When Rogers Sports and Media closed 95.7 News Radio—Halifax’s only all-news radio station—they blamed the shutdown on falling listener numbers and declining ad revenue. Nova Scotians Dan Budgell and Matt Dagley weren’t convinced. While acknowledging the challenging cost structure of traditional commercial broadcasting, they believed local audiences still wanted timely, relevant coverage. The pair founded Lighthouse Media to meet that need.

Lighthouse Media is a startup media company combining local journalism, Nova Scotia music, multi-media production and purpose-built technology into one efficient operation. The station doesn’t have a physical commercial location yet and is broadcasting from Budgell’s Lower Sackville home. Budgell is an entrepreneur and technologist with experience starting and operating small businesses while Dagley brings media production experience to the role.

Their flagship service, Lighthouse Radio, is designed around the needs of Nova Scotia audiences, creators and businesses. “The demand for local information didn’t disappear when a larger company changed direction,” says Budgell. “The biggest challenge is building something of this scale with a small team, but the public response tells us the opportunity is real.”

A key part of the operation is a custom platform Budgell built to run the station. The software brings all station operations into a single digital environment. Having the station online reduces expenses and regulatory contracts required by a traditional broadcasting licence. Applying to the CRTC, obtaining an FM signal and moving to a physical location are all long-term goals for the company. For now, staff run the station remotely using its custom software.

The business plan is based on building the company in stages instead of immediately taking on the overhead of a traditional radio station. The specially designed media hub helps lower operating costs by cutting down on the number of separate services needed to purchase.

A for-profit company with a community-first mandate, Lighthouse Media is currently pre-revenue, with next steps focused on generating funds through ad space, program sponsorships and branding, among other avenues. They have also applied for some small business grants to help offset expenses, though the overall costs of operating the station are still being worked out. Once baseline revenue is secured, the company aims to become a job creator for Nova Scotians looking for a career in media.

Budgell and Dagley say they are realistic about the challenges facing local media, saying there is room for new operators willing to rethink the model. This venture aims to prove that local media is still commercially viable, deeply connected to, and needed by, the community.

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