Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Radio News from British Columbia

Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby radiofan » Fri Oct 20, 2017 1:09 pm

As was predicted, a format change has happened at Kelowna's Q 103.1 ... At noon today, the Q dropped it's Hor A/c format and has relaunched as 103.1 Beach Radio with hits of the 80s and 90s ...

Kelowna!! You did it! We asked YOU in a recent market survey and you told us what you wanted.. it was quite clear, you wanted BIG songs you know and love, MORE music and hosts that make you feel alive! We hear you loud and clear, and we promise to deliver! Collectively "we" have built your NEW "103-1 Beach Radio"! Playing the greatest hits from the 80's and 90's! It will feature fun and upbeat On AIr Hosts (some of which you know and love, and even some new ones) and a music mix that will make it hard to get of the car, and possibly make you late for work.. sorry about that, not totally sorry about that! :) Now, there is a Beach you can go to all year round! Welcome, and enjoy - we are beyond happy to have you in our family!

http://www.beachradiokelowna.ca/
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby radiofan » Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:21 pm

JPBG Media Release ...

Image
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby ThisIsNotCBC » Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:30 pm

Methinks that the format flip (and that's what it is, a format flip - not a "new station" as they're marketing it as) is a response to the impending takeover of 103.9 FM by Castanet's Avenue Radio and its relaunch as Okanagan Oldies.
User avatar
ThisIsNotCBC
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 129
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:19 pm

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Howaboutthat » Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:10 pm

I've been listening and looking at the playlists, BTW it's good to hear Charlee Morgan in the evening, and can't help but notice that at least a third of the songs are also played on the station down the hall.
More programming geniusness from Ross Winters?
Houston, We're dealing with morons!.
User avatar
Howaboutthat
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:28 pm
Location: Vernon

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby pave » Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:33 am

Good intentions, a buck, ninety-five and uniformed leadership at the switch doeth a train wreck make.
Too bad, as Kelowna is a terrific town. They deserve and would support better.
pave
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1618
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 12:22 pm

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Rocky » Sat Oct 21, 2017 2:35 pm

I hope Mr Winters and his crew had the "research" done by some company other than the one who sold them on Calgary's need for a second Country station.

Successful stations running this format in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver? Really? The successful stations I can think of in those markets play 60's thru the 80s.

Wasn't Winters the PD at CFMI who imported Tom and Jerry from Winnipeg? Enough said. :pottytrain2:
User avatar
Rocky
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 179
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 4:47 pm
Location: Didsbury, AB

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Doug » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:34 pm

Sampling the music right now...it's pretty good so far, similar music to 103.9 Juice FM, actually, but more big hits and more 80s music I would say versus, say, 70s and 90s from Juice FM. Not a real fan of the new logo (and name) and the callsign could use a flip, too, perhaps CHBR? DanSys, you seem to be the Industry Canada guy...off the top of your head, is that one taken? ;)

You're right, though, when one station flips formats, often another struggling one will as well. I probably would've preferred, maybe, a soft AC format that Silk FM abandoned a number of years ago when they rebranded as EZ Rock but this would likely be my "go to" Kelowna FM radio station (alongside K96.3, although I find the signal for K96.3 a bit weak perhaps and often a little "crackly" out here in West Kelowna, where is K96.3's transmitter anyway and does it have more to do with that or its signal power? DanSys? Jon?).

I hate the new Oldies 103.9 logo, absolutely disgusting! It looks like something I would've been able to make and my graphics design skills suck! I also don't think it'll be successful on second reflection...oldies format terrestrial AM stations struggle and devoting an FM frequency to that format is destined for failure (what was Rogers' oldies-esque station in Vancouver a few years ago called!? ;)) and oldies format free Internet radio stations are a dime a dozen...not to mention free and subscription streaming services and Stingray.

Perhaps Frost is hoping for one of two things to happen:
- he wants it to fail with the format flip so he can flip to news/talk and further entrench Castanet's shoddy journalism into our ears instead of just in front of our eyes; or,
- he wants to test a few formats, find one that works then flip it in a relatively quick sale and return on investment, having picked it up on the cheap from Vista.

Let's face it, though, Castanet Media's (and let's face it, Avenue Radio Ltd is just a "shell company" to hold the radio asset, sort of like those "sidecars" that Sinclair and others use for TV stations use in the U.S. to get around ownership requirements) Oldies 103.9 is being marketed as a "new station" too, not a format flip. So, they all do it. :)

I just heard a few ads on 103.1 Beach Radio...why didn't they call it "103.1 The Beach," like in other markets at least? CBCH-FM (can an FM and a TV station share the same four-letter callsign?) could be a good callsign. Anyway, I'm digressing...back to the ads, does anyone else find it annoying when there's two different announcers speaking in an ad as if they're chatting back and forth and they format it so one person's voice only comes in your left ear (or left speaker) and the other person's voice comes in the right ear (or right speaker)? I hate that!

Ooooh..."Eye of the Tiger" just came on, now that's a good song! ;)

Cheers,
Doug
Doug
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 405
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: West Kelowna, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Doug » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:39 pm

What's their official format now? I'll need to update the Wikipedia page when I get a chance.

