Bell Media Radio, G.P. (formerly CHUM Radio), operating as iHeartRadio Canada, is the
radio broadcasting
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 ...
and music events
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of Canadian media conglomerate
Bell Media
Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies.
Establishment (2011–13)
On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
. The company has its origins in
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHU ...
, which was acquired by CTVglobemedia in 2006. Through subsequent acquisitions, it also subsumed the radio properties of
Astral Media
Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channels ...
in 2013; many of these were former
Standard Radio
Slaight Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. The company was formed as Slaight Broadcasting in 1971, when owner J. Allan Slaight acquired CFGM in Richmond Hill. Slaight later also acquired CFOX in Montreal and CHOK in Sar ...
stations that were acquired by Astral in 2007.
In 2016, Bell Media reached a licensing agreement with U.S. radio conglomerate
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
to operate a localized version of its
internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
platform
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
, and organize Canadian versions of its event franchises (such as the Jingle Ball). Since this agreement, Bell has primarily promoted its audio content, including radio stations and podcasts, under the public-facing brand iHeartRadio Canada.
Bell Media currently owns over 100 radio stations across Canada, including most of Canada's largest radio markets. The company's programming is distributed to other stations across Canada via its syndication division, Orbyt Media, and it is also the local licensee of the
Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale.
In 2001, ...
brand.
Operations
As of August 2009, its head office is currently located at
250 Richmond Street West
250 Richmond Street West is a studio complex in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building now serves as the headquarters of iHeartRadio Canada's national radio operations of Bell Media, and as the studios of the company's Toronto radio stat ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, where the studios of its Toronto
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
stations
CHUM-FM
CHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, broadcasting on 104.5 MHz. Owned by Bell Media, the station airs a hot adult contemporary format. CHUM-FM's studios are located at 250 Richmond Street West in the Entertainment District, ...
,
CKFM-FM
CKFM-FM (''99.9 Virgin Radio'') is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting on 99.9 MHz in Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned by Bell Media. The station airs a Top 40/CHR format, and is the flagship of Canada's "Virgin Radio" stations. CKFM's ...
,
CFRB
CFRB (1010 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and carries a News/Talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in the Entertainment District at 250 Richmond Street West.
CFRB is a clea ...
and
CHUM (AM)
CHUM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, broadcasting on 1050 kHz. The station is owned and operated by Bell Media. CHUM's studios are co-located with TSN at 9 Channel Nine Court in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough ...
are located. The stations moved from their historic location, 1331 Yonge Street, after the property was sold to Aspen Ridge Homes for $21.5 million.
![CHUM radio neon signs Toronto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/CHUM_radio_neon_signs_Toronto.jpg)
CHUM Radio also previously operated CHUM Satellite Services, a multimedia division which provided programming and production services for corporate clients. This operation was acquired in 2009 by
Stingray Digital
Stingray Group Inc. (formerly Stingray Digital and Stingray Digital Group) is a publicly traded Media of Canada, Canadian media and entertainment company based in Montreal, Quebec, with offices in the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, t ...
, which eventually renamed it ''Stingray360''.
On January 6, 2016,
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
announced that Bell Media would enter into a licensing deal to launch a Canadian version of its radio streaming service
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
. Bell will handle Canadian licensing, marketing, and distribution of the service, contribute its content to the venture, and also gain rights to produce iHeartRadio-branded events. The service launched in October 2016.
Since then, Bell has downplayed the branding "Bell Media Radio" in reference to its stations, and has referred to the collective platform, including the terrestrial stations, online outlets (which were all consolidated under iHeartRadio.ca) and
podcasts from Bell Media properties that are distributed under the platform, under the name iHeartRadio Canada. The
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
Video Awards were also re-branded as the
iHeartRadio MMVAs
The iHeartRadio MMVAs were an annual awards show broadcast on Much to honour the year's best music videos that was last held in 2018.
Originally debuting in 1990 as the Canadian Music Video Awards, the awards were renamed in 1995 to the MuchMu ...
.
