There will soon be fewer songs about drinkin’, cheatin,’ farmin’, and pickup trucks on local radio. As of September 20, radio stations serving Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland will be switched off by their owner.
On September 5, Evanov Communications announced that three of its radio stations will cease operation on September 20, 2024. The stations are CKHK-FM/Hot Country 107.7 in Hawkesbury, CHRC-FM/Hot Country 92.5 in Clarence-Rockland, and CJWL-FM/Lite 98.5 in Ottawa.
According to a press release issued by Evanov Communications, the media landscape has evolved significantly since CJWL-FM, and subsequently the other two stations, went on the air in 2006. The past 18 years have not only seen new outlets and platforms emerge that have eroded traditional radio revenues, but the COVID-19 pandemic was also extremely consequential in contributing to traditional radio listeners forming new habits including driving less, which meant fewer people were part of the number one source of the radio audience—people traveling in automobiles.
The company contends the situation has proven a drain on cash and personnel resources. All broadcasters are now contending with the challenges of increased competition, a difficult media climate, and the residual effects of the pandemic.
“I, together with the consensus of my leadership team, have determined that, under the circumstances, our resources and some key employees with these stations would better serve the company if deployed to our other stations,” Evanov Communications President and CEO Paul Evanov said in the news release.
Among the employees Evanov is retaining following the shutdown of its Ottawa operations are Ted Silver who will bring programming assistance at CHSV-FM (Lite 106.7) in Hudson/St-Lazare and multilingual station CFMB 1280 AM in Montréal. Danielle Cyr who will bring sales expertise to those stations and Brian Sylvester retains duties and responsibilities in the company’s news division.
The Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland stations went on the air in 2006 under Evanov’s former The Jewel branding with a light/easy listening/beautiful music format. On May 3, 2021, their formats changed to current country music with the Hot Country 107.7 branding. The studios in Clarence-Rockland and Hawkesbury were closed and the buildings were sold in 2022. Since then, all programming has originated from Ottawa, but the transmitters remained in and licensed to Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland.
Both Hot Country stations in Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland broadcast in English but included some bilingual advertising.
The only other radio stations serving Hawkesbury and Prescott-Russell are CHPR 102.1 FM, which is mostly a simulcast of CJLA 104.9 FM in Lachute, which is also mostly a simulcast of CIME 103.9 FM in St-Jerome. CHOD FM 92.1 (GO FM) is licensed to Cornwall, but broadcasts from Casselman.
