CJJM-FM

On July 19, the CRTC approved the application by JOCO Communications Inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial FM radio programming undertaking in Espanola, Ontario. The new station would offer a Classic Hits music format with specialty music programming focused on jazz, blues and folklore. The applicant also indicated that the station would offer approximately 113 hours and 24 minutes of local programming in each broadcast week, as defined in Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-158. Of this local programming, 19 hours would be locally-produced spoken word programming, including 12 hours and 12 minutes of local news, sports and weather. The station would also broadcast various lifestyle, community event and public service announcements and, twice weekly, will broadcast a one-hour Aboriginal music and interview program. JOCO also committed to ensure that at least 40% of its category 2 musical selections calculated across the entire broadcast week from Monday to Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., would be Canadian selections, and that 10 hours in each broadcast week will be devoted to category 3 musical selections. The licence would expire 31 August 2013. The station would operate at 99.3 MHz (channel 257A) with an effective radiated power of 794 watts. JOCO also owned bilingual CFSF-FM in Sturgeon Falls.
CJJM-FM began on-the-air testing in mid-December.

CJJM-FM signed on the air in the spring.

On August 12, the CRTC approved the application by The Haliburton Broadcasting Group Inc. for authority to acquire the assets of the radio station CJJM-FM Espanola from JOCO Communications Inc. Haliburton was controlled by Beaumaris Group Inc., a corporation which is, in turn, controlled by Christopher Grossman through his holding of 99.5% of the voting interest. JOCO was owned and controlled by its sole director and shareholder Joseph Cormier.

CJJM became known as MOOSE FM.

On October 19, the CRTC approved the application by Vista Radio Ltd. for authority to acquire from Haliburton Broadcasting Group Inc. the assets of Haliburton’s AM and FM radio stations and their transmitters located in Bancroft, Barry’s Bay, Bolton, Bracebridge, Caledon, Cochrane, Elliot Lake, Espanola, Fort Erie, Haldimand, Haliburton, Hearst, Huntsville, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Kemptville, Niagara Falls, North Bay, Parry Sound, Prescott, St. Catharines, Stratford, Sturgeon Falls and Timmins. Vista was a corporation controlled by Westerkirk Capital Inc., in turn controlled by Thompson Investments Limited. CJJM-FM was among the stations acquired by Vista.

Peter Hobbs joined Vista Radio as regional cluster General Manager/Sales Manager for the company’s stations in North Bay, Sturgeon Falls, Espanola and Elliot Lake as well as overseeing Timmins. Hobbs, based in North Bay, was most recently the General Sales Manager at the three-station Bell Media Hamilton cluster. He began at Vista on November 18.