Programming
Bell's stations broadcast under various
formats, although hot adult contemporary and
adult hits are particularly common. The stations typically air locally produced or voice-tracked programming for the majority of their schedules, although some national network programming also airs. In 2007 and part of 2008, the hot adult contemporary radio stations also aired the national evening program ''
The Sound Lounge
''The Sound Lounge'' was a Canadian radio show, which aired from 2007 to 2008 on CTVglobemedia's hot adult contemporary-formatted radio stations in Halifax, Toronto, Brockville, Peterborough, Kingston, Winnipeg, Calgary and Victoria.
The show ...
''. Bell distributes ''
The Breakfast Club
''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film t ...
'', ''
The Bobby Bones Show
''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning drive. The Bobby Bones Show originated in Austin, Texas, but now originates from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. The show is syndica ...
'', ''
Brooke & Jeffrey'', ''
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM as the television show with the same name, ...
'', and the ''
American Top 40
''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...
'' in Canada via Orbyt Media.
As of 2021, the majority of Bell Media's music radio stations operate under standard,
networked formats with a mix of local and/or common national programming.
These brands include.
* ''Bounce'':
Adult hits stations. 25 stations adopted the branding upon its launch on May 18, 2021, with the largest being Winnipeg's
CFWM-FM
CFWM-FM (99.9 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is owned by Bell Media and airs an adult hits format branded as ''Bounce 99.9''. The studios and offices are at 1445 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, with sister stations CKMM- ...
and Hamilton's
CKLH-FM
CKLH-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.9 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. The station broadcasts an adult hits format branded as ''Bounce 102.9''. The station is owned by Bell Media. CKLH's studios are located on Upper Wentworth Street ...
; the majority of the stations that flipped included adult contemporary, hot adult contemporary,
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
, adult hits, and
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 ...
stations, including all remaining
Bob FM
BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...
and
EZ Rock
EZ Rock was a brand of adult contemporary radio stations heard primarily in Canada. The branding was originally created by Telemedia in the mid-1990s for its AC stations, and based on the call sign of its former Toronto flagship CJEZ-FM (now ...
-branded stations operated by the company.
* ''
Move
Move may refer to:
People
*Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver
Brands and enterprises
* Move (company), an online real estate company
* Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer
* Daihatsu Move
Gov ...
'':
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 ...
and
hot 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, quiet ...
stations. 10 stations adopted the branding upon its launch on December 27, 2020, including
CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM (103.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Canadian radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary radio format, form ...
,
CJMJ-FM
CJMJ-FM (100.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The station uses its on-air brand name ''Move 100.3'', and airs an adult contemporary format. CJMJ is owned by Bell Media, along with three other Ottawa radio statio ...
, and
CIOO-FM
CIOO-FM is a Canadian adult contemporary formatted radio station, broadcasting at 100.1 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The station uses the on-air brand name ''Move 100''. It was originally owned by Toronto based CHUM Limited until the company's b ...
.
* ''
Pure Country
''Pure Country'' is a 1992 American drama musical western film directed by Christopher Cain and starring George Strait in his acting debut, with Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel Glasser and Kyle Chandler. The film, while profitable with box office rece ...
'':
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
stations. 13 stations adopted the branding upon its launch on May 28, 2019, including 12 existing stations and newly flipped
CKLC-FM
CKLC-FM (98.9 Hertz, MHz) is a Commercial broadcasting, commercial radio station in Kingston, Ontario, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts a country music, country radio format, format and is branded on-air as ''Pure Country (radio network), ...
in
Kingston. All stations carry a midday show hosted by Shannon Ella, and ''
The Bobby Bones Show
''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning drive. The Bobby Bones Show originated in Austin, Texas, but now originates from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. The show is syndica ...
''.
* ''
Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale.
In 2001, ...
'':
CHR/Top 40
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
stations, using branding licensed from the
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970.
Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding c ...
. The brand was first introduced by Astral Media's
CKFM-FM
CKFM-FM (''99.9 Virgin Radio'') is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting on 99.9 MHz in Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned by Bell Media. The station airs a Top 40/CHR format, and is the flagship of Canada's "Virgin Radio" stations. CKFM's ...
in 2008.
