Pattison Media has added to its roster of radio stations in Manitoba, having received regulatory approval to acquire Brandon’s Q Country (CKLQ-FM) and 94.7 Star FM (CKLF-FM) from Westman Communications.

First announced last year, the CRTC approved the transaction – which also includes a CKLQ transmitter – for the purchase price of $5 million. Pattison will operate both stations under the same license terms they previously operated under; the CRTC also extended Q Country’s license term to 2027, in order to align with 94.7 Star FM.

Westman Communications, a regional telco, told the CRTC that radio was not the core of its business, and it wanted to sell the stations to Pattison, which it called an experienced radio operator that could continue to serve the residents of Brandon.

These are the first stations Pattison has owned in Brandon, though its existing radio holdings in Manitoba include adult contemporary station 94.3 NOW! Radio and country station QX 104, both located in Winnipeg.

The Brandon metro area has a population of 54,268 people, though at the time the acquisition was announced, Pattison said the stations would allow it to serve western and south western Manitoba. The broader Westman region, where Brandon is located, has a population of 117,432 people, as of the 2021 census.

Featured image by Pierre Olivier Fortin