CBLA-FM

"CBLA" redirects here. For the forensic technique, seeComparative bullet-lead analysis.

CBLA-FM(99.1MHz) is anon-commercialradio stationinToronto,Ontario,Canada. Owned and operated by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation,the station is theflagship stationof theCBC Radio Onenetwork, broadcasting a mix ofnewsandtalk.In addition to the Toronto market, CBLA also reaches much ofCentral Ontariowith a network of twelverebroadcasters.Thestudiosare in theCanadian Broadcasting Centre.

CBLA-FM

Toronto,Ontario
Broadcast area	Golden Horseshoe
Frequency	99.1MHz(FM) (HD Radio)
Branding	CBC Radio One
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Public radio/News/Talk
Subchannels	HD2:CBL-FMsimulcast
Ownership
Owner	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Sister stations	CBL-FM,CJBC,CJBC-FM,CBLT-DT,CBLFT-DT
History
First air date	March 5, 1928(1928-03-05)(asCKGW980AM)
Former call signs	CKGW(1928–1932) CRCT(1932–1937) CBL(1937–1999)
Former frequencies	910kHz(AM) (1928–1929) 690 kHz (1929) 960 kHz (1929–1931, 1933-1934) 840 kHz (1931–1933; 1934-1941) 740 kHz (1941–1999)
Call signmeaning	CanadianBroadcasting Corporation GreatLakesA
Technical information
Licensing authority	CRTC
Class	C1
ERP	55,100watts(average) 98,000 watts (peak)
HAAT	303.7 metres (996 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	43°38′56″N79°22′54″W
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	CBC Toronto

CBLA-FM has an averageeffective radiated power(ERP) of 55,100watts,peaking at 98,000 watts. Thetransmitteris atopFirst Canadian Place,atKingandBay Streets.It uses adirectional antennato avoid interference with stations in the U.S. Besides a standardanalog transmission,CBLA streams its programming online.

History

CKGW and CBL

CBLA's origins date back to March 5, 1928. That was the officialsign onofCKGWat 910AM,a commercial station owned byGooderham and Worts,with studios at theKing Edward Hotel.However, Gooderham & Worts had been operating the station on an experimental basis from as early as 1925.

Due to the instability of frequency allocations in North America at the time, the station's dial position changed several times over the next number of years, to 960, 690 and finallyclear channel840. In 1932, the station was leased by theCBC's predecessor, theCanadian Radio Broadcasting Commission.It used thecall signCRCTuntil 1937, when the station was purchased outright by the CBC and adopted the call lettersCBL.It moved to a new transmitter facility in ruralHornby.The 650 ft guyed mast that the station transmitted from was for many years thetallest structurein all of Canada.

740 AM

WithNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement(NARBA) in 1941, the station moved to 740 kHz. Its former channel, now 860 kHz, went toCFRB(which would relocate to 1010 kHz in 1947), while the 840 kHz clear channel was relocated toLouisville,Kentucky,where it was taken byWHAS.(SeeCanadian allocations changes under NARBA.)

Between 1938 and 1943, CBL had a rebroadcaster,CBY,to supplement coverage in Toronto. CBY broadcast on 960 kHz, switching to 1420 in 1939 and then to 1010 in 1941. CBY is now CJBC 860, Toronto'sIci Radio-Canada PremièreFrench languagestation.

99.1 FM

In 1946,CBL-FMwas launched, bringing the CBC's FM network (now known asCBC Music) to Toronto. It originally broadcast on the same 99.1 MHz frequency now used by CBLA, but moved to 94.1 in 1966. 99.1 was vacant until 1977, when it was assigned to theCKOradio network. CKO ceased operations in 1989, and the frequency was again vacant until it was assigned to CBLA.

CBL established a large low-power relay transmitter (LPRT) network in Northern and Central Ontario during the 1950s and '60s. These transmitters, all on AM frequencies, mainly rebroadcast the CBL signal but also offered some separate regional programming directed towards the regions served by the LPRT network in place of some local Toronto programming. One example of this was the dailyNorthern Ontario Report,which aired in the late afternoon. Most of these LPRT network transmitters now rebroadcastCBCSin Sudbury orCBQTin Thunder Bay. Some of these transmitters have switched to FM as well, or have been shut down as FM transmitters covering areas served by multiple AM transmitters have signed on.

