partner in VOCM radio, through Colonial Broadcasting System Ltd. In 1954, Butler died in a plane accident, and in 1958 Joseph Butler Jr. acquired control of the company. Williams continued to work with the company until 1972, two years before his death in 1974. In 1982, Colonial Broadcasting System changed its name to VOCM Radio Newfoundland Ltd. By this time the company had established a network of stations throughout eastern and central Newfoundland, as well as a sister FM station, VOCM-FM. In May 2000, the assets of VOCM Radio were acquired by Harry Steele's company Newfoundland Capital Corporation, which now operates the stations as part of the Steele Communications division of Newcap Radio. As of September 2016, VOCM network stations CHCM in Marystown and CKVO in Clarenville went off the air and now simulcast VOCM full-time. As of March 2023, VOCM network stations CFCB in Corner Brook and CKGA in Gander began simulcasting VOCM full-time. Programming Talk shows VOCM programming includes talk shows such as Open Line with Paddy Daly, and On Target with Linda Swain, where Newfoundland and Labrador-related issues are discussed with callers and emails/tweets sent to the station are read and discussed. These programs are well known and often perform highly in the radio ratings province-wide, these shows are generally considered to be non-partisan and are not driven by the hosts' personalities, unlike the majority of contemporary North American talk radio programs. During the late 1990s, the VOCM network experimented with syndicated talk programming in the form of the Dr. Laura Schlessinger show, which aired on tape delay in the early evening. As with most Canadian stations airing the program, it was quietly dropped shortly after a Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruling admonishing the host for making comments the CBSC claimed were discriminatory. While VOCM continues to air some short syndicated features and occasionally brokered programming (i.e. infomercials) on Sunday mornings, it does not regularly air other extended-length syndicated programming. Recent Years On December 1, 2016, VOCM expanded its talk programming to include syndicated programs such as Coast to Coast AM as well as shows that feature experts in the fields of finance, real estate and renewable energy sources that air at 11:35am weekdays. In addition, Tim Powers had his own show on VOCM that aired Fridays at 6:00 p.m. with a repeat at 2:00 on Sunday afternoons. Unlike Open Line, BackTalk or NightLine, Tim interviews various