CKCH was a
radio station which operated at 970
kHz
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 on ...
on the
AM band in
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...
,
Canada from 1933 to 1994.
CKCH was also the original call sign of Ottawa radio station
CNRO (later known as CBO) from February 27 to July 15, 1924
History
On June 20, 1933, CKCH signed on the air, operating on 1210 kHz with 100 watts of power.
In 1941, under the
Havana Treaty
The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA, es, Convenio Regional Norteamericano de Radiodifusión) refers to a series of international treaties that defined technical standards for AM band ( mediumwave) radio stations. These agre ...
, CKCH moved from 1210 to 1240 kHz (Class IV) on March 29. Power remained 100 watts.
In 1947, CKCH was listed as operating on 1240 kHz with power of 250 watts, with an application pending for 1,000 watts on 970 kHz. It was a
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
Radio-Canada affiliate and was owned by Compagnie de Radiodiffusion de Hull CKCH Limitée, the broadcasting arm of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
's local newspaper, ''
Le Droit
''Le Droit'' is a Canadian French-language daily newspaper, published in Gatineau, Quebec. Initially established and owned by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the paper was published by Martin Cauchon and his company, Capitales Médias ...
''. Studios were at 85 rue Champlain in downtown Hull, with the transmitter located at 620
Boulevard Saint-Joseph in the Parc-de-la-Montagne area of Hull. It was on the air 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. CKCH moved to its last frequency at 970 kHz in 1948.
Due to CKCH's modest power, Radio-Canada also relied on the 50,000-watt signal of
Montreal's
CBF to reach the National Capital Region's francophones until it signed on an Ottawa station of its own,
CBOF.
Over the years, the station went through different formats, ownerships and technical upgrades.
In 1970, CKCH-
FM (now
CIMF-FM) was launched.
In 1984, CKCH's then-owner,
Telemedia, received approval from the
CRTC to renew its licence for another five-year period, from October 1, 1984 to September 30, 1989. CKCH's licence was renewed again in 1989, and one last time on August 23, 1994, for a two-year period from September 1, 1994 to August 31, 1996.
Closure
In 1994, the CRTC noted that CKCH had been having difficulty meeting the required level of 65% French vocals in its music content, but soon after, the station switched to an all-francophone format, in which all music played featured only French vocals.
On September 30, 1994, Telemedia and
Radiomutuel merged their AM operations in Quebec, creating a new company, RadioMedia. But in doing so, the new combined company closed CKCH, along with
CJMS,
CJRP,
CJMT,
CJRS, and
CJTR, as they felt it was not economical to continue operations of those stations. The merger was still subject to CRTC approval, but the two companies opted to close those six stations on this date and return licenses to the CRTC for cancellation. RadioMedia continued operations of their FM stations.
The CRTC officially revoked the licences for the six stations, including CKCH, on November 2, 1994.
Notable staff
*
Pierre Dufault, political correspondent and sports journalist
*Jean-Paul Sanche (father of
Ici Radio-Canada Télé
Ici Radio-Canada Télé (formerly known as Télévision de Radio-Canada) is a Canadian French-language free-to-air television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada), the national pub ...
’s Guy Sanche) - Head Newsreader in 1958.
*Pierre Dufresne
See also
*
CIMF-FM
References
External links
History of CKCH Hull(defunct) -
Canadian Communications Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ckch (Defunct)
Kch
Radio stations established in 1933
Radio stations disestablished in 1994
Kch
1933 establishments in Quebec
1994 disestablishments in Quebec
KCH
Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission