Six Canadian radio stations, including three AM stations which I've heard nightly for ages, have been shut down by Canada's Rogers Sports & Media company. The announcement to shut the stations down happened earlier today, July 7th, 2026.
The stations, which are mostly news and sports, include 660 CFFR Calgary (which I've heard since they came on the airwaves in 1982); 1130 CKWX Vancouver (which I used to hear as a kid, on my old Penncrest AM-FM-SW radio); 650 CISL Vancouver, which was all sports; 960 CFAC Calgary, which was also all sports; as well as an AM station in Kitchener, Ontario and an FM News station in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The closures will lay off 230 people, including 80 people who work at the radio stations.
You can read about the station closures here.:
The statements made by Rogers' spokesmen included the usual blather about changing media conditions and the like -- the spokesman said there were 'declining radio audiences' and 'declining revenues'. They also mentioned that they still have news on TV stations in many Canadian cities, as well as online streams.
CKWX was one of the first Canadian stations I ever heard. And CFFR, which was a blockbuster signal out of Calgary, I used to hear shortly after it came on the airwaves in 1982, when I had just re-discovered the AM radio DX hobby.
I also used to hear CFAC 960 nightly, with local talk about Calgary hockey team the Flames, as well as their CFL team. I often heard two sports stations on 960 -- CFAC and KLAD Klamath Falls, Oregon. Now it appears KLAD will be the sports talker on 960 at night.
This bloodbath in Canadian Radio isn't a new thing. A few years back there were 6 AM stations shut down by the Bell media company, and there were several AM'ers and FM stations sold by another company in the same post-Pandemic time period.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR RADIO IN GENERAL
The closure of these stations, especially the Sports talk stations, indicate that Radio in general is in trouble. As I posted recently, FM stations are increasing their 'spot loads' (up to 15 commercials in a row sometimes), and AM'ers are going off the air each year. Most stations that shut down are in small markets where there isn't enough local business support to keep them on the air.
In the Northwest US there have been several such AM station closures over the past few years, especially since the Pandemic: KUTI 1460 Yakima WA, KNPT 1370 Newport OR, KDUN 1030 Reedsport OR, KRLC 1350 Lewiston ID, KGRG-1 1330 Auburn WA, and a few others. So far, there haven't been any FM station closures in the NW US, aside from HD-2's being turned off.
But the writing is on the wall, for both AM and FM. As I mentioned in my previous blog article on Radio Dying, when I hear between 9 and 15 commercials per break on highly rated FM stations, that's an indication that FM is having some trouble.
EVEN THE SPORTS STATIONS MAY BE IN TROUBLE
Sports stations generally can make money because they have a lock on male listeners. Sports stations don't need to have good ratings to bill well. This is well known in Radio circles, and Radio pros and experts online will say this repeatedly -- Sports stations don't need ratings. If an advertiser wants to reach men, Sports stations are almost guaranteed to deliver.
At the same time, Rogers Media determined that two Sports stations weren't making enough money -- as they pulled the plug on both CISL 650 and CFAC 960.
Whether those two stations were actually making money at all or not, only Rogers knows.
Not too long after the Pandemic ended, a prominent Sports station in Edmonton, Alberta had its plug pulled. 1260 CFRN, which apparently had good ratings, was deemed unprofitable for some reason and was switched off with a few other AM stations in Western Canada.
Now I always hear local McMinnville, Oregon station KLYC on 1260 at night. KLYC went through a tough patch about 5-6 years ago, when they were off the air temporarily for repairs. But they were put back on the air, and apparently still have a good enough local following to stay on the air.
As I said in my last article on Radio, it's time for Radio hobbyists and fans to appreciate what is still on the airwaves, because it looks like Radio's days are numbered.
That means listen, and record stations, if you can. I still have some recordings of Oregon's KDZR 1640 when it was still Radio Disney. I still have some recordings of the Voice of Greece when it was still on the air.
Sometimes KDZR would come in as late as 8-9 in the morning, even in Spring or Fall. That's how good the ionospheric conditions were during the last Solar Cycle, and it was fun hearing Radio Disney's music coming in from so far away.
It doesn't feel great to hear those sound files when I play them on my computer, as the recordings bring back memories of 2015 when Radio Disney and Voice of Greece were still on the air, but it's better than nothing.
I can play them, and remember.
I still record some catches I receive on my Grundig G2. I don't know of many radios that have record capabilities, but there are a few out there. Some DXer's record on their SDR's, and some also use their phones or other recording devices.
Anyway, enjoy the Radio stations on the airwaves while you can. The closures have been going on for a few years, and they will probably continue.
Get 'em while you can.
Until next time, folks,
Peace.
C.C., July 7th, 2026.
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