Bell Media Radio, G.P. (formerly CHUM Radio), operating as iHeartRadio Canada, is the radio broadcasting and music events subsidiary of Canadian media conglomerate Bell Media, a division of BCE Inc.. The company owns stations across the country, including in most of Canada's largest radio markets. The company's programming is distributed to other stations across Canada via its syndication division, Orbyt Media, and it is also the local licensee of the Virgin Radio brand.
iHeartRadio Canada's originated in 1945 as CHUM Radio which was then acquired by CTVglobemedia in 2007 and expanded upon the acquisition of Astral Media in 2013. Today the company operates over 71 radio stations across the country.
History
The company has its origins in CHUM Limited, which was acquired by CTVglobemedia in 2006. Through subsequent acquisitions, it also subsumed the radio properties of Astral Media in 2013; many of these were former Standard Radio stations that were acquired by Astral in 2007.
In 2016, Bell Media reached a licensing agreement with U.S. radio conglomerate iHeartMedia to operate a localized version of its internet radio platform iHeartRadio, and organize Canadian versions of its event franchises (such as the Jingle Ball). Since this agreement, Bell has primarily promoted its audio content, including radio stations and podcasts, under the public-facing brand iHeartRadio Canada.
In 2023, Bell Media laid off 6% of its workforce and closed nine of its radio stations and sold three as part of a restructuring plan and consolidated newsrooms across its platforms, resulting in its news/talk stations laying off most of their news staff and relying instead on the local and national newsrooms of CTV News. Stations closed included Winnipeg's CFRW, Calgary's CKMX, Edmonton's CFRN, Vancouver's CFTE and CKST and London's CJBK while Hamilton's CKOC and CHAM and Windsor's CKWW were sold[2] to CINA Radio Group for $455,000.[3]
Its head office is currently located at 250 Richmond Street West in Toronto, where the studios of its Toronto flagship stations CHUM-FM, CKFM-FM, CFRB and CHUM-AM are located. CHUM-AM and CHUM-FM moved from their historic location, 1331 Yonge Street, after the property was sold to Aspen Ridge Homes for $21.5 million.[6][7] Former Standard Radio stations CFRB and CKFM were previously located at the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue West until 2013.[8]
The CHUM neon sign in 2010, relocated to 250 Richmond Street West
CHUM Radio also previously operated CHUM Satellite Services, a multimedia division which provided programming and production services for corporate clients. This operation was acquired in 2009 by Stingray Digital,[9] which eventually renamed it Stingray360.
On January 6, 2016, iHeartMedia announced that Bell Media would enter into a licensing deal to launch a Canadian version of its radio streaming service iHeartRadio. Bell will handle Canadian licensing, marketing, and distribution of the service, contribute its content to the venture, and also gain rights to produce iHeartRadio-branded events. The service launched in October 2016.[10]
Since then, Bell has downplayed the branding "Bell Media Radio" in reference to its stations, and has referred to the collective platform, including the terrestrial stations, online outlets (which were all consolidated under iHeartRadio.ca) and podcasts from Bell Media properties that are distributed under the platform, under the name iHeartRadio Canada. The MuchMusic Video Awards were also re-branded as the iHeartRadio MMVAs.
Programming
Bell's stations broadcast under various formats, although hot adult contemporary and adult hits are particularly common. The stations typically air locally produced or voice-tracked programming for the majority of their schedules, although some national network programming also airs. In 2007 and part of 2008, the hot adult contemporary radio stations also aired the national evening program The Sound Lounge.[11]
As of 2021, the majority of Bell Media's music radio stations operate under standard, networked formats with a mix of local and/or common national programming.[12][13] These brands include.
Bounce: Adult hits stations. 25 stations adopted the branding upon its launch on May 18, 2021, with the largest being Winnipeg's CFWM-FM and Hamilton's CKLH-FM; the majority of the stations that flipped included adult contemporary, hot adult contemporary, active rock, adult hits, and classic hits stations, including all remaining Bob FM and EZ Rock-branded stations operated by the company.[13]
Pure Country: Country stations. 13 stations adopted the branding upon its launch on May 28, 2019, including 12 existing stations and newly flipped CKLC-FM in Kingston. All stations carry a midday show hosted by Shannon Ella, and The Bobby Bones Show.[15][16]
Bell inherited Astral's Boom FM (classic hits) and EZ Rock (adult contemporary) brands during the acquisition as well: presently, Boom FM is used only by two Bell-owned stations, both in Quebec, and the majority of English-language stations using the brand are owned by Stingray Radio (who had acquired the flagship outlet in Toronto, CHBM-FM, as part of divestments during the acquisition). The last remaining EZ Rock-branded stations in Canada were phased out with the launch of the Bounce and Move brands.
Until 2024, Bell also operated three networked brands featuring talk and spoken word programming. Except for TSN Radio (which features a mix of local programming and other acquired sports talk programs and event broadcasts, often syndicated from ESPN Radio and Westwood One), the majority of this programming was automated with little local content:
Funny (until 2024): Carried stand-up comedy. Was initially a Canadian licensee of the U.S. radio network 24/7 Comedy.[20][17][21]
TSN Radio: Sports talk stations, co-branded with Bell's TSN sports channel. Three of the TSN Radio stations were formerly part of a larger but short-lived national sports radio network known as The Team, which was launched by CHUM Limited in 2001 on virtually all of the company's AM radio stations across Canada, but was dissolved in 2002 due to poor ratings. The stations that did not remain AM sports radio stations are either oldies or news/talk formats.[22]
Following the sale or closure of numerous Bell stations in 2023 and 2024, the BNN Bloomberg and Funny radio brands were no longer in use. Aside from three TSN Radio stations, Bell's remaining news/talk stations carry local programming with some regionally or nationally-syndicated shows, and audio simulcasts of CTV News programs, under the iHeartRadio Talk Network[23] branding.
In November 2024, Bell Media announced new programming in collaboration with Canadian musician Bryan Adams (in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his album Reckless), including a "Bryan Adams Radio" channel on iHeartRadio, and a new syndicated radio show presented by Adams that will launch in January 2025.[28]
