Format Change in Montreal

Montreal news / talk station 940 Montreal became AM 940, Montreal's Greatest Hits on Saturday, June 14th at 5 PM (EST). They are playing what's being described as the greatest hits of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. I am listening to the new format online as I am writing this, and I must say, I like what I'm hearing so far. In fact, just by listening to their current playlist and their retro-style jingles, I see lots of similarity between AM 940 and New York City's legendary WCBS-FM, which features a similar format and tagline (hence the above picture). Even their new, cool-looking logo has a very retro feel to it, but I think they could have gone with something a bit more colorful. I guess there simply wasn't enough money in the budget for fancy colors, so they just slapped something together really fast. Maybe they'll inject some color into the logo later on.

Anyway, this format change gives the city its first greatest hits station since the former Oldies 990 (CKGM) flipped to a sports talk format known as The Team 990 in 2001. The station's official launch will take place on Canada Day at 9:40 AM; until then, they're playing a preview of what the new format will sound like. CBS-FM is currently doing well in NYC, so that might mean that AM 940 might have a legitimate shot of having similar success here in Montreal. Here's hoping the format change pays off for them.

Now, the reason why this format change occurred was due to the fact that the ratings just weren't there. According to some articles I read, under its news / talk format, 940 had the lowest ratings among English stations in the Montreal market. And thus, something had to be done. So they handed pink slips to 18 of their regular staffers, including morning man Dennis Trudeau, midday host Joe Cannon, and afternoon host Aphrodite Salas - all of whom are fine individuals, by the way. The announcement of the format change came as a bit of a surprise to yours truly, as when I was there serving as an intern for a day for a school assignment, newscaster Michael Dean came in and said that the AM ratings for the station were great. About a month later, they announce they're changing formats. This is a prime example of how quickly things can change in the radio business. One day, you might have a steady job at a radio station with your own show and everything, and the next day, your boss will be handing you a pink slip. And just like that, it's all over. You're without a job, and your only option is to look for a new one at whatever station will hire you. To the 18 people who were let go by 940 - especially those that I met during my 1-day intern stint - , I wish you all the best of luck with your careers, and I hope to hear you on the Montreal airwaves sometime soon.

Have any of you out there heard the new AM 940 yet? What do you think of it so far? Do you think it will last? Do you remember Oldies 990? Post your comments, reactions, and memories here.

Speaking of format changes, starting next month, I'm going to premiere a new segment here on my blog called the Format Change of the Month. Every month, I'll post an audio clip of a radio station undergoing a format change. I'll post a clip of the official launch of 940's new greatest hits format when it occurs next month. That will be the first in a series of format changes that will be posted here for you all to enjoy. After all, what's more historic than then end of one thing and the beginning of another?

Until next time...

I remain,

-Mad Mark.