Ottawa station BOB FM is now Billy Bob (well, kind of).
Bell Media re-launched 93.9 FM as Ottawa’s New Country 94 on Wednesday. The station, which laid off seven staffers on Monday, officially debuted at noon with a commercial and announcer-free run of 10,000 songs.
Richard Gray, Bell Media’s regional vice-president and general manager, radio/TV, northern and eastern Ontario/Maritimes, said the new format is the result of six months of surveying Ottawa radio listeners.
The new station, he said, “has a specific focus that fills a gap in the market today.”
The playlist for the new station will include new country artists including Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney.
On-air personality John Mielke, who had spent more than 22 years with the station, was affected by the layoffs on Monday, as were BOB FM’s promotions/marketing manager JR Ello and long-time 580 CFRA news director Steve Winogron.
BOB FM had a 2.6 share of hours tuned and reached 58,400 people 12+ on a weekly basis in the Ottawa-Gatineau Anglo market, according to the most recent Numeris ratings, putting it mid-pack in the 23-station market.
