Corus tuning out of Quebec

After a decade trying to decode Quebec's distinct radio market, Corus Entertainment is signing off. The Toronto-based company announced yesterday it has struck a deal to sell 11 radio stations in Quebec, including Q92, CKOI-FM and CKAC-AM in Montreal, to Cogeco Inc. for $80 million. Its only remaining radio property in the province would be CKRS in Saguenay, for which it is seeking a buyer. Corus had been unable to generate the same profits in Quebec as in other Canadian markets, and finally decided its resources would be better deployed elsewhere, company president John Cassaday told analysts in a conference call.