Canadian Radio News
Jon Pearkins jon@pearkins.com
The CRTC is expected to announce that they have determined that Wingham, Ontario has the “market capacity” for a new radio station. And, if approved, will begin a Call for Applications for a new station there. (See CKNX item below.)
600 CFQR QC Montréal – The station’s new owner did not respond to the request for comments on the CRTC’s proposed $67,366 payout over the next seven years to several organizations supporting Canadian talent and community radio. Therefore, that requirement is now part of the station’s license.
640 CFIQ ON Richmond Hill – Poster torontostan on sowny.net reports that the land for CFIQ’s transmitter site was “put up for sale” on April 10, 2025 and finally has an interested buyer. He speculates that Corus’ major lenders, currently awaiting CRTC approval to own 99% of Corus shares, will accept the offer for the land and take CFIQ off the air permanently.
670 CHOR ON Ottawa – The University of Ottawa had a licensed Carrier Current campus AM station beginning in 1975 that moved to FM in 1991 and is now licensed as CHUO-FM. The station’s last live broadcast will be on December 15, with “pre-recorded content” running until March 2026 before shutting down. The station claims that the CRTC will not let it sign off until then. A recent vote was held and the university’s student population chose to end funding for the station.
920 CKNX ON Wingham – Wingham’s only AM station will likely be getting new competition thanks to the CRTC’s Call for Applications coming as a result of their market capacity study indicating that Wingham can justify a new radio station. No update yet on CKNX’s attempt to move to FM.
940 CFNV QC Montréal – [See CFQR 600 above.]
1150 CKOC ON Hamilton – Is now simulcasting CHCH-TV’s audio of the CHCH Evening News at 1800 weekdays.
1220 CFAJ ON Saint Catharines – After an extended period of transmitter site work while running on low power, they have returned to 10 kW day and night with their licensed very tight NW day and NNNW night directional patterns.
1290 CFRW MB Winnipeg – First reported back on the air, somewhat intermittently, with a testing audio loop on December 15 with 1 kW, going off the air at 1739. Back on the air by the next day with 10 kW, presumably using their licensed day and night patterns, as Akash, the new owners, purchased the transmitter site from Bell. And began being heard in Europe by several DXers. Akash staff is saying that the station will officially launch in February. Already using the same ‘Connect’ branding/slogan as co-owned CKER-FM Edmonton, AB: “Connect AM 1290.” Another slogan being heard is “Asli Radio,” which means “Real Radio” in Punjabi. On October 16, the CRTC approved the sale of CFRW by Bell to Akash and granted a license that expires August 31 2031. This contradicts the October 10 CRTC decision that states “New licences issued after the publication of this regulatory policy will also receive indefinite licences.“ With its standard Commercial Radio License, CFRW can broadcast no more than 19 hours per Broadcast Week of ethnic programming, defined as not in English, French or Indigenous languages. There is no restriction on the overnight period, Midnight to 6:00 AM, as it is not considered part of the Broadcast Week. CFRW began as CJQM-1470 on November 1, 1963, as a clone of CHQM-1320 in Vancouver BC. But never saw the ratings or advertising success of CHQM. CJQM had lost one million dollars and, in November 1969, became “the only radio station in North America ever to go bankrupt” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto Ontario, February 12, 1970)
Jim Pattison, owner of CJOR-600 Vancouver, BC, received CRTC approval in 1970 to buy the station, and its FM, for $100,000. CHQM kept the 1963 CJQM-FM automation machine, rumored to be Serial #0005 from IGM’s factory in Bellingham, WA, and moved it to Vancouver where it was used on CHQM-
FM beginning in early 1971.
1290 CJBK ON London – Has been Off The Air since June 2023, but the eight towers at the transmitter site
are still standing.
1330 CJYM SK Rosetown – Noted by a DXer in Trondheim, Norway at 0312 on December 3, while reporting the story to their regional on-line newspaper: westerncentralonline.com.
1470 CJVB BC Vancouver – The CRTC has approved the shutdown of the station, with some of its Chinese programming moving to co-owned (Fairchild Radio Group) CHKG-FM Vancouver BC. This required the CRTC to remove CHKG’s condition of service that did not allow Chinese programming from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM on weekdays. CJVB’s license will be revoked on March 5 to satisfy the station’s request for “a brief transition period prior to the revocation, in order to notify its listeners in advance.”
Only one member of the original CJVB sign-on (June 18, 1972) staff is still alive: Pat Karl is 86 and still in good health.
Via NRC DX News Dec 30 published Dec 22 in WOR iog (2025-12-22)