So Harvard officially bought out GX94 and The Fox in Yorkton, SK. One of the last remaining Indie stations left on the prairies. I can only think of 2 left, personally. One in Alberta and one in Manitoba.
Anyone have any idea how many "Indies" are out there?
Ahh... the only audience older than that of Harvard's CKRM in Regina would be GX in Yorkton... so it seems they have that lucrative 64-100 demo locked up nice and tight across Southern Saskatchewan.
With the launch of Astral's new country station in Regina, maybe there's a format change on the horizon... All Polka - All the Time! Buying GX was the only way to acquire all the records (literally) they'd need to do it "Why should the get-together be only on Saturday nights! Roll out the barrel -- on your way to work, at lunch, and on your way home!"
Ahh... the only audience older than that of Harvard's CKRM in Regina would be GX in Yorkton... so it seems they have that lucrative 64-100 demo locked up nice and tight across Southern Saskatchewan.
With the launch of Astral's new country station in Regina, maybe there's a format change on the horizon... All Polka - All the Time! Buying GX was the only way to acquire all the records (literally) they'd need to do it "Why should the get-together be only on Saturday nights! Roll out the barrel -- on your way to work, at lunch, and on your way home!"
Ah, that post has me still laughing!
But seriously, GX94 is in need of MAJOR modernization! It is perhaps the oldest sounding station in the country. A couple of near contenders for the title are CFRY/Portage la Prairie and CJWW/Saskatoon. But the Harvard stations do sound modern with imaging and playlists (even CKRM, believe it or not).
I predict once Harvard takes over GX, the imaging will be completely re-done, news coverage will change and the Saturday night get together will be laid to rest like much of its audience. On the downside, I believe shifts will be cut and the only live 24 hour a day station in Saskatchewan will be no more.
Simply put, GX94 will be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st Century! A good long term direction for GX, but all those Ukranians in Yorkton will sure be upset for a while!
A good long term direction for GX, but all those Ukranians in Yorkton will sure be upset for a while!
Yes indeed, and don't forget to include all the outlying communities the AM serves,with over 200 thousand potentially pissed off listeners.
I jocked the GX Saturday night "get together" for a few months . Believe me, the audience may be aging, but they are out there. When the cows are in the barn on a bitter cold night, Canadian teams are out of the NHL playoffs, and GX is coming in loud and clear, you can bet they're turning up the Frankie-Yankovitch-ian hits, and holding a kitchen party somewhere in Saskatechewan or western Manitoba .
For the better part of 80 years the Yorkton station has come to them over the air and on location . Harvard won't bail on tradition like that.Don't believe me? Listen to CKRM, their flagship station where programming is etched in stone. This stick is where two old school announcers/community fixtures read the weekend Regina Post color comics on Sunday mornings over the air until just a few years ago.
Saskatchewan is all about tradition. GX will be brought into the next decade but not at the expense of the listener.Should be a fun time at the four story plant on the slope.
Btw..still the on-air only control room I'ver ever worked in with a spring loaded floor underneath it! Verrry cool.
Harvard won't bail on tradition like that.Don't believe me? Listen to CKRM, their flagship station where programming is etched in stone. This stick is where two old school announcers/community fixtures read the weekend Regina Post color comics on Sunday mornings over the air until just a few years ago.
Actually it was CKCK which did the Leader Post comics. But your point is well taken.
While CKRM has held on to some of its old school sound with the buy & sell Flea market show and other old types of programming. The station has changed much in the past decade, including the end of polka on Saturday nights.
Saskatchewan AM radio listeners certainly don't embrace change all that well, but there comes a time when management has to say its time to move on and think more long term. Just because a program still sells itself and has a large audience, it doesn't mean the audience is growing.
Just look at television, if a show isn't growing an audience or has an old demo, the show usually won't be around much longer. The best example I can think of is the "Statler Brothers Show" on TNN. The Statlers had a huge audience, but the demo was old and TNN cancelled the show because they wanted a younger demo, not because the show was unsuccessful.
While AM radio is a different game, change still has to occur or you risk becoming totally irrelevant to anyone under 60. I believe GX94 has already become one of those stations. In fact, a switch to the FM dial may not be a bad idea although I can't see it happening anytime soon.
From what I know of GX94, the station has an extremely loyal audience and probably won't embrace change easily. But having worked in country radio for many years, I know that unless you totally screw things up, your audience will remain; although some will whine about the death of polka Saturday night!
I will humbly suggest CFAM Altona, MB (flagship of the GWB Empire) would be my pick for oldest sounding station in the nation, with the listenership to back it up.
Actually, I'd love to see a CRTC intervention from someone in Yorkton asking if Harvard intends to keep the Saturday Night Get Together on the air (citing the elimination of the polkas on CKRM!) and force them to answer the question straight up. If anything, it'd make for entertaining reading on the Commish website!
Regardless of anything, with three upstarts under their belt (Hot AC in Fort Mac, Modern Rock in Calgary, and (if it ever gets on the air) their CHR in Saskatoon), acquiring Yorkton would be the equivalent of getting one's hands on a license to print money.
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"Why should the get-together be only on Saturday nights! Roll out the barrel -- on your way to work, at lunch, and on your way home!"
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