In 1997, CBL applied to theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissionfor conversion to FM. 740's daytime signal easily coveredBuffalo, New York;Erie, PennsylvaniaandYoungstown, Ohio.It was also powerful enough to serve as the CBC outlet for theWaterloo Regionas well. Its nighttime signal reached much of the eastern half of North America (including three-fourths of Canada). However,radio frequency interferencemade the station nearly unlistenable in some parts of downtown Toronto. In a controversial decision, the CBC was awarded the 99.1 frequencyoverMilestone Radio,which had applied to open anurban musicstation, and which would have been the first station operating under that format in Canada, to serve the city's largeblackcommunity. Adding to the controversy of the CBC being awarded a station on the FM band in the country's biggest market, 99.1 was believed at the time to be the last available FM frequency in the city. On April 19, 1998, the new FM signal signed on for the first time, and began simulcasting CBL.

On June 18, 1999, the station completed its move to FM, adopting the CBLA call letters. CBL 740 remained in operation for an additional day, broadcasting a recorded loop listing alternative FM frequencies for any remaining listeners. The final announcement ran thus:

This is CBC Radio One, broadcasting from the Hornby transmitter at 740 AM. In the Toronto area, we will now move to 99.1 FM, with additional frequencies throughout southern Ontario. This transmitter has served the community well since 1937, and has been at 740 AM since 1941. This is the end of an era in Canadian broadcasting history. Now, signing off, from CBL, adieu.

— Philip Savage, CBC Communications department

Relay transmitters and HD Radio

The CBC subsequently surrendered two relay transmitters outside the city which duplicated the CBLA signal. In 2000, the CRTC awarded one of the new frequencies thereby available in Toronto to Milestone, which launchedCFXJin 2001, and the other to theAboriginal Voices Radio Network,launching CFIE-FM in 2002; that frequency later became home toCFPT-FM.The Hornby transmitter was leased to the new occupant of 740,CHWO,in 2001. That station is now known as full-service oldies stationCFZM.

TheCBC Jarvis Street Towersite was demolished in 2002 to make way for the RadioCitycondominiumdevelopment.

On October 4, 2021, CBLA addedHD Radiooperations, as part of upgrades in Toronto,OttawaandVancouver.

Local programming

The station'slocal morning programisMetro Morning,and Toronto's most popular radio show in the ratings since 2004.It has been hosted byDavid Commonsince October 16, 2023.Here and Now,hosted by Ramraajh Sharvendiran, airs in the afternoon slot. On weekend mornings the station producesFresh Air,hosted by Ismaila Alfa and heard throughout Ontario. Saturday afternoons the station broadcasts an arts and culture magazine,Big City, Small World,hosted by Mariel Borelli.

The station also produces a second morning program,Ontario Morning,which airs on most of the network's transmitters inSouthern Ontariooutside of theToronto,Kitchener-Waterloo,Ottawa,LondonandWindsormetropolitan areas.Ontario Morningis currently hosted by Nav Nanwa. Similarly, the aforementionedBig City, Small Worldis replaced byCBLA-FM-2Kitchener-Waterloo'sIn the Key of C(formerlyCBO-FMOttawa'sBandwidthuntil its cancellation) on all of the station's rebroadcasters outside Toronto.

Since October 2005,Here and Nowhas begun at 3 p.m. on CBLA's main transmitter in Toronto, unlike most CBC Radio One stations whose local afternoon programs begin at 4 p.m. However, the station's rebroadcast transmitters outside of Toronto air regular CBC network programming for the first hour and joinHere and Nowin progress at 4.

CBLA's rebroadcaster inCrystal Beach,which serve areas within commuting distance of Toronto, normally airMetro Morninginstead ofOntario Morning,but otherwise abides by the schedule used by other rebroadcasters – it carries neither the 3 p.m. hour ofHere and Now,nor any other specially-scheduled programming specific to the Toronto area. (For example, special weekend editions ofMetro Morningaired on CBLA during the2010 G20 Toronto summit;however, the Crystal Beach andParistransmitters carried a morning show originating from Ottawa, as did CBLA's other rebroadcasters outside Toronto.)

In September 2011, the CBC announced plans to launch a new local radio service for the Kitchener-Waterloo area beginning in fall 2012, re-using the existing transmitter,CBLA-FM-2(89.1 FM) in Paris.On November 7, 2012, the CBC applied to the CRTC to convert CBLA-FM-2 to a self-sustaining FM radio station, which would carry national CBC Radio One programs, along with a minimum of 12 hours and 30 minutes a week of local programming.The new station commenced programming on March 11, 2013,but was later forced to resume rebroadcaster-only service in April, due to a misunderstanding of the application details and the conditions of the repeater license.The new station received full approval from the CRTC on April 25, 2013.Prior to its sign-on, CBLA-FM-2 carried the same schedule as the provincial CBLA feed, apart fromMetro Morning(Kitchener-Waterloo, like Crystal Beach, is also within commuting distance of Toronto).

