Montreal community radio station CIBL has decided to start broadcasting bingo games on its airwaves in the hope of replenishing its coffers. By taking advantage of this relatively unusual option on the airwaves of the metropolis, but very popular elsewhere in Quebec, 101.5 FM hopes to ultimately collect some $500,000 in sales annually.
Since October 22, therefore, the Sunday time slot from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. is now occupied by the broadcast of three different draws offering a total of $2,500 in prizes. Participants must purchase game cards in advance, available only in paper format in nearly 30 convenience stores — a number expected to increase.
This CIBL initiative is part of a need to generate revenue, while advertising is in decline, at the station in particular and in the media in general. 101.5 FM has experienced difficult years since 2018, and a lot of efforts have been made in recent months to clean up the finances. But the outgoing director general, Jeanne Doré, and analysts from the Quebec Social Investment Network came to the conclusion that the work was not finished.
“It disappointed me, but that was the reality. So, we worked to complete this recovery, explains Mme Golden. We needed a new business model to generate revenue that would allow the organization to stabilize its operations. Basically, that was the objective. » The establishment of CIBL bingo is therefore part of this plan.
The outgoing general director recently gave way to Pierre Brise-Bois, a former member of the South-West Montreal station CKVL, which also offers on-air bingo. He therefore knows the workings of this type of program well, which is tightly supervised by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.
The new director is even temporarily the host of bingo at CIBL, a task which requires being able to “put yourself in the shoes of the player” and during which “you must not speak too quickly or too slowly”, explains -he. The station, which is located on the corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Sainte-Catherine Street, has purchased verification software, and each game card is marked with an official number, which is used to validate the All. Winners must identify themselves by calling the station during the show.
Lucrative
CIBL, which has a fairly alternative DNA, has hesitated several times over the years to opt for bingo, “but basically there are several CIBLs,” notes Jeanne Doré. “There are people we certainly won’t reach, but bingo is a means of allowing this radio station, which wants to reach all kinds of audiences, to ultimately continue to exist. »
Bingo is a means of allowing this radio station, which wants to reach all kinds of audiences, to ultimately continue to exist.
Pierre Brise-Bois also notes that this type of game attracts two types of listeners: the die-hards, who are there to hope to win, but also those who want to kill two birds with one stone while having fun, alone or in group, while helping the community station. “With the pandemic, there are also people who started playing bingo on the radio because it offered something interactive with a host, they really felt included,” he notes. .
The general director of the Bingo Secretariat, Éric Castonguay, confirms that the pandemic has indeed propelled revenues from some 80 media bingo permits, which oversee the games played on community television and radio, to an increase. In 2018-2019, they generated 6.3 million in profit, an amount which increased to 13.8 million in 2020-2021. The most recent figures are yet to be published, but “there should be a stabilization of the market for 2022, [voire] a discount. It remains a license that is extremely lucrative for organizations,” he explains.
According to the president of the Association of Community Radios of Quebec (ARCQ), François Carrier, “a little more than half of the 37 member stations” now offer bingo on their airwaves. “It’s a solution to offer quality content to the local population, it’s completely reinvested in the product, in the resources, so it comes back to the community,” he explains.
In a recent analysis co-written by the ARCQ, the group estimated that media bingo accounted for on average 30% of the total revenue of community media and that, in “several cases”, this lottery represented more than 50% of their total budget. . “There are approximately 145 employees and 200 volunteers who work every week to ensure the smooth running of media bingo” on community television and radio stations, we can read.
Relaunch key positions
Everything still needs to be done for CIBL to find an audience for its bingo, but, if revenues are there over the months, the station’s objective is to invest in part in the replacement of equipment which falls obsolete “.
The radio’s main project, however, remains the hiring of hosts to lead the flagship time slots of morning, noon and return home. 101.5 FM also wants to put information back on track.
“The second phase is to regain the market share that belongs to CIBL,” said Mr. Brise-Bois. We must make our place and regain our leadership position in community radio. »
As fun as it is, bingo remains a lottery, but CIBL — which sells its booklet of six cards for $9 — is not afraid of participating in an increase in compulsive gambling. Éric Castonguay, from the Bingo Secretariat, says that this game has a limited effect on this problem. “Unlike a gaming hall, there is a start time and an end time for the bingo session,” he explains. Then there is also a physical limit to what cards people are able to stamp. […] It remains much more of a socializing activity. »
This is an observation shared by the president of the ARCQ, François Carrier. “We must not underestimate this weekly meeting where people come together, it is an incredible force. »