Broadcast and ownership update — October 25, 2026: This article was written on July 7, when the future radio homes of the Flames and Canucks were unresolved and Rogers had only agreed to buy the final 25% of MLSE. Those outcomes are now known. The Flames announced on August 12 that all home and away games would air on QR Calgary 770 AM under a five-year agreement. September 9 reporting confirmed the Canucks’ move to KiSS Throwbacks 104.9 FM in Vancouver (also 92.5 FM in Abbotsford and 107.5 FM in Chilliwack). Separately, Rogers confirmed on October 1 that its C$4.35-billion purchase had closed and it now owned 100% of MLSE. The questions and conditional language below reflect the July reporting, not today’s broadcast arrangements. The station closures remain significant for local daily sports talk even though game broadcasts found new homes.
Rogers made a major move this week, and it is one that hockey fans in Western Canada are going to feel.
According to multiple reports, Rogers is shutting down Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver and Sportsnet 960 in Calgary — two stations that have been tied closely to the Canucks and Flames for years. For fans who still rely on radio broadcasts, pre-game shows, post-game reaction, call-in shows, and daily local hockey talk, this is not just some corporate reshuffling. It changes the way people follow their teams.
And the timing makes it even harder to ignore.
Because while Rogers is cutting radio stations in Calgary and Vancouver, the company has also agreed to take full control of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment — the company behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and Scotiabank Arena. Rogers is buying the remaining 25 percent stake from Kilmer Sports for $4.35 billion, which would make Rogers the 100 percent owner of MLSE once the deal closes, pending approvals. (The Wall Street Journal)
That contrast is going to bother a lot of hockey fans outside Toronto.
Calgary May Feel This the Most
The Calgary Flames are the team most affected by this.
Sportsnet 960 was not just another station. It was the Flames’ radio home, and for a lot of fans, it was part of the daily rhythm of following the team. Morning reaction after a bad loss. Trade deadline talk. Draft debate. Callers venting. Local reporters breaking down what was actually happening around the team.
That stuff matters.
The Flames are not just losing a frequency on the dial. They are potentially losing a major piece of their local hockey ecosystem.
Rogers and Sportsnet had announced before the 2025-26 season that Sportsnet 960 would carry all 82 Flames games, while Sportsnet 650 would carry all 82 Canucks games. (Rogers Sports & Media) Now, with Sportsnet 960 being shut down, the Flames’ radio future becomes a real question.
The games could still land somewhere else. The Flames could find a new radio partner. Rogers could adjust how the broadcasts are distributed. But as things stand, the old setup is gone.
For Calgary, that is a big deal.
This is a Canadian market with a passionate fan base, a team trying to retool its identity, and a city that still cares deeply about local coverage. Losing a full-time sports radio station takes away more than game broadcasts. It takes away debate, personality, pressure, and connection.
And in a market like Calgary, that silence will be noticeable.
Vancouver Gets Hit Too, But There Is a Safety Net
For the Canucks, the situation appears a little different.
Sportsnet 650 being shut down is still a major loss. That station became the home of Canucks talk in Vancouver. It carried the games, the reaction, the rumours, the frustration, and the hope. During the highs and lows of a Canucks season, Sportsnet 650 was where fans could hear the temperature of the market every day.
But Vancouver may have more protection than Calgary because of the Canucks’ long-term partnership with Rogers.
The Canucks and Rogers announced a 10-year extension in 2022 that keeps Sportsnet as the team’s exclusive regional TV and radio partner through 2033. (Rogers Sports & Media) That means the Canucks are not simply being dropped from radio coverage altogether. Their games are expected to move to another Rogers-owned radio property in Vancouver.
Still, that does not make it painless.
Moving games is one thing. Replacing a full sports station is another.
Canucks fans may still get the broadcast. But what happens to the daily shows? What happens to the local hockey voices? What happens to the routine of turning on the radio and hearing wall-to-wall Canucks talk?
That is the part fans will feel.
A team’s connection to its market is not built only during the three hours of a game broadcast. It is built in the hours before, the hours after, and the days between games. If that disappears or gets watered down, the relationship changes.
This Is Where Fans Will Point at Toronto
Let’s be honest: the Toronto angle makes this whole thing more emotional.
Rogers is cutting sports radio in Calgary and Vancouver at the same time it is spending billions to take full control of MLSE. That means Rogers is becoming the 100 percent owner of the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, and Scotiabank Arena once the deal is finalized. (The Wall Street Journal)
From a business standpoint, Rogers would argue these are separate decisions. Radio is struggling. Traditional sports talk stations are not what they used to be. Streaming, podcasts, apps, and direct-to-consumer platforms have changed the game.
That may all be true.
But fans do not always look at it that way.
In Calgary and Vancouver, it is going to look like this: local stations are being cut, while Toronto’s sports empire gets bigger under the Rogers umbrella.
That is the kind of thing that feeds the old Canadian hockey complaint — that everything revolves around Toronto.
Fair or not, that will be the reaction.
And honestly, Rogers should have seen that coming.
The Bigger Issue: Local Coverage Is Shrinking
The biggest concern here is not just whether Flames or Canucks games will still be available somewhere.
The bigger concern is what happens to local sports coverage.
National coverage cannot replace local radio. A podcast from Toronto cannot fully explain the mood in Calgary after another tough Flames loss. A national panel cannot always understand the pressure in Vancouver when the Canucks are spiraling or surging.
Local voices matter because they live in the market. They understand the fan base. They know what people are angry about, what they are excited about, and what storylines are actually moving the needle.
When stations like Sportsnet 960 and Sportsnet 650 disappear, fans lose more than convenience. They lose part of the conversation.
That is bad for the Flames.
That is bad for the Canucks.
And honestly, it is bad for Canadian hockey.
What Happens Next?
For the Canucks, the next step should be clearer. Their games are expected to continue through another Rogers outlet because of the long-term regional rights deal. The bigger question is what happens to the broader Canucks talk format.
For the Flames, things feel much more uncertain. If Rogers is no longer producing Flames radio broadcasts, Calgary needs answers. Where will fans hear the games? Who will call them? Will there be a new station? Will the broadcasts move mostly online? Will the Flames have to build something different?
Those are not small questions.
Radio may not be as dominant as it once was, but in hockey markets, it still matters. Especially in Canada. Especially for fans driving, working, travelling, or listening from smaller communities outside the city.
This move feels like another sign that the sports media world is changing fast.
But for Flames and Canucks fans, it may feel simpler than that.
Their local hockey coverage just got smaller — while Rogers’ Toronto sports empire got even bigger.
