# Slaight Communications

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{{short description|Canadian radio broadcasting company}}
{{primary sources|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name     = Slaight Communications
| logo     = 
| type     = [Private](/source/Private_company)
| genre            = 
| foundation       = {{start date and age|1925}} (Standard Radio Manufacturing Corporation)<br> {{start date and age|1929}} (Rogers Majestic Corporation Limited)<br> {{start date and age|1941}} (Standard Radio Limited, renamed Standard Broadcasting 1966)<br> {{start date and age|1985}} (acquired and merged into Slaight Broadcasting)
| founder          = [J. Allan Slaight](/source/Allan_Slaight)
| location_city    = [Toronto](/source/Toronto), [Ontario](/source/Ontario)
| location_country = [Canada](/source/Canada)
| location         = 22 St. Clair Avenue East
| origins          = 
| key_people       = J. Allan Slaight (CEO 1985-2000)<br>[Gary Slaight](/source/Gary_Slaight) (CEO 2000-present)
| area_served      = 
| industry         = [Media](/source/Mass_media)
| products         = 
| revenue          = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income       = 
| num_employees    = 
| divisions        = [radio broadcasting](/source/radio_broadcasting)
| subsid           = 
| owner            =
| company_slogan   = 
| homepage         =
| dissolved        =
| footnotes        = 
}}

'''Slaight Communications''' is a Canadian [radio](/source/radio) broadcasting company. The company was formed as '''Slaight Broadcasting''' in 1971, when owner [J. Allan Slaight](/source/Allan_Slaight) acquired [CFGM](/source/CFMJ) in [Richmond Hill](/source/Richmond_Hill%2C_Ontario). Slaight later also acquired [CFOX](/source/CFOX_(AM)) in [Montreal](/source/Montreal) and [CHOK](/source/CHOK) in [Sarnia](/source/Sarnia), and launched [CILQ](/source/CILQ-FM) in [Toronto](/source/Toronto).

The company later sold off all of its original assets, and continued to operate its radio holdings through the '''Standard Broadcasting''' division after Slaight bought out that company in 1985. As Standard, it remained the largest privately owned multimedia company in Canada until it sold its radio and TV broadcasting assets to [Astral Media](/source/Astral_Media) in 2007.<ref name=rogers/> Today, all of Standard Radio stations are either owned by [Bell Media](/source/Bell_Media) or [Stingray Radio](/source/Stingray_Radio).

The company continues to operate holdings in non-traditional broadcast platforms such as [satellite radio](/source/satellite_radio) and [Internet radio](/source/Internet_radio). Slaight also continues to hold minority investments in three other small radio station groups.

==Standard Broadcasting==

Standard Broadcasting was founded as Standard Radio Manufacturing in 1925 by [Edward S. Rogers, Sr.](/source/Edward_S._Rogers%2C_Sr.),<ref>[http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A//www.broadcasting-history.ca/station_groups/Radio_Television_Station_Groups-Standard_Broadcasting.html History of Standard Broadcasting] - [Canadian Communications Foundation](/source/Canadian_Communications_Foundation)</ref> but soon became known as [Rogers Vacuum Tube Company](/source/Rogers_Vacuum_Tube_Company) and later became the Rogers Majestic Corporation Limited.<ref name=rogers>[http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=3988&historyID=180 Canadian Communications Foundation – Fondation Des Communications Canadiennes<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402013728/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=3988&historyID=180 |date=2012-04-02 }}</ref>
Rogers launched what would become [radio station](/source/radio_station) [CFRB](/source/CFRB) in 1927 in order to demonstrate a batteryless [alternating current](/source/alternating_current) [radio receiver](/source/radio_receiver) he had invented.

In 1929 Standard Radio Manufacturing Corporation was renamed as '''Rogers Majestic Corporation Limited'''

The broadcasting division of the company was renamed Standard Radio Limited in 1941 when the Rogers family sold off the assets of Rogers Majestic two years after the death of Edward Rogers. The Rogers family would later re-enter the broadcasting business in 1960 in a form of [Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting](/source/Rogers_Radio), the company founded by Edward's son, [Ted Rogers](/source/Edward_S._Rogers_Jr.), which later became [Rogers Communications](/source/Rogers_Communications).

