Who says Rogers and Bell Media have the last word on sports radio in Canada?
Over the past few years, sports radio stations across Western Canada have gone dark. Earlier this month, Rogers pulled the plug on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver and Sportsnet 960 in Calgary, leaving both cities without sports radio.
This follows Bell Media’s decision to close TSN 1040 in Vancouver in 2021 and TSN 1290 in Winnipeg in 2023.
Edmonton fell victim to this downward trend, with Bell Media abruptly stopping broadcasting station TSN 1260 in 2023. The Alberta capital has since rebounded, bringing back sports radio without the help of major Canadian telecommunications companies.
The city currently boasts two dedicated sports radio platforms: Sports 1440 broadcasts to AM radio audiences over the airwaves, while Edmonton Sports Talk is pioneering an online approach that also includes FM radio.
Neither platform has any affiliation with Rogers or Bell Media.
Much of the credit goes to two former TSN 1260 hosts, Jason Gregor and Dustin Nielson.
Returning to the AM dial
Jason Gregor rushed to get Sports 1440 on the air. (@jasonwgregor/Instagram)
Gregor, owner of Just A Game Productions, was instrumental in bringing Sports 1440 to life. He partnered with Stingray Radio just three months after TSN 1260 closed.
“(TSN 1260) was making money, it was a profitable station, so it was not because of the profit, but because of the lack of the right vision as to why they closed it,” Gregor told Daily Hive. “(Sports radio) was a comfort for (Edmonton sports fans) in their lives… It became very common for people.
“Taking that away is difficult and hard, and that’s a big reason why I decided to really work on pushing radio back.”
Gregor and Stingray worked quickly to make this happen, taking advantage of existing infrastructure and developing a workable plan. The quick turnaround and strong partnership between Gregor and Stingray Radio are key reasons why Sports 1440 has been so successful from the start.
Stingray Radio President Steve Jones told Daily Hive that time is of the essence for Vancouver and Calgary to do the same. The longer it takes, the more difficult it will be.
“I think it’s going to take time because once you lose it, it’s hard to get it back. Once the infrastructure that powers (sports radio in Calgary and Vancouver) is dismantled, it’s going to be hard to rebuild,” Jones told Daily Hive.
“He may never return to these markets; this is a real problem for these markets.”
Finding ownership
Rogers closed Sportsnet radio stations in Vancouver and Calgary. (@linaset/Instagram)
When it came to the sudden closure of sports radio stations across the country, Rogers and Bell were very unhappy. This has alienated fans in Western Canada, who believe these companies are favoring Toronto over markets such as Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Edmonton.
Jones is in a unique position when it comes to Canadian media. Unlike Rogers or Bell, radio is a top priority for the Stingray. This is their main driving force in everything they do, and it makes sense that they would be more patient with this remedy.
He says that’s not the case for the big telecom companies that have jumped into the sports radio business.
“I don’t have my own view on the decision-making process at Rogers or Bell. They have a whole host of other interests in the media and beyond that take their attention away from radio… So, in some cases, radio becomes quite insignificant on its income statement.” – said Jones.
Development of the environment
Dustin Nielson is the driving force behind Edmonton Sports Talk. (@reidwilkins/Instagram)
What about Edmonton Sports Talk?
Nielson finds himself on the other side of the coin when it comes to sports media development, serving as on-air host and CEO of Edmonton Sports Talk.
The 45-year-old broadcaster was a veteran of Edmonton AM sports radio with TSN 1260, having hosted a highly successful morning show on the station since 2009. Nielson told Daily Hive he had an offer to return to Edmonton AM radio after TSN 1260 closed, but turned it down.
Instead, he decided to use an online streaming platform that emulates sports radio through live broadcasts on YouTube.
“If you do a good show and the station still gets shut down, you think, “Well, what did we do wrong?” It’s not that we did anything wrong, Nielson said, it’s that companies don’t want to spend money on AM radio anymore. Why would I stay on AM radio at that point?”
Nielson’s morning show also recently received airplay on FM radio, airing on 95.7 Cruz FM in Edmonton. The idea of moving sports radio to FM is a new concept in Canada, and even Jones mentioned that this could be the future of sports radio in Canada.
“When you combine the pure quality of an FM signal with digital distribution on platforms like TuneIn, Radio Player Canada or iHeart, you get distribution to an entire generation of people who don’t even know AM radio exists,” Jones said.
“You offer people the ability to take it with them wherever they go, beyond signal range or around the world.”
It was risky to move away from an established medium like AM radio to an online format, but Nielson doesn’t seem to have any regrets.
“It’s been almost three years, and we now have more employees here than we did at 1260. Internet, except for something I didn’t expect, isn’t going to be canceled anytime soon, so I think we’ll probably be okay.”
Unmatched community support
From the ashes of TSN 1260 have risen two dominant sports radio alternatives for Edmontonians. Both have been operating for just under three years and seem to coexist successfully.
The move away from these big telecom companies helped provide stability, and the enthusiasm of Gregor and Nilsson helped build brands. However, it would all be for naught without the support of both Edmonton sports fans and a group of eager advertisers willing to spend money on both media outlets.
“We make our living from advertisers, it’s as simple as that. If we didn’t have them, it wouldn’t work. If we didn’t have a huge following that would benefit customers, it wouldn’t work,” Nielson said.
“It really comes down to making sure we have a loyal following that follows us here and continues to grow.”
It was a combination of Gregor and Nilsson working to create two separate successful business models, and the market responded positively.
Reviving sports radio in Vancouver and Calgary will be a big project for whoever takes it on, but someone will have to take a risk if the medium has any hope of surviving in those cities.
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