Winnipeg Radio Station gets 7 Year Bomber Contract

Winnipeg Blue Bombers
#1

Winnipeg Radio station CJOB (Corus Entertainment) was celebrating like the dickens on-air today - when news came out that the station has negotiated a 7 year extension to provide bomber radio play-by-play.

Nothing that surprising. It was generally thought local all-sports radio outlet TSN1290 would put up a torrid battle to grab the radio game rights from CJOB.

Some good and bad aspects to this. Bomber CEO Wad Miller was basically wiping arses at CJOB. He basically owns the station. Can walk in with a load of paper and they'll instantly start giving away bomber tickets (like this week, heavy infestation of free tickets)

TSN was thought to be a favourite after the current rights expired. They already have a heavy bomber presence on their air - doing far more during the week than CJOB (other than the games themselves). CJOB has the games and Bob Irving's 1 hour (21 minutes when you subtract commercials and news) every week.

Gonna be some hang-dog faces at TSN this week.

7 years is a long chunk of time.

Bob Irving, who's around 69 or 70 will probably take the gauntlet for the next 3 or 4 years to be sure - unless he ends up like the radio cowboy in Edmonton who basically went insane.

CJOB, I suspect did a wonderful sales job on Miller's bombers; telling them that the football team would play second fiddle to the prime sports property in Manitoba - NHL's Winnipeg Jets. There could beup to 2 times per year when the Jets games go at the same time as bomber games - with CJOB there's no risk of derailing the broadcast or launching it on line or on one of the rights-holder's FM stations. Also, the thinking might be TSN won't drop their extensive coverage anyways cuz they're making money off it regardless of not having game-time rights.

Interesting times at Ridgemont High!

#2

......Bombers remaining with CJOB is probably the best thing right now...Jack "Oliver' Blick's station (where the OB comes from) has certainly evolved since 1946 but has been synonymous with the Bombers for as long as I can remember...Pretty good relationship over the years and it will continue for 7 more at least...

(As a little aside...My Dad new Jack Blick as they both served in the RCAF during the war....Both men very interested in Radio during and after the war in Winnipeg....My father went repairing radios (then television) while Blick went on to owning and founding the station.... Dad spoke very highly of Blick and he said he couldn't remember anything that Jack wasn't a part of in Wpg.....Two Vets. to remember at this time of year for me..)

#3

Very nice thoughts on the too often forgotten vets, Papa.
Good story on how your dad knew and worked with Blick in the RCAF

During Blick's tenure CJOB became the preeminent radio station in Western Canada, not just Winnipeg.

Its focus on local news, sports, weather and local events were unparalleled.

However, as the population aged - so did CJOB. It became the so-called "old people's station", featuring older, grizzled announcers like Roger Currie, George McLoy, Red Alix, Peter Warren, Salesman Ralph Warrington, Donn Kirton, Alan Willoughby, John Fallows, John Wells, Cactus Jack Wells, Bob Picken, Bill Trebilcoe, etc.

They tried to keep it together but just couldn't withstand the competition from rock radio, other talk stations, the publically subsidized CBC and later social media (from about 2000 on). Had to cut a lot of folks, rely on taped programming, sell blocks of time to local business sharks to promote iffy businesses and the like.

Now, you can barely recognize this station. Lots of youngsters who should be doing internships at country radio stations. Two dumpster fires in the morning filling in for long-missing Shadow Davis (fear is that Shadow suffered a stroke and is still recovering, hoping to get back in the saddle by early 2018) - those two guys are pure morons, the early morning equivalent of Rod Black.

Geoff Currier the former Rider play by play man is their anchor. Currier can go 25 to 30 minutes without drawing a breath. He can go on just about any subject - even if he has to say the same thing over and over again, slightly changing the jist of his jab.

Otherwise, now the 3rd or 4th rated radio station in the market - even worse if you factor out the 65 to 99 market they seem to specialize in.

#4

Heard that the local fogey radio station will have a Bomber off-season discussion show airing on Monday (Jan 22nd) at 7:00.
Mike O' Shea, Matt Nichols + Andrew Harris guest.

I never listen online but I assume anyone that isn't local can listen live here at that time :