QR Calgary

What QR Calgary does

QR Calgary is a Calgary-based AM/FM radio station brand operating under Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR), the Canadian publicly traded media conglomerate. Founded in 1964, the station broadcasts local news, talk, sports, and entertainment programming to the Calgary metropolitan area and surrounding Alberta communities, with notable on-air personalities including Ben Mulroney, Shaye Ganam, Sarah Crosbie, and David Cooper. Programming is also distributed through digital streaming on the Global News website, the Curiouscast podcast network, and on-demand replay services, extending reach beyond the local broadcast signal.

The station's core technology is traditional AM/FM broadcast supplemented by digital streaming and podcast distribution. Revenue is generated entirely through advertising: spot advertising during live broadcasts and on digital streams, plus program sponsorships and branded content partnerships. Named sponsor integrations include Calgary Stampeders Ladies Night Out and RBC Race for the Kids. The station leverages Cross-Entertainment's broader marketing infrastructure, maintaining presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Telegram, along with the QR Insider email newsletter and Alexa smart home integration.

QR Calgary operates as a single business unit within Corus Entertainment's Radio division, with reported headcount of 9. No separate financial disclosures are available. The station has been affected by a recent Corus restructuring that centralized technical production for Calgary and Edmonton broadcasts to Toronto, resulting in local job cuts. The station maintains a partnership with the Calgary Children's Foundation for community outreach.

Name

QR Calgary

Legal name

QR Calgary (Brand of Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.)

Website

https://qrcalgary.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

QR Calgary is a Calgary-based AM/FM news and talk radio station brand operating under Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. It serves Calgary-area listeners with local news, sports, and talk programming, generating revenue through broadcast advertising and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Talk radio programming
• News radio content
• Sports radio coverage
• Community event sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Advertising: QR Calgary generates revenue through the sale of advertising spots during broadcast programming, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll audio ads, as well as digital display ads on the station website and streaming player. The station offers advertising opportunities to local businesses and regional advertisers targeting the Calgary market.
2. Sponsorship and Branded Content: Program sponsorships and branded content opportunities where advertisers align with specific shows or segments, such as 'Stampeders Ladies Night Out with Leslie Horton proudly supported by Global Calgary' and 'RBC Race for the Kids proudly supported by Global Calgary.'

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

QR Calgary is a Calgary-based AM/FM radio station that delivers live local news, talk, sports, and entertainment programming to the Calgary market. The station is operated under Global News (a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.) and broadcasts 24/7 via traditional AM/FM radio, complemented by online live streaming, on-demand podcast replays, and community event coverage. Programming includes branded shows such as The Ben Mulroney Show, QR Calgary Mornings, Connect with Sarah Crosbie, Global News Morning Calgary, the Shaye Ganam Show, The Last Show with David Cooper, and Sports Talk. Revenue is generated through the sale of broadcast and digital advertising spots and program sponsorships to local and regional advertisers.

Product overview

QR Calgary is a Calgary-based radio station operated by Global News (a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.) offering a unified broadcast platform with multiple branded programming segments. The station's core offering consists of live radio broadcast across the Calgary area, supplemented by on-demand content through its QR Calgary On Demand service. The portfolio includes daytime talk shows (The Ben Mulroney Show, Connect with Sarah Crosbie), morning programs (QR Calgary Mornings, Global News Morning), midday programming (Shaye Ganam), sports coverage (Sports Talk), evening commentary (The Last Show with David Cooper), and specialty music programming (Ongoing History of New Music). All content is accessible via live streaming, replay, and podcast platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Calgary Children's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQR Calgary partners with Calgary Children's Foundation for community outreach and charitable initiatives, supporting local children and families in Calgary.
• Corus Entertainment Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQR Calgary is operated under Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc., one of Canada's largest media and entertainment companies. Corus provides technical production, distribution infrastructure, and corporate resources.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• iHeartRadio Canada: Canadian digital audio platform aggregating radio streams and podcasts across multiple markets. Comparable as a competing audio distribution and advertising platform that reaches Calgary-area listeners and competes for the same advertiser budgets.
• Bell Media Radio: Bell Media's radio division operates multiple Canadian news/talk AM stations (e.g., CFRB, CJOB, CFRA). Comparable as a large incumbent broadcaster competing with QR Calgary for local ad dollars in multiple markets.
• CBC Radio One: Canada's national public radio network offering news, talk, and current affairs across Canada including Calgary. Comparable in news/talk format, but operates at national scale with public funding rather than purely advertising-driven.

Direct peers

• Newstalk 1010 (CFRB): Toronto-based news/talk AM radio station operated by Bell Media. Closely comparable to QR Calgary as a Canadian local-market news/talk radio outlet serving a major city with similar talk programming and advertising-driven revenue model.
• 580 CFRA: Ottawa news/talk radio station operated by Bell Media. Comparable to QR Calgary as a Canadian news/talk AM station serving a major metropolitan market with the same advertising-supported business model.
• 980 CJME: Regina news/talk radio station owned by Rawlco Radio. Comparable to QR Calgary as a Western Canadian news/talk AM station with similar format, advertiser base, and local-market positioning.
• News 95.7 (Halifax): Halifax news/talk radio station. Comparable to QR Calgary in being a Canadian regional news/talk radio outlet relying on local advertising and sponsorships in its metropolitan market.
• 630 CHED (Global News Radio): Edmonton news/talk AM radio station operated by Corus Entertainment under Global News — a sister station to QR Calgary. Directly comparable in corporate parent, format, and Western Canadian news/talk positioning.
• AM 980 (Global News Radio): London, Ontario news/talk radio station under Corus Entertainment's Global News. Comparable as a Corus-owned news/talk radio brand in the same corporate network as QR Calgary.
• 680 CJOB: Winnipeg news/talk AM radio station owned by Bell Media. Comparable to QR Calgary in format (news/talk), revenue model (broadcast advertising and sponsorships), and Canadian-market local radio positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qrcalgary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/globalnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/qrcalgary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/news-talk-770
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalnews
• TikToktiktok.com/@globalnews.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QR Calgary