Cogeco and Bell intend to file a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to stop the retransmission of QUB Radio’s talk radio programs on 99.5 FM.
According to La Presse, which obtained a copy of the complaint, the two companies accuse Quebecor of deviating from regulations prohibiting the same company from operating a television or radio station as well as a written daily newspaper in the same market.
Photo Martin Chevalier
Owner of VAT and Montreal JournalQuebecor has been broadcasting QUB’s daily programming since the fall, including shows by Mario Dumont, Isabelle Maréchal, Benoît Dutrisac, Richard Martineau and Sophie Durocher, on 99.5 FM, formerly WKND.
In addition to its new repositioning and new programming, the station, owned by Leclerc Communication, also adopted a new visual identity and moved its musical programming to evenings and weekends.
Bell (Rouge, Énergie) and Cogeco (98.5 FM, CKOI, Rythme) argue that Quebecor is circumventing CRTC regulations with full knowledge of the facts.
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