New twist in the Montreal radio scene. The music station WKND, of which Maripier Morin was one of the headliners, announced Thursday evening that it was virtually ceasing operations. According to persistent rumors, this antenna could now be used to rebroadcast the programming of Qub, Quebecor’s digital radio station, on which we can hear several headliners of the empire, such as Richard Martineau, Sophie Durocher and Mario Dumont.
In a message that was at best evasive, Montreal station WKND confirmed Thursday evening that it will cease to exist “in its current form,” thereby thanking its “hosts who have made the station shine over the past few years.”
“We are announcing today that the station will be making a major programming change over the next few days,” it also said.
According to what I heard The Duty According to various sources, Leclerc Communication would remain the owner of the 99.5 FM frequency. But during the day, the programming would be that of Qub, Quebecor’s digital radio station that also became a cable television channel at the beginning of the year. Outside of prime time, the station could continue to broadcast music, as it already does.
Let us recall that according to the current CRTC rules, Quebecor cannot own a radio station on terrestrial airwaves, as the company already owns a daily newspaper and a television station in the same market, namely Le Journal de Montréal and TVA. Pierre Karl Péladeau has indicated several times in the past that he would like the CRTC rules to be reviewed in order to acquire a traditional radio station.
Brothers Jean-François and Nicolas Leclerc, from the family that gave its name to the famous cookies, acquired the 99.5 FM frequency for just under $5 million from Grégory Charles in 2019. This antenna was then used by Radio Classique. In 2020, Leclerc Communication made it the sister station of WKND, one of the two stations that the company operates in the Quebec City market. While WKND is the most listened to music radio station in Quebec City, it was a different story in Montreal. Survey after survey, WKND was at the back of the pack.
The young station made headlines in 2023 when it entrusted the co-hosting of its morning show to Maripier Morin, who was just beginning her return to the media arena after being swept up in a wave of sexual misconduct allegations. Several public figures have also hosted on WKND, including Alexandre Barrette and Étienne Boulay.
According to our information, most of the station’s employees have been made redundant.