by Scott Brown, Patrick Johnston
February 9, 2021
TSN 1040, Vancouver’s longest-running sports radio station, has been removed from the airwaves.
The radio station, also known as CKST, appears to be latest victim of cuts by parent company Bell Canada.
A recorded announcement that played on that station at 9:30 a.m. stated that a new format for CKST would be announced on Friday at 7 a.m.
“This was a difficult decision but the reality of the quickly evolving broadcast media landscape in Canada have made this change unavoidable. We want to thank our on-air personalities, advertising partners and sponsors, and everyone who has contributed to this station, but especially we want to thank you, our listeners,” the statement said.
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End of sport’s radio in Vancouver…Thanks Bell !
So how much money did Bell just take from the federal government in Covid-19 relief? Someone is making off like a bandit.
Best of luck to all those axed by Bell across the nation. I’ve been part of a mass layoff, and it’s hard losing your job knowing you did your best and still got the boot. Radio has become one of the most brutal businesses out there. On par with Roman gladiators when it comes to longevity.
Well, I am most certainly going to miss The Moj and the CFL coverage.
As for Sekeres and Price, the incessent social justice crap coming from whatever sports thing they were talking about got me to switch off or spin the dial.
Moj, I hope you get a sideways move to 650.
Sekeres and Price, learn to code.
As for Bell Media, have you connected the dots yet? All the 24/7 china virus doom and gloom and Tam and Henry are here to save us nonsense coming from your various media outlets have led you to this very spot. An “own goal” if there ever was one.
Funny 1040. Like two other aging AM signals Bell owns in Calgary and Hamilton. Funny 1060 and Funny 820. That seems to be the educated guess. Fred and Humble host a morning show in Hamilton, hard to say who or what will fill in the spaces between comedians and commercials.
All-comedy is the new format from what I’ve heard?
No way that’s going to be a ratings success. But I guess if savings money is their objective, it’s on-track considering it sounds like mostly US-based syndicated programming.
This had to happen. When you have huge costs in payroll and production and the ratings show you duking it out with a religious station from the US and a traffic station you know something has to give. They should have bit the bullet right after losing the Canucks rights and they would have saved millions. Running the comedy station will be miniscule in cost with ratings that are probably similar or maybe better than the sports format.
I did like several of the hosts but have to admit I was getting sick of the non sports chatter and political talk. When I tune in for sports I want to hear sports, although I am sure it was a financial decision which on paper took about 5 minutes to sell.
I kinda expected this. We dont really need two sports stations. But trouble is, will 104.3 the breeze switch to sports preemptively soon? I know simone killed cisl 650 and let the rogers guys in to help with the switch, will she do the same with 104.3 I wonder like the first commercial fm talk station of any kind???? Or will 1410 change back to sports???? Who knows???? Maybe 730 will switch back after being traffic for 15 years now??? Anything can happen, one of those will
Wow, but when you see the low ratings 1040 and yes even 650 get, I’m not surprised. I have not really tuned into either Vancouver sports stations much in the last year or so as the staff also GOT WOKE and spoke too much non-sports , social, political riff raff in recent times.
Quite simply people who tune into sports radio, do it for an escape, they do not want to hear much on politics nor social “injustice” talk. THEY WANT TO HEAR ONLY SPORTS AND SPORTS CULTURE!
News Talk is ‘woke’ enough already, so yeah, no ‘woke’ bull sh*t in sports radio ok?
That said the culture of pro sports for the fans has become pablum like and bland. It’s this everyone deserves a ribbon and or (manipulated) shot at a championship ideal. Rules and regs have not created parity but have created mediocrity on the playing surface.
The NHL use to say before loser points and shite like that, that often some teams would be out of the playoff race by earl/mid January, so rules and regs changed along with OTL loser point and shootout crap points, keeping these otherwise lousy teams in the race… WELL IF YOUR TEAM WAS SO BAD THAT IT WAS MORE OR LESS OUT OF A PLAYOFF RACE BY NEW YEARS, THEN IT FRIGGING DESERVED TO BE OUT OF A PLAYOFF RACE BY NEW YEARS!!!
Leagues like the NHL would like every team in an 82 game season finish with or around 82 points in the standings. IT’S BORING!!! IT’S UNION HOCKEY !!!( much the same with other pro sports).
Talking with buddies I note how I miss dynasties. If the team being a dynasty is your favourite YOU LOVED IT! If the team was one you did not cheer for you loved to see other teams rise up to beat them. When the Habs were a dynasty, me as a kid LOVED IT!!!! But when the Oilers were one I frigging hated them and loved it when they would lose a game or maybe a playoff matchup .
