CFGT-FM

Radio Lac St. Jean Ltee applied for an AM station using 1270 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts (directional at night). The application was deferred, but reheard and then approved. It was hoped the station would be on the air in October. 

CFGT signed on the air October 26. It operated as an independent station with no network affiliation.

The Canada Labour Relations Board certified NABET as bargaining agent for units of employees at CKRS Jonquiere and CFGT Alma. The board also ordered a representation of employees by NABET at CJMT Chicoutimi.

Ownership of Radio Lac St-Jean Ltee: C. Bergeron, J. Collard, H. Fortin, J. J. Maltais and J. E. Trembley each held 10%. Seven other shareholders held the remaining 50%.

C. Bergeron was president of the company. Jean-Jacques Fortin was CFGT’s manager.

J. J. Maltais was president of the company and France Fortin manager of CFGT.

On July 26, the transfer of 69% of Radio Lac St-Jean Ltee from 9 of 15 shareholders to the remaining six, was approved. In addition, the transfer of 37.3% from six shareholders to six other persons, five of whom were CFGT employees was also approved.

On February 14, CFGT was authorized to increase power to 10,000 watts day and 5,000 watts night (directional at night).

The transfer of CFGT to G. Pedneault Ltee was approved.

On July 10, Les Immeubles Gilbert Pedneault Ltée was authorized to acquire CFGT from Radio Lac St-Jean Ltée, a company controlled by Mr. Gilbert Pedneault. In its application, the licensee stated that the acquisition of assets was already completed and that the station was now operated by Les Immeubles Gilbert Pedneault Ltée.

CFGT was authorized to join the Radiomutuel network (CJMS Montreal).

CFGT had its licence renewed on July 21. At the renewal hearing, the station committed to broadcast a minimum of 60 hours and 30 minutes of local productions weekly. The remainder of its program schedule would originate from the Radiomutuel network and from CJMS Montreal.

CFGT’s proposal to move to the FM dial was denied on January 6. CFGT had proposed to operate on 97.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts. A competing application by Gestion Germaine Lévesque Inc. was approved instead.

CFGT left the air due to financial problems and returned later in the year, following the sale of Les Immeubles Gilbert Pednault Ltée by Gilbert Pednault to 3100-0185 Québec Inc. 

On March 8, the CRTC approved the application to amend the licence for CFGT, by deleting the condition of licence requiring the licensee to produce a minimum of 53 hours of local programming per week. However, the Commission expected the licensee to adhere to its commitment to produce a minimum of 30 hours of local programming per week. 

On October 20, 3100-0185 Québec Inc. was authorized to purchse CFGT from Les Immeubles Gilbert Pedneault Ltée.  The CRTC also approved the application by 3100-0185 Québec Inc. to transfer all common voting shares from Groupe Radio Antenne 6 Inc. to Radio CKYK FM Inc. The Commission notes 3100-0185 Québec Inc. was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Radio CKYK FM Inc. which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Groupe Radio Antenne 6 Inc. and that the transaction thus represented a corporate reorganization without any change occurring in the ultimate control, programming or management of the licensee. The applications were due to the following transactions, which were completed without the Commission’s prior authorization:  the sale of the assets of CFGT Alma, from Les Immeubles Gilbert Pedneault Ltée to 9004-3142 Québec Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of 3100-0185 Québec Inc., on 30 August 1994;  the amalgamation of 9004-3142 Québec Inc. with 3100-0185 Québec Inc., on 1 September 1994, the resulting company continuing under the name 3100-0185 Québec Inc.; the sale by Groupe Radio Antenne 6 Inc. of all of the issued and outstanding shares of 3100-0185 Québec Inc. to Radio CKYK FM Inc.

On April 19, Radio CKYK-FM inc. was given approval to acquire CFGT from 3100-0185 Québec inc. This transaction represented an intra-corporate reorganization and did not alter the control or management of the licensee. 

On September 11, the CRTC denied the application by Groupe Radio Antenne 6 inc. to operate a new, French-language commercial FM station in Alma, using 97.7 MHz with an average effective radiated power of 50,000 watts, to replace AM station CFGT. Antenne 6 already owned CKYK-FM Alma and CHRL-FM Roberval. If this application were approved, Antenne 6 would control three FM’s in the same language and same market. This would exceed the limit of two FM stations in the same language that this licensee may hold in that market. According to Antenne 6, even though the 3 mV/m contour of CHRL-FM includes part of Alma, the uneven terrain of the city would cause the marginal signal from that station to reach only a limited number of listeners. In addition, the applicant explained that the advertising revenue of CFGT had fallen recently because its station is the only one in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean still broadcasting on the AM band. 

On August 20 the CRTC approved an application by Groupe Radio Antenne 6 inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language commercial FM radio programming undertaking in Alma to replace the AM station CFGT. The station would operate at 97.7 MHz with an average effective radiated power of 50,000 watts (maximum ERP of 50,000 watts with an effective height of the antenna above average terrain of 77.6 metres). The new station would offer an adult contemporary music format targeting women between the ages of 25 and 54. While the intent is that the new FM station would offer only local programming, the applicant made a commitment to offer a minimum of 42 hours of local programming and 15 hours of spoken word programming per broadcast week. 

On March 3, the CRTC approved an application by Groupe Radio Antenne 6 inc. regarding the new French-language, commercial FM radio programming undertaking CFGT-FM Alma, Quebec, authorized in 2009. The applicant proposed to use frequency 104.5 MHz instead of 97.7 MHz as approved in Broadcasting Decision 2009-507. All other technical parameters would remain unchanged. The applicant indicated that this change had become necessary due to constraints linked to frequency 97.7 MHz in the Alma radio market as well as problems that use of this frequency may cause.

CFGT made the conversion from AM (1270 kHz) to FM (104.5 MHz) as “Planète 104,5”. CFGT-FM signed on the air October 13 and the old AM transmitter was shut down three days later.

On October 11, the CRTC approved the application by Cogeco inc. on behalf of its subsidiary Cogeco Media Inc. for authority to acquire CFGT-FM and several other stations from RNC Media Inc.