radio programming undertakings from Corus Entertainment Inc. to Cogeco inc. The Commission received an application by Corus Entertainment Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiaries 591991 B.C. Ltd. and Metromedia CMR Broadcasting Inc., to transfer their shares and effective control from Corus to Cogeco inc. or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries (the proposed transaction). 591991 B.C. was the licensee of the French-language commercial radio programming undertakings CFOM-FM Lévis, CFEL-FM Lévis/Québec, CHLT-FM and CKOY-FM Sherbrooke, CKAC Montréal, CJRC-FM Gatineau and CHLN-FM Trois-Rivières. Metromedia was the licensee of the French-language commercial radio programming undertakings CKOI-FM Montréal, CHMP-FM Longueuil, CIME-FM Saint-Jérôme and its transmitters CIME-FM-1 Val-Morin and CIME-FM-2 Mont-Tremblant, and CFQR-FM Montréal, an English-language commercial radio programming undertaking. Following the proposed transaction, effective control of 591991 B.C. and Metromedia would be exercised by Cogeco, a corporation controlled by Gestion Audem inc. The Commission denied Cogeco’s request to convert CKOY-FM into a rebroadcasting transmitter for CKAC Montréal. The Commission considered that such a conversion would result in the loss of a local voice in the market and that it would not represent the best use of the frequency currently occupied by CKOY-FM. Further, to ensure that Cogeco remained at all times in compliance with the Policy as it relates to the number of radio stations a licensee may operate in a given market, the Commission required that Cogeco divest itself of CKOY-FM no later than one year from the date of this decision and that in the interim ownership and control of the station be transferred to a trustee pursuant to terms of the voting trust agreement addressed in Broadcasting Decision 2010-943, also issued today. For the record, Cogeco already operated CFGE-FM in Sherbrooke.

CKOY-FM moved from 104.5 to 107.7 MHz, becoming CJTS. Cogeco would still sell the 104.5 facility as required by the CRTC but it was no longer CKOY-FM but CJTS-FM with the “Souvenirs Garantis” (French) oldies format that had been on CHLT (107.7). The 107.7 frequency would stay with Cogeco but it was now CKOY-FM, carrying a relay of CKOI-FM and calling itself CKOI-FM. When Cogeco purchased the Corus properties in Quebec in 2010, CJTS 104.5 was one of several stations they inherited that breached the CRTC’s common ownership policy. Cogeco had one year to divest this station, but said no one was interested in purchasing it. As a result Radio Sherbrooke Inc. (Cogeco) requested that the CRTC revoke the licence for CJTS-FM. On December 22, given the licensee’s request, the Commission revoked, pursuant to sections 9(1)(e) and 24(1) of the Broadcasting Act, the broadcasting licence issued to Radio Sherbrooke Inc. for CJTS-FM.