In baseball when the N.Y. Yankees rolled through dynasty periods, every visiting stadium they played would more or less sell out for the Yankees. Pro sports no longer has that kind of magic and zeal for fans.
The tv or radio broadcasts most often have also lost their charm and emotions. Inside arenas or stadiums the games seem to take second place to the hype, plasticky, side show and crap.
I think sports only radio is on its last legs for it no-longer provides the pleasant distraction it once had.
Feel bad for all, but the writing’s been on the wall for at least the last couple of years. Not having the Canucks was simply the final nail in the coffin.
I want a music station, like the exact playlist they are playing now! In fact I’ve listened longer today to 1040 then I have ever before! Nice playlist. How about going back to 1040 Kicks or something and play music. Comedy on radio is garbage. It doesnt translate well as visuals in comedy are just as important.
Look at the last ratings for 1040 they were behind the religious station in Lynden, had a huge unjustifiable payroll for their numbers and of course had abysmal female numbers. Add it all up and you come to what happened today. On paper, the Rogers Sports outlet should have gotten the silver bullet long ago but they have the Canuck games and probably will show ok numbers once they pickup most of the 1040 audience. You have to remember people were saying Vancouver wasnt a 2 sports station market at the time Rogers started their outlet.
Actually, amy, said music format already exists in 103.5 and ironically increasingly 104.3. And dont forget 107.7 in surrey. If not comedy, I hope an easy listening station like the jewel fm cluster back east (60s-today) or even a 50s 60s 70s oldie station or a standards one. Anything with 50s-today as a mainstay will keep me hooked too. Program director of 104.3 has very limited musical intelligence and too arrogant. Sad to say. Like I get it “leave the station in ironic hipster mode, because we gotta stay on topic, in market cause after all this is the attic of hipsterville u.s.a” – were way too talented for that one!!!!
And responding to les, I agree. No ‘woke’ and ‘ok boomer’ in radio especially music radio for the latter, eh??? Got that in terms of the latter, simone and devon from breeze fm vancouver???
Wondering how Paul Carson would have taken today’s news. A lot of storied talent passed through the TEAM/TSN 1040 studios over the years. Perhaps this development is also an indication that the appetite for professional sports is diminishing.
This is really sad news I hope the general manager gets fired a comedy station not good with me fans switch to am 650 for all your sports
It will be really interesting to see if Sportsnet goes after any of the TSN free agent talent, none of whom have non-compete language in their exit clauses. SN sounds so amateur and so young. You know there would be more support for that station with even a couple of seasoned voices to supplement or replace some of the current lineup.
I certainly will not be listening to Bell Media any more Team 1040 was great and now they introduced the format of Comedy. What a joke it is terrible First Bell changes QMFM to Move FM as QMFM was fine then they got rid of CFUN as that the best station on the AM dial. I hope to good they fire the General Manager at Bell in Vancouver for making such stupid mistakes. If your are looking for Sports tune in to 650 on the AM dial
Maybe 104.3 will change to sports against the odds in a month or two or three. If not, the bc lions will have to move to 650. But you never know at this time with this robotic walking talking meme simone being pd of 104.3.
John Dough SN sounds amateur and young because their people make less money which probably suits Rogers just right.
A large part of the reason for the demise of 1040 was the high cost of on air folks who had years of experience but came with a large price tag what was not supported by the appeal of the station. Rogers will absorb most of the audience from 1040 which will allow them to look relatively respectable as long as they can keep their payroll and operating costs down.
1040 Comedy? LOL! Ya that IS a joke. Listened today, nothing but boring garbage.
I am just wondering how Rogers will approach the Whitecaps and Lions games. Will they even be interested in airing the games and if they are will it just be on a pay for play arrangement with the teams.
At that point it might make sense for the teams to just offer radio play by play on an app.
Either that, or 104.9 or 96.9 will switch to sports. Or 104.3 will be sold to rogers, then change to sports. Especially when the music on the latter is hard to differentiate mostly except for certain occasions, and even before the switch to easy listening. One of those might happen.
Unlikely that any other station would switch to sports. Lions and Whitecaps games are probably more an expense than a ratings boost if the teams aren’t doing that well. If playoffs entered the picture, you might see another station take up the broadcasting for the duration, similar to what happened for the Canadian hockey games in the 2010 Winter Olympics.