Stations to Change Hands

Corus is selling its Quebec radio stations to Cogeco for a reported $80 million, pending CRTC approval. What does this mean for Montreal radio? What does this mean for the only English station in mix? What does that mean for the two Corus-owned stations that went off the air a few months ago? Well, those are a lot of big questions that will have to be answered in the coming months. Sometimes deals have to be modified depending on what the CRTC decides.

So could CINF 690 AM eventually be resurrected by this move? The chance of another English station starting up where 940 left off seems rather unlikely at this point, unless it were to be an offshoot of an existing english station. But that too seems doubtful.

Paul Arcand is one of the most influential radio personalities in the province of Quebec, and a Corus employee. He was interviewed on Radio-Canada today about the announced deal. Arcand said he worried about young people studying communications right now. He thinks it will be very difficult for them to find work. I am sure he was referring to the francophone Quebec market.

No doubt it is difficult not only to find work, but for some people to hang on to he work they have. Maybe the worst is over and the economy’s supposed upturn will help radio’s bottom line. Whether that will result in new jobs remains to be seen. How this deal will affect jobs also remains to be seen.