Bell's French-language radio stations in Quebec, inherited from Astral Media, have similarly operated using networked formats:
* ''
Énergie
Énergie is a Canadian radio network of French-language mainstream rock outlets broadcasting throughout the province of Quebec and portions of eastern Ontario, in Eastern Canada. They offer a personality-driven mix of francophone and anglophone c ...
'':
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
stations.
* ''
Rouge FM
Rouge FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary radio stations broadcasting throughout Quebec, Canada. Established in 1990 as RockDétente, they are owned by Bell Media.
All "Rouge FM" stations broadcast in the same markets as Bell's ...
'':
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 ...
stations.
Bell also operates three networked brands featuring
talk
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct
...
and spoken word programming, Except for TSN Radio (which features a mix of local programming and other acquired sports talk programs and event broadcasts, often syndicated from
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
and
Westwood One Sports
Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming.
The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...
), the majority of this programming is automated with little local content:
* ''BNN Bloomberg Radio'': Business news stations, which feature programming from
Bloomberg Radio
Bloomberg Radio is a radio service of Bloomberg L.P. that provides global business news programming 24 hours a day. The format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market up ...
and audio simulcasts of programs from the
BNN Bloomberg
BNN Bloomberg (formerly Business News Network and Report on Business Television) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media. It broadcasts programming related to business and financial news and analysis. The channel is he ...
television channel.
* ''Funny'': Carries stand-up comedy. Was initially a Canadian licensee of the U.S. radio network
24/7 Comedy.
* ''
TSN Radio
TSN Radio is a semi-national sports radio brand and part-time network in Canada carried on AM radio stations owned by Bell Media.[Sports talk
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...]
stations, co-branded with Bell's
TSN sports channel. Three of the TSN Radio stations were formerly part of a larger but short-lived national sports radio network known as
The Team, which was launched by CHUM Limited in 2001 on virtually all of the company's AM radio stations across Canada, but was dissolved in 2002 due to poor ratings. The stations that did not remain AM
sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
stations are either
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 ...
or
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
/
talk
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct
...
formats.
"TSN Radio a reality"
''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', January 21, 2011.
Bell began to introduce in-house evening programming for its news/talk stations in 2017 with ''The Evan Solomon Show''. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Bell dropped ''Coast to Coast AM
''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 19 ...
'' from its stations and replaced it with ''The Late Shift with Jason Agnew
Jason Agnew is a Canadian television producer, host, radio personality, and writer. He is also known as the founding producer and original host of Canada's Emmy Award-winning BITE Television Network, which is also known as Makeful.
Early life
H ...
'', later replaced in 2021 by the new overnight show ''The Late Showgram with Jim Richards''.
From its ownership of Astral Media, Bell also owns the ''Boom FM
Boom FM is a branding of classic hits radio stations broadcasting in Canada. The trademark is owned by Bell Media, although only two stations using the branding are owned by that company.
The name "Boom" is a reference to baby boomers, who are t ...
'' and ''EZ Rock'' brands. Presently ''Boom FM'' is used only by two Bell-owned stations, both in Quebec; the majority of English-language stations using the brand are owned by Stingray Radio
Stingray Radio (formerly Newcap Radio) is a Canadian radio broadcasting conglomerate owned by Stingray Group. It owns and operates 101 radio stations in Canada—making it the second-largest radio conglomerate in Canada behind Bell Media. It also ...
(who had acquired the flagship outlet in Toronto, CHBM-FM
CHBM-FM is a radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada broadcasting at 97.3 FM. The station currently broadcasts a classic hits format branded as ''Boom 97.3''. CHBM's studios are located at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue in Toronto's Deer ...
as part of divestments mandated during Bell's purchase of Astral). The last remaining ''EZ Rock''-branded stations in Canada were phased out with the launch of the ''Bounce'' and ''Move'' brands.
Stations
See also
*Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale.
In 2001, ...
References
External links
*
{{Bell Media
Bell Media
Radio broadcasting companies of Canada