The CRTC last week approved an application from Arsenal Media to acquire a trio of BPM Sports radio stations in Quebec from RNC Media.
The three French-language stations being purchased include CFTX-FM Gatineau (BPM Sports 96.5 FM) and its transmitter CFTX-FM-1 Gatineau (Buckingham), CKLX-FM Montreal (BPM Sports 91.9 FM), and CHXX-FM Donnacona (BPM Sports 100.9 FM) and its transmitter CHXX-FM-1 Sainte-Croix-de-Lotbinière.
Arsenal Media has said it intends to maintain the current direction of the stations operated under the BPM Sports brand, with some music programming incorporated into their format. The Montreal station (CKLX-FM) will continue to feature primarily spoken word programming dedicated to sports content, including interviews, discussions, analysis and sports news, with music programming airing on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The Gatineau (CFTX-FM) and Donnacona (CHXX-FM) stations will operate under a hybrid model featuring sports programming during the week, produced live from CKLX-FM, and music programming on weeknights and on weekends, along with weekly blocks of local programming.
Arsenal indicated it plans to broadcast 126 hours of programming per broadcast week on each station, including at least 42 hours of local programming. The sports content developed by CKLX-FM will total approximately 57 hours of programming per week, Arsenal said, and the stations’ local programming will include sporting events taking place in the various regions served by the stations, as well as interviews with amateur athletes from those regions. Arsenal also said it plans to devote two hours to sports news broadcasts, of which one hour and 30 minutes will be devoted to local and regional sports news, 15 minutes to national sports news, and 15 minutes to international sports news.
In response to a CRTC request for information regarding its application, Arsenal confirmed the three stations will devote at least five per cent of their music programming to songs by emerging Canadians artists during each broadcast week. In its approval of Arsenal’s acquisition of the stations, the CRTC said it expects Arsenal to include indigenous music selections on the stations’ playlists.
As part of the conditions of service applicable to CKLX-FM Montreal, the station is expected to devote at least 50 per cent of its weekly programming to spoken word programming. The conditions of service applicable to CHXX-FM Donnacona and its transmitter CHXX-FM-1 include, as an exception to the percentage of Canadian musical selections set out in the CRTC’s radio regulations, that the station will devote at least 45 per cent of its popular music selections to Canadian selections each broadcast week, and also devote, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday of the same broadcast week, at least 45 per cent of its musical selections from the popular music category to Canadian selections.
The CRTC approved Arsenal’s request to remove an existing condition of service imposed on CHXX-FM requiring the station to maintain a studio in Donnacona, thereby allowing Arsenal to relocate CHXX-FM’s studio to the facilities of its recently acquired CJSQ-FM station in nearby Quebec City, which is expected to result in cost savings through the sharing of resources. The CRTC also removed a condition of service for CHXX-FM that required it to broadcast at least 14 hours of local programming each week targeting residents of the Portneuf region. In doing so, the CRTC added an expectation that CHXX-FM’s local programming will incorporate spoken word material of direct relevance to Portneuf-area listeners, including local news, sports coverage and the promotion of local events and athletes, rather than focusing solely on the Quebec City region.
The $1.8-million transaction value of Arsenal’s purchase of the three radio stations and two transmitters requires Arsenal to pay $108,210 in tangible benefits in equal installments over seven consecutive broadcast years to various Canadian content funds, including the Canadian Starmaker Fund, Fonds RadioStar, FACTOR, Musicaction, the Community Radio Fund of Canada, and any eligible Canadian content development initiative of Arsenal’s choosing.
The CRTC will issue new broadcasting licences for the radio stations, upon surrender of the licences currently held by RNC Media, for indefinite terms.