Cheers,
Doug
Doug
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 405
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: West Kelowna, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Howaboutthat » Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:44 pm

dmehus wrote:What's their official format now? I'll need to update the Wikipedia page when I get a chance.

Cheers,
Doug


Didn't know they had to have one.
Houston, We're dealing with morons!.
User avatar
Howaboutthat
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:28 pm
Location: Vernon

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Dan Sys » Sun Oct 22, 2017 8:54 am

Doug asked:
Not a real fan of the new logo (and name) and the callsign could use a flip, too, perhaps CHBR? DanSys, you seem to be the Industry Canada guy...off the top of your head, is that one taken?


Yes, it's taken. A low power repeater of CIFM 98.3 Kamloops in Shalath, B.C. currently has the CHBR calls.

CBCH-FM (can an FM and a TV station share the same four-letter callsign?) could be a good callsign.


CBC stations have the exclusive use of the CB__ call letters in Canada. Yes, a radio and TV station can share the same call letters, There have been many examples over the years (CKY Winnipeg, CHEX Peterborough, CKCK Regina, etc.).
User avatar
Dan Sys
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1887
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:05 pm
Location: Aldergroove, B.C.

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Doug » Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:39 am

Howaboutthat wrote:Didn't know they had to have one.


Isn't it required for by the two national radio ad sales organizations, Canadian Broadcast Sales and Bell Media Radio Sales, though? Also, doesn't the CRTC try and associate official formats with various licensed stations and keep records of format changes?

Cheers,
Doug
Doug
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 405
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: West Kelowna, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Doug » Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:47 am

Dan Sys wrote:Yes, it's taken. A low power repeater of CIFM 98.3 Kamloops in Shalath, B.C. currently has the CHBR calls.


Thanks...I figured you'd know, DanSys! It's kind of a shame that those call letters which would be useful for many abbreviations are just that of a low-power repeater! Another question, do repeaters have to use four-letter callsigns that begin with the letter C (i.e., could a moderately high power repeater on an AM or FM band use the VF#### style callsign that is more generic?) and does Canada have all the callsigns that begin with the letter C or just certain ones (i.e., CB--, CF--, CH--, CI--, CJ--, CK--, CL--, any others? And, what international organization delegates call letters to countries/regions and under what statutory authority/international agreement?)?

CBC stations have the exclusive use of the CB__ call letters in Canada. Yes, a radio and TV station can share the same call letters, There have been many examples over the years (CKY Winnipeg, CHEX Peterborough, CKCK Regina, etc.).


Oh, interesting! Didn't know that...did they pay for that and for what period? Any knowledge of when it was last renewed?

You're such a good knowledge of technical information! Did you ever work on-air in radio or just behind the scenes, maintaining transmitters and such?

Cheers,
Doug
Doug
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 405
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: West Kelowna, BC

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Aaron » Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:09 pm

dmehus wrote:
Howaboutthat wrote:Didn't know they had to have one.


Isn't it required for by the two national radio ad sales organizations, Canadian Broadcast Sales and Bell Media Radio Sales, though? Also, doesn't the CRTC try and associate official formats with various licensed stations and keep records of format changes?

Cheers,
Doug


CBS and Bell Media sales certainly *list* formats, but there's no real criteria for their definition. The agencies they deal with by and large don't care. As for the CRTC, I don't think they track (beyond specialty licenses) much, and also have no criteria as to their definitions, either. Having been in a PD chair for regular renewal audits and a format change or two, it never came up.
Aaron
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 782
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:21 pm

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby Dan Sys » Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:55 am

This Wikipedia article should answer most of your questions about Canadian call letters Doug:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_signs_in_Canada

I can't quite figure out what determines if a C___ or a VF____ call letter is assigned though. There are a few examples in the country of locally produced community stations that operate with the VF_____ calls (ie-"STOKE FM" VF2590 92.5 in Revelstoke, "CVCR" VF8023 101.1 in Aylesford, NS, and several others in the far north). However some rebroadcasters operating with as little power as 1 watt have C____ calls. The latter seems really dumb to me as ISEDC is rapidly running out of available call letters under the existing allotment.
User avatar
Dan Sys
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1887
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:05 pm
Location: Aldergroove, B.C.

Re: Q 103.1 is now 103.1 Beach Radio

Postby jon » Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:53 am

dmehus wrote:Also, doesn't the CRTC try and associate official formats with various licensed stations and keep records of format changes?

Expanding on what Aaron said on this point, a Format is part of a License Application, and that CRTC does take it into consideration, but License conditions never state Formats. Instead, a minimum percentage of one of the CRTC's Content Category or Subcategory is what ends up in a License. That occurs infrequently enough that Licenses with those Category requirements are called Specialty Licenses.

As well as the License, there are a few Category minimums and maximums in the Radio Regulations, most notably in the differing amounts of CanCon in some of the Music Categories.

I believe that this is the most recent definition of CRTC Content Categories:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-819.htm
User avatar
jon
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 9256
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 am
Location: Edmonton

Next

Return to British Columbia

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 133 guests