Kamloops, BC-based Jim Pattison Broadcast Group and Rawlco Radio Ltd. (Rawlco Radio) jointly announced Pattison’s acquisition of nine radio stations (and related assets) located in Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The stations involved:
Edmonton, Alberta
102.3 NOW! RADIO (CKNO-FM)
UP! 99.3 (CIUP-FM)
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
900 CKBI (CKBI-AM)
POWER 99 (CFMM-FM)
MIX 101 (CHQX-FM)
North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Q98 (CJCQ-FM)
93.3 THE ROCK (CJHD-FM)
1050 CJNB (CJNB-AM)
Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan
102.3 CJNS (CJNS-FM)
The current local management teams will continue to lead the Edmonton, Prince Albert, North Battleford and Meadow Lake stations and all of the existing team members at the nine Rawlco Radio stations will be offered positions and the opportunity to grow with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. Rawlco Radio will continue to hold their existing seven radio licences in Saskatoon, Regina and Calgary.
Jim Pattison, Chairman & CEO of the Jim Pattison Group explained, “The Rawlinson family have built a great legacy in Canadian broadcasting with the first purchase of CKBI Radio in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1946. I thank Rawlco Radio CEO, Gordon Rawlinson, for allowing us the opportunity to continue building on his family’s history in the radio industry, especially in the province of Saskatchewan, with which we both have close ties.”
Gordon Rawlinson, CEO of Rawlco Radio Ltd. stated, “When we were approached by the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, I was impressed with how their style of operating radio stations was very similar to ours. They have an outstanding reputation of providing excellent local radio with a keen focus on community service. I was also pleased with the Pattison commitment to provide opportunities for all of the current Rawlco employees to grow their careers with Pattison. I am confident that these stations will be in very good hands.”
The sale is subject to approval from the Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), for which an application was recently submitted. This sale follows the successful recent Pattison acquisition of three Bell Media radio stations in Calgary and Winnipeg (CKCE-FM, CHIQ-FM & CFQX-FM) and the launch in April 2014 of the much anticipated CHPK-FM in Calgary and the Alberta Peak Performance Project.
As part of the terms of sale, Pattison has also agreed to purchase paNOW.com, an online newspaper serving the residents of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.
The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group is the country’s largest private, western-based broadcast group, currently operating 33 FM radio stations, as well as three conventional television stations in 21 different markets, in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. Pattison is also a minority shareholder in Bear Creek Broadcasting Limited Partnership, operating CIKT-FM in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
