CHAB (800 AM) is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Owned by

Golden West Broadcasting Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. is a Canadian radio and digital media company based in Altona, Manitoba. It is the largest independent radio broadcaster in Canada. The company primarily operates small-market radio stations and internet portals in ...

, it broadcasts a classic hits format serving Moose Jaw and the surrounding area. The station first began broadcasting in 1922 at 1200 AM as 10AB before becoming CHAB on December 17, 1933, before moving to 1220 AM in 1941 and to its current dial position at 800 AM in 1946. CHAB broadcasts with a power of 10,000 watts day and night, with a directional three-tower antenna during nighttime hours and a non-directional antenna during the daytime. CHAB's studios are located alongside its sister stations at 1704 Main Street North in Moose Jaw.

History

The station was an affiliate of the

Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC/CCR; ), 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 est ...

from 1933 to 1936 when it affiliated with the newly formed

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. In 1944, it became an affiliate for the CBC's

Dominion Network The Dominion Network was the second English-language radio network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from January 1, 1944 to 1962. It consisted of the CBC-owned CJBC (AM), CJBC radio station in Toronto and a series of 34 privately owned ...

until 1962 when the Dominion Network folded and CHAB became an independent station. Prior to its current classic hits format, CHAB has been a

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently 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. "To ...

station from the early 1960s until the mid-1990s. Although in the late 1980s, the station aired a few classic hits into their playlist, though it continued to air a top 40 station until the mid-1990s. In the mid-1990s, the station switched to a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

format station rebranded as ''Country 800''. On July 23, 2002, the station switched to its former

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

format with its current slogan "The Greatest Hits Of All Time". It became a mix of oldies and classic hits station on May 15, 2006. In 2010, the CRTC approved a corporate reorganization to place CHAB, CJAW-FM and CILG-FM under 101142236 Saskatchewan Ltd, a subsidiary of Elmer Hildebrand Ltd.—the majority shareholder of Golden West Broadcasting. The reorganization was stated to be for

estate planning Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the management and disposal of a person's Estate (law), estate during the person's life in preparation for future incapacity or death. The planning includes the bequest of assets to ...

reasons, and that this would not affect the effective control of the station. On November 15, 2023, the station began networking its morning show, hosted by news director Rob Carnie, to all other Golden West AM stations in Saskatchewan. Concurrently, all Golden West AM country stations in Saskatchewan moved their formats to FM and flipped to classic hits.

References

External links

800 CHABCHAB
at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation * Hab Hab Hab Radio stations established in 1922 1922 establishments in Saskatchewan HAB Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission {{Saskatchewan-radio-station-stub