CRTC approves sale of Radio Classique 99.5, conversion to pop format

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has approved a proposal to sell Montreal’s Radio Classique 99.5 FM to a company that plans to convert it from a classical to pop music format.

In a decision published Friday, the CRTC said the $4.9-million sale “will have a positive impact on the station’s sustainability and will serve the public interest.”

Radio Classique, which has stations in Montreal and Quebec City, has been owned by musician Gregory Charles since 2015.

The Quebec City station is not part of the transaction and will retain its classical music format. Charles also says Radio Classique will be available online and through cable TV providers for Montrealers to keep listening to it.

The Montreal station’s new owner is Leclerc Communication, which owns WKND 91.9 and BLVD 102.1 in Quebec City. Leclerc tried to enter the Montreal market in 2018 by acquiring 91.9 Sports from RNC Media, but that deal fell through when the CRTC refused to allow it to also buy Quebec City’s CHOI Radio X.

Leclerc confirmed Friday it would copy its WKND brand for the new Montreal station, which will become WKND 99.5 “in the coming months.” It said the new station would “bet on authenticity, spontaneity and proximity of its hosts with listeners.”

The company has promised to devote a quarter of its French-language songs to those by emerging artists. Leclerc says although the WKND format is popular music, it plays songs not found on other stations in Montreal.

In a separate decision also released Friday, the CRTC approved the $20-million sale of the V television network to Bell Media. V, formerly known as TQS, has five stations in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Saguenay and Trois-rivières. As part of the approval, the CRTC has increased Bell’s obligations related to French-language Canadian programming and local programming.

Bell has promised to bring local newsrooms back to the V stations next year. In a statement, Karine Moses, president of Bell Media Quebec, said “this is a new era for the Quebec television ecosystem.”

Maxime Rémillard, the controlling shareholder of V, will remain the owner of V’s sister specialty channels, Elle Fictions (formerly Musiqueplus) and MAX (formerly Musimax).