https://twitter.com/NicolasTetrault/status/880911270295351297
For the first time in decades, Montreal has a new full-power commercial English radio station on the air that isn’t replacing an existing one.
CFQR 600 AM, the English-language station owned by TTP Media, officially went on the air on Friday evening, the deadline the CRTC set in its final extension given to the station last fall.
Whether the station made the CRTC’s deadline hasn’t been confirmed. The station has not completed its testing phase, and is broadcasting a message asking people with reception issues to call them in. The authorization first granted in 2012 says the station must be “operational” to meet the deadline, and a licence will be issued “once the applicant has informed the Commission in writing that it is prepared to commence operations.”
But the commission probably won’t nitpick over a few days or weeks when we’ve been waiting almost five years for this station to launch on a frequency no one else has had any interest in for almost 20 years.
Like CFNV 940, CFQR is broadcasting an automated music playlist, with recorded messages promising regular programming “soon”.
Jim Connell.
The messages feature the voice of Jim Connell, the former 940 News host who appeared in front of the CRTC during TTP Media’s initial licence application in 2011 but took a job with Global Montreal while the group was getting its act together. This is a strong indication that he will be involved with the station when it launches regular programming.
The two messages, being broadcast at regular intervals, are below:
This is CFQR 600, a new English voice in Montreal. Soon, we will be offering the communities on and surrounding the island of Montreal a better blend of information and conversation on this heritage frequency. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates, and enjoy some of your favourite music as we continue building this new voice on Montreal’s airwaves.
You are listening to CFQR, a new English-language radio station serving the greater Montreal area, broadcasting at 600 kilohertz on the AM band. We are currently testing our signal and invite you to contact us toll-free at 1-833-600-1006 if you are experiencing interference because of our signal or if the signal is causing any other reception problems. Our regular programming will be starting soon. Stay tuned.
TTP Media partner Nicolas Tétrault tweeted some pictures from inside the transmission facility on Route 138 in Kahnawake, that houses the two stations.
https://twitter.com/CFQR600AM/status/880904342777323520
https://twitter.com/CFQR600AM/status/880906702434033665
At 10,000 watts daytime and 5,000 watts nighttime, CFQR’s signal isn’t as powerful as CFNV’s 50,000-watt clear-channel signal, but it should be good enough for Montreal and surrounding areas. The power and transmitting antennas are identical to the old CIQC, so the reception should be similar.
With the station on the air, the new focus should be programming. As I wrote previously, there are some deals in place with talent, and the group remains committed to talk programming.
This is exciting news..And I wonder if Chris Bury will start to make other changes or be complacent and do the wait and see dance..
But noticeably absent in the group pic is Paul Teitolman. He still active in the group..?
You mentioned about deals in place with people but does that mean former Montreal on air types with a combination of poaches that haven’t their current employers yet but want out of where they are now..?
Bury has followed the news of this new station with interest, but if there were changes he could make to make CJAD and TSN 690 better, he wouldn’t be waiting to make them. How he reacts to the new station depends entirely on what the new station does.
Yes. I wouldn’t read too much into the fact that he wasn’t present for the flipping of the switch.
The partners won’t say. But if there are poachings, we’ll be hearing about people leaving their jobs. Contracts with the big broadcasters generally have a 90-day non-compete clause, which means if they leave now they have to wait until October to be on the air at a competing station. I would expect some part-timers and otherwise underemployed people to consider the jump, but I don’t think any of the major personalities will jump ship, unless TTP decides they need to make a big splash by offering a lot of money.
There is talent that have been let go from several anglophone stations that could make the roster : Peter Marier, Murray Sherriff, Brian Wilde to name just three.
Glad to hear them on air. Just hope the stick with the plan on getting talk radio on soon rather then a few months of just music.
I don’t mind the stunting of music for a while but just not so long when Montreal needs a talk alternative.
Actually Brett, I’d like to see a mix of Talk, Entertainment, Sports & Music to what CJAD used to be before Astral & Bell Media destroyed it…
I agree! I like the idea of a mix of music, talk radio etc. I am sick of constant talk radio.
It’s great to see that they pulled it off. They do seem to work like college students with a term paper due, always working like mad the night before the deadline to make it. Even as it is, this is making it in the technical sense required by the CRTC, it’s sort of not a station launching at this point, which is okay I guess.
As for the longer on air thing, they are spoiled with choice. CJAD alone has turfed enough known people in the last little while as to fill and over fill a roster. Bell has shed enough people in Montreal and other markets that there is plenty of potential to pick up experienced people who can handle the news / talk format without a blink.
