CHNS-FM (89.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

, in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The station airs a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

branded as ''89.9 The Wave''. CHNS is owned and operated by the

Maritime Broadcasting System Maritime Broadcasting System Limited, branded as MBS Radio, is a private Canadian broadcasting company owning 21 radio stations serving several communities in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. MBS Radio was established in 196 ...

which also owns sister station

CHFX-FM CHFX-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 101.9 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The station currently plays a country format branded on-air as ''FX101.9''. CHFX's studios are located at 90 Lovett Lake Court, while its transmitter is loc ...

. CHNS-FM's studios and offices are located on Lovett Lake Court in Halifax. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is located on Washmill Lake Drive in Clayton Park.

History

CHNS was Nova Scotia's first radio station, signing on the air on May 12, 1926, originally on 930 AM. In 1930, it switched to 910 but switched back to 930 four years later. In 1941, it switched to 960. It was the host of

Canadian National Railway radio CNR Radio or CN Radio (officially the Canadian National Railways Radio Department)affiliate of the

Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC), also referred to as the Canadian Radio Commission (CRC), was Canada's first public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Origins The CRBC was establis ...

from 1933 to 1936 when the network became the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. It acted as a CBC outlet until 1945 when CBH was launched as a CBC-owned station. CHNS then became an affiliate of the CBC's Dominion Network until 1960. From the 1940s to the 1980s, CHNS employed personalities who would go on to become some of Canada's top broadcasters, including

Knowlton Nash Cyril Knowlton Nash (November 18, 1927 – May 24, 2014) was a Canadian journalist, author and news anchor. He was senior anchor of CBC Television's flagship news program, '' The National'' from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. He began his care ...

Mike Duffy Michael Dennis Duffy (born May 27, 1946) is a former Canadian senator and former Canadian television journalist. Prior to his appointment to the upper house in 2008, he was the Ottawa editor for CTV News Channel. In turning 75 on May 27, 202 ...

Stan Carew Stan Carew (August 7, 1950 – July 6, 2015) was a Canadian radio broadcaster, musician and actor,Ian Hanomansing Ian Harvey Hanomansing is a Canadian television journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)."Hanomansing's future is anchored in star potential: Pacific Rim host could be next Mansbridge". ''Vancouver Sun'', June 16, 1997. He form ...

. CHNS had an intense

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

ratings war with rival station CJCH during the 1970s. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the station played an

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

format. In February 1992, it flipped to

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

, branding itself ''Oldies 96 CHNS''. It was among a handful of AM stations broadcasting in C-QUAM

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

. The station received

CRTC The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

approval to move to FM in April 2006. It moved to its current frequency at 89.9 FM in July of that year, adopting a

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

format as ''89.9 HAL FM''. CHNS was given permission to simulcast the FM programming for 90 days on the AM signal. On October 19, 2006, the AM signal was shut down, putting an end to 80 years of broadcasting on the AM dial. The old transmitter house was demolished in 2008. On August 30, 2013, at 8 a.m., CHNS-FM flipped to

, branded as ''89.9 The Wave''. The move came 4 days after

CKUL-FM CKUL-FM (96.5 FM, ''96.5 The Breeze'') is a radio station serving Halifax, Nova Scotia. Owned by Stingray Group, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. CKUL's studios and offices are located on Kempt Road in Halifax, while its transmitt ...

flipped to

Adult Album Alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...

. (CKUL-FM is now an

adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

station.) Every weekend, CHNS plays vintage '' American Top 40'' countdown shows hosted by

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

, one from the 1980s every Saturday morning, and one from the 1970s every Sunday morning. Sister stations

CKPE-FM CKPE-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting from Sydney, Nova Scotia at 94.9 FM. The station broadcasts a classic hits format branded as ''94.9 The Wave''. The station has been on the air since 1957 under the original call sign CJCB-FM. Th ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

CFQM-FM CFQM-FM (103.9 MHz) is a Canadian FM radio station broadcasting from Moncton, New Brunswick, and owned by the Maritime Broadcasting System. The station currently airs a classic hits format and is branded on-air as ''103.9 Max FM''. Since 1977, t ...

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

and

CJYC-FM CJYC-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting from Saint John, New Brunswick at 98.9 FM with a classic hits format branded on-air as ''Kool 98''. The station is owned by the Maritime Broadcasting System. History The station began broadcast ...

in Saint John also do this.

Shortwave relay

CHNS programming was also heard on

shortwave radio Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

. It first

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

on 6.110 MHz beginning in 1931 on experimental

shortwave relay station Shortwave relay stations are transmitter sites used by international broadcasters to extend their coverage to areas that cannot be reached easily from their home state. For example, the BBC operates an extensive net of relay stations. These days ...

VE9HX. The station was listened to around the world when it carried live coverage of the

Moose River mine disaster Moose River Gold Mines is a Canadian rural community located in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is located at the junction of Moose River Road and Mooseland Road. No numbered highways run through Moose River Gold Mines. Gold was ...

in 1936. Five-minute long hourly updates by CHNS reporter J. Frank Willis were relayed over CHNX for five days and were listened to worldwide and simulcast over 650 radio stations in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The broadcasts were carried across Canada over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as well as stations across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

. It was the first live 24-hour radio coverage of a breaking news story in Canada. In 1937, the shortwave station was assigned the call letters CHNX. By the mid-1990s, due to problems with the aging shortwave transmitter, power had been reduced from 500 watts to 40 to 70 watts. The station went off the air in 2000 due to transmitter failure, but returned following repairs. It went off the air permanently in 2001 as station owner Maritime Broadcasting was unwilling to invest in a new transmitter.

References

External links

89.9 The Wave
* * {{Coord, 44, 38, 31.6, N, 63, 34, 14.8, W, display=title HNS HNS HNS Radio stations established in 1926 1926 establishments in Nova Scotia HNS CNR Radio Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission