CJKX-FM (95.9 FM, "KX96") is a radio station licensed to

Ajax, Ontario Ajax (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population: 126,666) is a waterfront town in Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Region in Southern Ontario, Canada, located in the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area. The town is named for , a Royal N ...

. Owned by Durham Radio, it broadcasts a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format serving the

Durham region The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, it forms the east end of the Greater Toronto A ...

. Its studios are located in

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

alongside sister stations

CKDO CKDO (1580 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, serving the eastern suburbs of the Greater Toronto Area. The station airs a classic hits–oldies format and is owned by Durham Radio Inc. CKDO is one of only two ...

and CKGE-FM. The station broadcasts in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

format.

History

The station was launched on November 21,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

as AM 1390 CHOO. The station was acquired in 1973 by Community Communications, and in 1977 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 ...

. In 1994, the station was acquired by its current owner, Durham Radio, and moved to its current FM frequency. In 1999, the station added a 5 kW

rebroadcaster A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

(CJKX-FM-1) in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, operating on 89.9 FM to cover the area that receives interference from first-adjacent CFJB-FM. In 2006, CJKX was approved by the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

to add a

(CJKX-FM-2) in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, to operate on 95.9 FM, the same frequency as the main station. That rebroadcaster's transmitter is located atop the

First Canadian Place First Canadian Place is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and serves as the global operational executive office of the Bank of Montreal. At , it is the tallest buildin ...

. The CHOO callsign was formerly used at a now defunct station in

Tofino Tofino ( , Nuu-chah-nulth language, Nuu-chah-nulth: ''Načiks'') is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The District ...

, British Columbia from 2000 to 2002. The current "CHOO" callsign is now currently being used at a radio station

Drumheller Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Vall ...

, Alberta, known today as

CHOO-FM CHOO-FM (99.5 FM, "Boom 99.5") is a radio station in Drumheller, Alberta. Owned by Stingray Radio, it broadcasts a classic hits format. History The station was licensed by the CRTC in 2008, and officially launched at 8:00 AM MST on April 28, ...

. Both of these stations that used the "CHOO" callsign have no relation to CJKX. On August 1, 2016, the CRTC denied an application by Durham Radio to increase the station's effective radiated power (ERP) from 122 to 194 watts; it ruled that Durham Radio presented no meaningful reason to increase the station's power besides a stated intent to use it as a "back door" to expand coverage in Toronto and Mississauga, thus compromising its commitment to serve the Durham region as licensed.

References

External links

KX96CHOO Radio Recollections
- CHOO 1390 AM Ajax ''(former AM radio station)''
CJKX-FM
at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the

Canadian Communications Foundation The Canadian Communications Foundation (CCF) was a Canadian nonprofit organization which documented the history of broadcasting in Canada, particularly radio and television networks, programs and broadcasters. The organization was established in ...

* * - ''(Old frequency)'' Ajax, Ontario Jkx Jkx Radio stations established in 1967 1967 establishments in Ontario {{Ontario-radio-station-stub