LONDON, Ont. – Corus Radio said Thursday it has all but completed the planned changes to its four stations in London and Woodstock, Ontario.
The announcement of new program director Kevin Bernard at AM980 CFPL today was the last in a series of adjustments made to the cluster, representing Corus’ significant investment in the London/Woodstock area, says the company’s release.
Changes include a newly appointed general manager, new program directors and morning shows, a format flip and a rebuild at the Woodstock station.
Most recently, as reported by www.cartt.ca, program director of Toronto’s Q107, Dave Farough took over as GM of Corus’ London/Woodstock cluster in early August. Farough’s a rising force at the company.
“The people who make up a radio station are vital to both the personality of the station and its effectiveness in serving the community,” said Farough, in the release. “By having one program director exclusively dedicated to each station and shuffling the morning shows to fit the formats, we are better able to reflect what’s going on in London and in Woodstock and ultimately better able to serve our listeners.”
The stations will be facing some additional competition on the FM dial soon, which may have played a part in the decisions. As reported earlier this summer, two additional FM stations will soon be available in the region.
The new lineup of PDs at Corus Radio/London is as follows:
* AM980 CFPL – Kevin Bernard (most recently afternoon news anchor at AM980 and The HAWK)
* 1031 Fresh FM – Julie James (most recently midday host at Mix 99.9 Toronto)
* 103.9 The HAWK – Michelle Dyer (most recently promotions director of Toronto’s Q107, and graduate of Corus Radio’s assistant PD training program)
* FM96 – Jim McCourtie (previously PD at both FM96 and 1031 Fresh FM, now concentrating solely on FM96)
In mid-August, Corus Radio London/Woodstock re-branded its Energy 103 as The New 1031 Fresh FM, focusing on the best pop music from the ’90s through today. With this change came a morning show shuffle to suit the cluster’s new arrangement. The morning show lineup is now as follows:
* AM980 CFPL – London Mornings with Joe Duchesne, weekdays 5:30 – 10 a.m.
* 1031 Fresh FM – mornings with Big D, Mindy and Gord, weekdays 5:30 – 9 a.m.
* 103.9 The HAWK – Hawk Mornings with Sarge and John, weekdays 5:30 – 10 a.m.
* FM96 – Tucker and Taz in the Morning, weekdays 5:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Rounding out the changes to the cluster are the recently announced technical improvements to the HAWK in Woodstock.
The cluster will also be hiring a promotions and marketing director responsible for all stations, reporting to the GM.
