Rogers chasing radio station

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Rogers seeks to buy BOB-FM

Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. has long coveted a radio station in London and now it is close to getting one.

With a growing radio market to spur them on, Rogers has started the process to purchase CHST-FM (BOB-FM), currently owned by CTV Ltd.

Its application is before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which regulates broadcasting.

“London . . . has been a strong market for a very long time. It’s been a big market. We look forward to operating a radio station in London,” said Chuck McCoy, the vice-president and general manager for Rogers stations in Toronto and Kitchener. He would add London to his portfolio if Rogers gets the nod from the CRTC.

“We’re certainly hopeful that it will be in our favour.”

McCoy said a ruling could come as early as the end of January. “We hope it’s not too long.”

In 2008, Rogers also applied for a station licence in London. “We didn’t get it, but we were very eager and anxious at that time to have a station in London.”

In the latest Bureau of Broadcast Measurement radio ratings for London, BOB-FM, at 102.3 on the dial, is third in the local market share — the hours tuned to a station — among listeners 12 years old and up.

It is second in ratings among the 25 to 54 age range, McCoy said.

“They’re a very successful station in the ratings. We’d want to listen carefully to what they were saying because they seem to have put together a pretty good radio station.

He said BOB-FM fits in with the Rogers company and also works well geographically as it already has three stations in close proximity in Kitchener-Waterloo.

McCoy was reluctant to talk about any plans as approval for the purchase hasn’t been received but any changes would be minimal.

“The staff that is currently in place has done a remarkable job with that station. It’s really a powerhouse radio station in the London market. We would not be looking to make very many changes in personnel, format or anything like that. At this time, we have no plans to cut any staff or add to any staff. It’s not even close to being broken.”

CTV declined comment. “The application is currently before the Commission and we will not be making any further comments at this time,” said Andrea Goldstein, the corporate communications director for CTVglobemedia.

McCoy worked in radio in the London area at CHLO-AM in St. Thomas, along with Rogers radio division CEO, Paul Ski, in the late 1960s.

The overall radio market in Canada is on track to grow 4.1% each year to reach $1.7 billion in 2014 after losing some ground in 2009, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“(Radio) is doing extraordinarily well — 95% of the population in the country turns the radio on every week,” McCoy said.