VANCOUVER — One of Canada’s largest and most passionate sports markets is about to get a lot more premium sports content, as Sportsnet will launch a new, all-sports radio station – Sportsnet 650 – in Vancouver this fall.
Rogers Media will acquire the Vancouver AM station CISL subject to approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and will change the station’s format to all-sports. The transaction is expected to close in summer 2017.
“We are excited to build upon our strong radio brands in the Vancouver market. With Vancouver being such a passionate sports town, there is a strong appetite for all-sports radio that delivers engaging conversation, wide-ranging opinion, and top-tier live sports content,” said Julie Adam, senior vice president of Radio, Rogers Media.
Sportsnet 650 will have year-round top-tier sports content, including Vancouver Canucks and Blue Jays games, plus the MLB post-season. Additional programming details and on-air personalities will be announced in the coming months.
“Vancouver has an incredibly loyal fan base, and this is a natural fit to expand our Sportsnet offering,” said Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet, Rogers Media. “Sportsnet has been strongly committed to the Vancouver community since the network’s inception in 1998 when we first began televising Canucks games.”
Sportsnet 650 marks the third all-sports radio station for Sportsnet, alongside stations Sportsnet 590 The FAN in Toronto and Sportsnet 960 The FAN in Calgary.
The AM 650 station will continue to be broadcast in its current format until Sportsnet 650 radio launches in the fall.