Clear Sky Radio

Clear Sky Radio was a Canadian radio-broadcasting company headquartered in Lethbridge, Alberta. The company was incorporated in 2006 after receiving its first radio licence and developed a group of local stations serving communities in Alberta and British Columbia. Its portfolio included stations in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Strathmore, Alberta, and Cranbrook, British Columbia. The company’s business was centered on owning and operating local radio stations rather than on a single national network brand. Its stations provided market-specific programming and advertising services to their respective communities. The portfolio included CKBD-FM and CJOC-FM in Lethbridge, CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat, CKOV-FM in Strathmore, and CFSM-FM in Cranbrook. Clear Sky’s ownership structure changed in 2018. In January of that year, the company sold CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat to Rogers Media. During the same transaction period, Clear Sky sold a 25 percent interest in the not-yet-launched CKOV-FM in Strathmore to Golden West Broadcasting. Clear Sky co-owners Paul Larsen and Mary McKinnon Mills retained a majority interest in CKOV-FM after that transaction. In December 2018, Vista Radio was announced as the purchaser of Clear Sky Radio’s remaining stations. This transaction marked the effective end of Clear Sky as an independent multi-station broadcasting group. The company is therefore best understood as a former Canadian regional radio operator whose assets were divided between larger broadcasting companies. No information in the supplied reference material establishes a continuing independent Clear Sky Radio operation, current website, public listing, or a separate consumer product line.

Clear Sky Radio was established in Canada as a regional broadcasting company based in Lethbridge, Alberta. It was incorporated in 2006 after being granted its first radio licence. The company subsequently assembled a portfolio of local radio stations in Alberta and British Columbia, operating in markets that included Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Strathmore, and Cranbrook. The company’s stations represented a local-market broadcasting model. Rather than operating as a single national network, Clear Sky owned stations that served individual communities and generated programming and advertising tailored to those markets. Its Alberta holdings included CKBD-FM and CJOC-FM in Lethbridge, CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat, and CKOV-FM in Strathmore. Its British Columbia presence was represented by CFSM-FM in Cranbrook. Clear Sky’s corporate position changed substantially in 2018. In January, it sold CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat to Rogers Media, one of Canada’s largest media companies. It also sold a 25 percent stake in CKOV-FM, a Strathmore station that had not yet launched, to Golden West Broadcasting. Clear Sky co-owners Paul Larsen and Mary McKinnon Mills retained the majority stake in CKOV-FM following that transaction. Later in 2018, the company’s remaining station assets became the subject of a further ownership transaction. In December, Vista Radio was announced as the purchaser of the remaining Clear Sky Radio stations. The transfer followed the earlier sale to Rogers Media and the partial sale involving Golden West Broadcasting, effectively dismantling Clear Sky’s station portfolio as an independently owned group. The available reference material does not identify a founder, a continuing independent parent company, a public listing, or a current operating website. It also does not provide detailed programming histories, audience figures, financial results, or information about the final legal status of the corporate entity after the Vista Radio transaction. Clear Sky Radio is consequently documented primarily as a former Canadian regional radio operator whose stations were sold to other broadcasting companies in 2018.

1. 2018Medicine Hat station and CKOV-FM interest sold

   CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat was sold to Rogers Media, while a 25 percent interest in the not-yet-launched CKOV-FM in Strathmore was sold to Golden West Broadcasting.

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2. 2018Vista Radio agrees to purchase remaining stations

   Vista Radio was announced as the buyer of Clear Sky Radio’s remaining stations, ending the group’s independent station portfolio.

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3. 2006Company incorporated after first radio licence

   Clear Sky Radio was incorporated after receiving its first radio licence, establishing the company as a Canadian radio broadcaster.

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A regional Canadian radio-station operator focused on local broadcasting and advertising in Alberta and British Columbia.

• Local radio stationsRadio broadcasting

  Clear Sky Radio’s principal offerings were locally oriented commercial radio stations serving communities in Alberta and British Columbia. The stations combined broadcast programming with local advertising inventory and market-specific operations. The documented portfolio included stations in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Strathmore, and Cranbrook.

• CKBD-FMRadio station

  CKBD-FM was one of Clear Sky Radio’s Lethbridge, Alberta stations. It formed part of the company’s local-market broadcasting portfolio before the group’s remaining stations were acquired by Vista Radio in 2018.

• CJOC-FMRadio station

  CJOC-FM was a Clear Sky Radio station serving Lethbridge, Alberta. It was among the stations included in the company’s remaining portfolio that Vista Radio agreed to purchase in 2018.

• CJCY-FMRadio station

  CJCY-FM served Medicine Hat, Alberta. Clear Sky Radio sold the station to Rogers Media in January 2018, making it one of the first assets separated from the company’s regional station group.

• CKOV-FMRadio station

  CKOV-FM was a planned Strathmore, Alberta station that had not yet launched when Clear Sky Radio sold a 25 percent interest to Golden West Broadcasting in 2018. Clear Sky co-owners Paul Larsen and Mary McKinnon Mills retained a majority interest at that stage.

• CFSM-FMRadio station

  CFSM-FM was Clear Sky Radio’s documented station in Cranbrook, British Columbia. It was part of the remaining station portfolio covered by Vista Radio’s announced 2018 purchase.

• 2018Sell CJCY-FM and a minority stake in CKOV-FMM&A

  Clear Sky Radio began separating assets from its regional station portfolio in 2018.

  What changed. The company sold CJCY-FM to Rogers Media and transferred a 25 percent interest in the planned CKOV-FM to Golden West Broadcasting.

  Aftermath. The transactions reduced Clear Sky Radio’s directly controlled station holdings while leaving its co-owners with a majority interest in CKOV-FM at that stage.

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• 2018Transfer remaining stations to Vista RadioM&A

  After the earlier asset sales, Clear Sky Radio continued to hold a remaining group of stations in Alberta and British Columbia.

  What changed. Vista Radio was announced as the purchaser of the remaining Clear Sky Radio stations.

  Aftermath. The announcement effectively ended Clear Sky Radio’s independent operation as a multi-station broadcasting company.

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• 2018Clear Sky Radio sells CJCY-FM and a minority interest in CKOV-FM

  Clear Sky Radio sold CJCY-FM in Medicine Hat to Rogers Media and transferred a 25 percent interest in the planned CKOV-FM in Strathmore to Golden West Broadcasting. Paul Larsen and Mary McKinnon Mills retained a majority interest in CKOV-FM.

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• 2018Vista Radio to acquire Clear Sky Radio's remaining stations

  Vista Radio announced that it would purchase the remaining Clear Sky Radio stations, ending Clear Sky's role as an independent regional broadcasting group.

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1. Clear Sky Radio