In 1945, Standard Radio was purchased by [Argus Corporation](/source/Argus_Corporation) and in 1966 Standard Radio Limited was renamed Standard Broadcasting.<ref name=rogers/> Argus was acquired by [Conrad Black](/source/Conrad_Black) and his brother in 1978. Argus subsequently sold Standard to Slaight in 1985 and merged into Slaight Broadcasting.

==Merged operations==

As Standard, the company under Slaight operated 82 radio stations in English Canada and two television stations in northern [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia). It also owned a significant minority interest in the radio station operators [Milestone Radio](/source/Milestone_Radio), [Haliburton Broadcasting Group](/source/Haliburton_Broadcasting_Group) and [3937844 Canada Inc.](/source/Newcap_Broadcasting) in Canada, and [Martz Communications Group](/source/Martz_Communications_Group) in the US.  The company also operated divisions in [e-commerce](/source/e-commerce), [videotape](/source/videotape) and [DVD](/source/DVD) distribution, retail marketing and audio and video post-production,<ref name=rogers/> and was the primary shareholder in the [satellite radio](/source/satellite_radio) provider [Sirius Canada](/source/Sirius_Canada).

In 2006, the company announced an [initial public offering](/source/initial_public_offering) via an [income trust](/source/income_trust); these plans were later cancelled due to "market conditions". On February 23, 2007, [Astral Media](/source/Astral_Media) announced that it had signed a letter of intent and had entered into exclusive negotiations regarding the acquisition of "substantially all of the assets" of Standard.<ref>[http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2007/23/c3982.html Astral Media announces signature of letter of intent to acquire Standard Radio]</ref> A formal agreement was later announced, with the proposed transaction being approved by the [CRTC](/source/Canadian_Radio-television_and_Telecommunications_Commission) on September 28, 2007. Astral would eventually be taken over by [Bell Media](/source/Bell_Media) on July 5, 2013.

Astral did not acquire Standard's Internet and satellite radio assets, nor its minority interests in various other radio stations.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/Business/article/202365 Astral expands with Standard Radio takeover], Ross Marowits, [Canadian Press](/source/Canadian_Press) (via ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)''), April 12, 2007. Article accessed September 28, 2007.</ref>  The transaction was finalized on October 29, 2007, and Standard changed its name to Slaight Communications the following day.

==Current assets==

After selling its Standard Radio assets to [Astral Media](/source/Astral_Media) in October 2007, Slaight Communications remained the owner and operator of [Internet radio](/source/Internet_radio) portal [Iceberg Radio](/source/Iceberg_Radio),<ref>{{Citation |author= Richard Blackwell |publication-date= April 13, 2007 |title= Slaight family hangs onto some assets, including Sirius, Iceberg. Hasn't decided what to do with proceeds. |work=[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail) |page= B3|url= http://archives.kurthanson.com/archive/news/041307/index.shtml |accessdate=October 26, 2013}}</ref> which was subsequently also sold to Astral in a separate transaction.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} The company is still a partner, along with [Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings](/source/John_Bitove), [Sirius XM Radio](/source/Sirius_XM_Radio) and the [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation), in [Sirius XM Canada](/source/Sirius_XM_Canada).

The company also retained its minority shares in the [Haliburton](/source/Haliburton_Broadcasting_Group), [Milestone](/source/Milestone_Radio) and [Martz](/source/Martz_Communications_Group) radio groups, although all three groups have since sold off many or all of their assets as well.

Standard's minority share in 3937844 Canada was also not transferred to Astral, but was wholly acquired by its majority owner, [Newcap Broadcasting](/source/Newcap_Broadcasting), in a separate transaction which also took place in 2007.

In 2010, the company invested in Mediazoic, a webcasting software project.<ref>[http://www.techvibes.com/blog/mediazoic-attracts-investment-from-slaight-communications "Mediazoic attracts investment from Slaight Communications"]. ''TechVibes'', July 22, 2010.</ref>

Slaight Communications owns a 7.19% stake in Fight Holdings, a minority partner in [Anthem Sports & Entertainment](/source/Anthem_Sports_%26_Entertainment).<ref name="crtc">{{cite web|date=January 6, 2017|title=Anthem Digital Specialty Services|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ownership/eng/cht217.pdf|access-date=August 10, 2017|website=crtc.gc.ca|publisher=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|format=PDF}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:Slaight Communications
Category:Juno Award winners
Category:Companies based in Toronto
Category:1925 establishments in Ontario
Category:Privately held companies of Canada

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Slaight Communications](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaight_Communications) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaight_Communications?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.