Rebroadcasters

CBLA-FM has the following rebroadcasters.

Rebroadcastersof CBLA-FM

City of license	Identifier	Frequency	Power	Class	RECNet	CRTC Decision
Bancroft	CBLA-FM-5	99.3 FM	269watts	A	Query	2014-488
Crystal Beach	CBLA-FM-1	90.5 FM	319 watts	A	Query	98-428
Haliburton	CBLY-FM	92.3 FM	50 watts	LP	Query	89-765
Huntsville	CBLU-FM	94.3 FM	70,000 watts	C1	Query	92-783
Maynooth	CBOD-FM	89.3 FM	110 watts	A1	Query	89-612
Orillia	CBCO-FM	91.5 FM	5,200 watts	B	Query	88-487
Owen Sound	CBCB-FM	98.7 FM	100,000 watts	C1	Query
Parry Sound	CBLR-FM	89.9 FM	180 watts	A1	Query	92-783
Penetanguishene	CBCM-FM	89.7 FM	2,800 watts	A	Query	98-27
Peterborough	CBCP-FM	98.7 FM	10,170 watts	B	Query	98-516
Shelburne	CBLA-FM-4	102.5 FM	2,600 watts	A	Query	2001-157
Wingham	CBLA-FM-3	100.9 FM	11,800 watts	B	Query	99-192

In the 1970s, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to change the frequency ofCBODMaynooth from 1230 kHz to 1400 kHz and later moved to 89.3 MHz in 1989.

In 1986, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to change the frequency ofCBLYHaliburton from 710 kHz to 1400 kHzand later moved to 92.3 MHz in 1989.

On December 2, 1998, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to change the frequency forCBCP-FMPeterborough from 93.5 MHz to 98.7 MHz.CBCP-FM originally signed on in Peterborough at 93.5 FM in 1980.

On July 4, 2014, the CBC submitted an application to convertCBLVBancroft from 600 kHz to 99.3 MHz; this was approved on September 23, 2014.In March 2015, the call sign CBLA-FM-5 was chosen for the new FM transmitter to replace CBLV.CBLV was one of the last AM low-power relay transmitters to rebroadcast CBLA-FM Toronto.

Former rebroadcasters

• Kitchener-Waterloo -CBLA-FM-289.1 -A former repeater of CBLA-FM what is now a local CBC Radio One outlet serving the Kitchener-Waterloo region.

Shortwave relay (VE9GW/CRCX)

CRCX

Bowmanville,Ontario
Frequency	6.095MHz 11.81 MHz 24.38 MHz
Programming
Format	shortwave radio
Network	CRBC(1933–36) CBC (1936–38)
Ownership
Owner	Gooderham & Worts (1930–36) CBC(1936–38)
Sister stations	CKGW/CRCT/CBL
History
First air date	April1930
Last air date	1938
Former call signs	VE9GW (1930–35)
Call signmeaning	CanadianRadioCommission-X

Gooderham & Worts opened an experimentalshortwave radiostation in April 1930 with the call lettersVE9GW.Listed as being located atBowmanville,Ontario,at CKGW's transmitter site, it relayed CKGW programming on 6095 kHz to northern Ontario, northernManitobaand theCanadian Arctic.While mostly relaying programming from CKGW, it would also air a regular specialty programme forDXersin theInternational Short Wave Club.After switching to a new transmitter in the winter of 1930-1931, the station boosted its power to 200 watts from 25 Watts and it could be received as far away asEurope,South Africa,andNew Zealandon either 6.095 or 11.81 MHz, and would later broadcast on 24.38 MHz, as well. In 1932, the station's power increased to 500 watts. From 1933 to 1936, CKGW and VE9GW were leased from Gooderham & Worts by theCanadian Radio Broadcasting Commission,which used the station as one of the broadcasters ofNorthern Messenger,a mailbag programme aimed at listeners in the Far North, which the CBC would continue to air into the 1970s. CKGW became CRCT and, in 1935, VE9GW's call letters changed toCRCX.In 1937, both stations were purchased by the new Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. CRCT became CBL and CRCX was closed down in 1938. The station mostly broadcast on 6.095 MHz but, at various times, transmitted on 11.81 or 24.38 MHz.

Former callsigns

CBLAis a former callsign of adefunct CBC radio transmitterinAtikokan,as well as the defunctCBLRinRed Rockthat now belongs to CBLA's rebroadcaster in Parry Sound.

External links

• CBC Toronto
• CBLA-FMat The History of Canadian Broadcasting by theCanadian Communications Foundation
• CBLA-FMin the REC Canadian station database