CJCH-FM (101.3
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 broadcasts a
Top 40/CHR format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informatio ...
branded on-air as ''101.3
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, ...
'', and is owned by
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 ...
. CJCH's studios and offices are located at the intersection of Russell and Agricola streets in Halifax (behind TV
sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement.
Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
CJCH-DT
CJCH-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station maintains studios on Robie and Russell Streets in Halifax, and its tran ...
). 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
AM early years (1944-1978)
The station was established on November 14, 1944 by ''
The Halifax Chronicle'' at 1320 AM. It was the second radio station to
sign on
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...
in Halifax, after
CHNS, which was founded in 1926. In 1945, CJCH was authorized to increase output power and move to a lower frequency on the AM dial (920 kHz). By the 1960s, CJCH was broadcasting with 10,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s by day and 5,000 watts at night. In 1961, it put a TV station on the air,
CJCH-TV
CJCH-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station maintains studios on Robie and Russell Streets in Halifax, and its tran ...
, which later that year became a
CTV Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...
.
CJCH-AM-TV were acquired in 1970 by
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 ...
-based
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 ...
. In 1997, CHUM Limited sold the television station to CTV. On June 22, 2007, the approval by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
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 ...
(CRTC) of the acquisition of CHUM Ltd. by
CTVglobemedia
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 ...
has again brought the stations under common ownership.
In 1978, CJCH got a boost to 25,000 watts around the clock, making it Halifax's second highest powered AM station after
CFDR, which was at 50,000 watts.
Top 40 and Classic rock
Through the 1960s and 70s, CJCH was a popular
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 ...
station, the first to play all
contemporary hits in the Halifax area. In 1983, it began broadcasting in
AM Stereo, the first in
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
. In the 1970s, it had a rivalry with
CHNS in the Top 40 format. However, in the 1980s, listening to
contemporary music
Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial ...
shifted to the FM dial. In 1987, CJCH flipped to an
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 ...
-based
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, as it focused on listeners who had grown up with the station but were now over 40. In August 1993, the station switched to 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 ''Arrow 92'' (with Arrow standing for All Rock and Roll Oldies). In January 1994, CJCH switched its moniker to ''All Rock and Roll Oldies 92/CJCH''. In May 1995, it flipped to a hybrid
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
...
/oldies format; by the end of that year, the talk programming took over the entire schedule, and was branded as ''News/Talk Radio 920/CJCH''.
Sports and Oldies (2001-2007)
In 2001, CHUM Limited started a
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 ...
network known as ''The Team''. CJCH joined this network and became ''The Team 920'' on May 7 of that year. On August 27, 2002, The Team network was shut down and CJCH flipped to an
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 ...
format, becoming ''AM 920/CJCH - Yesterday's Favourites''.
In July 2006,
CHNS, an oldies station since February 1992, switched to the FM band and adopted 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 (now airing
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 ...
). As a result, CJCH became the only oldies station in Halifax. Its oldies format was unique in that it ran a mid-morning call-in program called ''The Hotline'' with host Rick Howe (now with
CJNI-FM
CJNI-FM (95.7 MHz) is a Canadian radio station in Halifax, Nova Scotia. CJNI has a News/ Talk/Sports format branded as ''CityNews 95.7''. The station is owned by Rogers Sports & Media which also owns sister station CFLT-FM. CJNI-FM is currently ...
).
Moving to FM, The Bounce (2007-2016)
In 2007,
CTVglobemedia
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 ...
acquired CJCH and CIOO. On August 31, 2007, CTVglobemedia applied to the CRTC to move CJCH to 101.3
FM. The CRTC approval was given on November 30, 2007. The application originally indicated that CJCH would retain its oldies format.
Industry Canada
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED; french: Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada; french: ISDE, label=none)''Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal I ...
required a three-week test on 101.3 FM, which began on May 8, 2008.
![CJCH-FM logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/CJCH-FM_logo.png)
On May 30, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., the last oldies song finished playing on 920 CJCH as the station went
silent on AM. The new station launched on 101.3 FM with a
Top 40/CHR format, branded as ''101.3 The Bounce''. The first song aired was
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's "
Stronger". The station did not take advantage of its right to simulcast on both frequencies for three months as is customary in such cases.
The new FM station was in direct competition with
CKHZ-FM, which had a musical direction leaning to
Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to:
* Related to rhythm
* Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics
* Rhythmic (chart)
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
and
Dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
product, targeted towards young adults. CJCH's "Bounce"
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...
and
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
s were patterned after
CHBN in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, which, until 2010, was under the same ownership as CJCH. With CKHZ adopting an
Adult Top 40
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
direction in March 2013 (which lasted until it flipped to
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 ...
in September 2015), CJCH moved towards a Rhythmic-leaning direction, but remained within the Mainstream CHR realm. The move was also in part to avoid overlapping with co-owned CIOO, though the two stations share some titles.
On April 1, 2011,
Bell Canada
Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in t ...
completed its acquisition of 100% of the shares in CTVglobemedia it didn't already own and named the new division
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 ...
.
Virgin Radio (2016-present)
On July 26, 2016, CJCH began promoting a "major change" to the station to take place on July 29 at 1:00 p.m. At that time, after playing "
Sorry" by
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, CJCH rebranded as ''101.3
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, ...
'', becoming the ninth station in Canada to use the "Virgin" branding (
CFCA-FM
CFCA-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 105.3 FM in Kitchener, Ontario. The station currently plays a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''105.3 Virgin Radio'' and is owned by Bell Media.
CFCA's studios and offices are located in Wate ...
in
Kitchener rebranded as "Virgin" at the same time as CJCH). The first song on "Virgin" (as well as Kitchener's "Virgin") was "
This Is What You Came For
"This Is What You Came For" is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris and Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 29 April 2016, through Columbia Records and Westbury Road. American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, initially credited with the p ...
" by
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
and
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
.
101.3 The Bounce Relaunches as Virgin Radio
/ref>
References
External links
101.3 Virgin Radio
*
*
{{coord, 44, 39, 33.6, N, 63, 35, 58.8, W, display=title
Radio stations in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Contemporary hit radio stations in Canada
Bell Media radio stations
Radio stations established in 1944
1944 establishments in Nova Scotia
Virgin Radio