Toronto-based Proud FM 103.9, a radio station serving the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ audience, will end broadcasting at the end of August.

While a statement from parent company Evanov Communications did not say it would be shutting down Proud FM, it did say it would no longer exist as a stand-alone station after it was “integrated” into hits station Z103.5. Proud’s two on-air hosts, Jaret Sereda and Tyler Carr, will move over to the station. Sereda will host a daily feature in the mornings and afternoons on entertainment and community news, while Carr will host the station’s weekend shows.

Follow-up questions regarding other ways Proud FM would be integrated into Z103.5, as well as any job losses that might arise as a result, were not answered by press time.

Proud FM went on the air in 2007, a joint venture between Evanov and Rainbow Media Group. Though categorized as a top 40 station, it was the first commercial radio station in Canada specifically targeting the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Evanov bought out Rainbow Media Group’s stake in 2009, becoming the station’s sole owner.

The company’s statement said that “the media landscape has evolved significantly since Proud FM first went on-air,” with more competition from other media outlets serving the 2SLGBTQ+ community, a difficult economic climate and the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evanov is “continuing to assess the ongoing impact of these factors on our business, and is readjusting, realigning and reinventing itself as necessary.”

In 2018, Evanov filed an application with the CRTC to swap the frequencies and transmitter power of Proud FM and Z103.5, converting Proud FM to a contemporary hits format and transferring 2SLGBTQ+ content to an HD radio sub-channel, while Z103.5 would be converted to a low-power station that would serve Orangeville, where it is licensed. The CRTC denied the application based on technical restrictions, as well as the fact that relocating its stations in this way would undermine the commission’s competitive licensing process.

Earlier this month, Evanov ended broadcasting on Arise Christian Radio AM 1380, citing, again, competition, economic factors and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arise went on the air in 2020, taking over a frequency previously held by Evanov’s country station, which had been moved to the FM band.