CRTC Grants TSN Radio 990/Montreal's Move To 690 AM, Approves Two New Stations In Market

Big New Signal

The CRTC has granted new licenses for the two 50,000-watt AM signals abandoned by CORUS and occupied before that by the CBC's local AM outlets, and in the process gave one local station a major signal boost.

BELL MEDIA RADIO's English-language Sports CKGM-A (TSN RADIO 990)/MONTREAL will move to 690 AM, once home to French CBF-A and later, once that station moved to FM, French News CINF (INFO 690).  The move gives the station a 50,000-watt non-directional signal on a low AM-band frequency, a major improvement over the current 990 AM signal, which has difficulties covering the West Island (the primary Anglo area of MONTREAL) at night.

7954689 CANADA INC., headed by PAUL TIETOLMAN, son of former CKVL-A and CKOI/MONTREAL owner JACK TIETOLMAN, has been granted a license for a new station on 940 AM, the former CBM-A, CIQC-A, and CINW-A, with a French Talk format aimed at listeners 35 and older. 

And EVANOV's DUFFERIN COMMUNICATIONS has been offered a license for a French-language station on CKGM's present 990 AM frequency, aimed at MONTREAL's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community as RADIO FIERTE.  DUFFERIN presently operates a station with a similar format in TORONTO, CIRR (PROUD FM).  DUFFERIN has the option of accepting the lesser facility within 10 days or declining, which would reopen 990 AM for other applicants.

Denied in the proceeding were TIETOLMAN's application for an additional English-language Talk station on 940 AM and COGECO/METROMEDIA CMR BROADCASTING's application to operate traffic stations on both 690 and 940 AM.

"We are pleased to be increasing the diversity of voices in MONTREAL's radio market by offering additional choices to listeners," said TOM PENTEFOUNTAS, Vice-Chairman of the CRTC. "The Commission received high quality proposals, but was unfortunately unable to approve all of them."

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