They may however not want to do that, in order to avoid being “CJAD left overs”. So you may see some cherry picking (such as Barry Morgan or even Peter Anthony Holder) matched up with new faces and new points of view.
I also think there have potential to try to replicate a little more that is done on 98.5 in French. While it is still talk radio, it is a much less about listener phone calls (a dead end, mostly) and much more about feature contributors, longer format discussions, and so on.
There are plenty of radio and TV people out of work right now, so TTP should have no problem finding more than enough bodies to fill the void. Going with known names may help them initially get traction in the market, but differentiating themselves is the only way they can grow past a certain point.
I am so happy that we have an alternative to the drivel that Bell Media is heading. Good luck to this new entity and if I can be of any help please let me know. Good luck!
I am enjoying the music, we have so few English pop music stations, especially with CKBE and CJFM playing mostly the same music.
Loving it! All the best, guys and gals.
GOOD TO HAVE A RADIO STATION BACK ON 600 AM BUT WOULD RATHER HEAR MUSIC OF THE 60’S 70’S AND 80’S THAN JUST TALK. WE ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH OF THAT FORMAT FROM CJAD 800. IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A LOCAL STATION THAT WILL PLAY OLD FAVORITES AND KEEP THAT SPECIAL GENERATION OF MUSIC ALIVE.
Here, here I totally agree, in the car I listen to the US station out of Burlington Vt. We need the old lite rock, less talk, similar to what the old Q92 use to be. Let’s face it I think the audience for this new station are the baby bloomers. The only music I can’t stand is Rap, anything else is OK……here’s hoping their new format is along those lines.
You’re not getting it both of you.. Music is not an option on AM mono sound.. And no we don’t have enough of quality news /talk with CJAD, they’ve lost their fire in the belly, don’t break news anymore and dull weekend programming, and I’ll throw in Natasha Hall..
It is my understanding that they’re going after a younger news/talk demographic, which can be done easily.
But I would like to see an oldies type station on FM from the 60s to the 80’s..
Yes I agree an oldies station would be nice with some talk maybe a little more conservative talk not like that waste of time CJAD. A little comedy would be welcome like 106.7 fm except their signal is too weak but with 600 the signal reaches far. Good hunting guys.
Then why use the CFQR identifier? That was the ‘hook’ that got me listening + the Chrismas classics. Put back the music. Talk radio? not interested.
I just happened to fall on that station and I love the continuous music, NO TALK. I would like it to stay that way. There are not any stations that provide this kind of variety, Rock & Pop in music, always the same songs over and over again mixed with unnecessary talk.
I agree with you. Those days, advertising for matreses and cars plus old models talking about their youth and so on makes radio a stressful experience.
I was thrilled to hear a new English radio has popped-up. I am however a little disappointed with the music aired this morning. It’s the type of music i dislike the most and what is aired by just about every station.
I was hoping to listen to new rock – oldies music, Montreal needs that.
Good luck!
I guess you haven’t been following the AM 600 saga, music is just temporary, it’ll be news/talk station or spoken word as they call it.
Good luck. Here in north end, CJAD fades to overnight static peppered with one thousand FREE samples of what doesn’t sell otherwise, that guarantees eternal bliss until tomorrow. And please NIX the happy whorehouse hour!
Was looking for an alternative to the other talk radio am station in Montreal and came across cfqr 600. Plan on staying tuned in. The signal kind of dies around the supper hr up here though (the laurentians). Thks for another option for english radio!
good luck I was a listener to cjad since the days of club 800 back in the 60’s but the station is terrible now they got rid of anyone worth while listening to such as over night there was Peter Anthony Holder followed by Sol Boxenbaum and replaced it with some wierd program for all the nonsence people up at night thinkabout ther is alot of good radio talent out there that cjad has let go and if you decide to go music on the weekend cjad had Jake Lawrence and also let him go so once again good luck Cliff
Please re-create the EXACT playlist as the former CFQR 92.5 and you can count on me (and many others) being a regular listener. That easy listening music of CFQR is great to hear again.
After listening for only a few days, I realized I was just listening to a taped playlist that repeats itself. Clearly, this has not changed since 2017! Obviously there is no money in AM radio anymore and TTP Media have had second thoughts about investing any money or talent in this venture. A real shame.
I’ve been listening for years and love this station. Lately though I have been hearing a guy talk every day giving traffic and weather updates and general News info. Could defo do without that. If I wanted to hear that crap I would listen to the normal radio stations. Please get this guy off the air and stick to music.