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CHRF

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Coordinates:45°32′26″N73°35′25″W/ 45.5405°N 73.5904°W/45.5405; -73.5904
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CHRF
Defunct
Frequency980kHz(AM)
BrandingAM 980
Programming
FormatAdult standards(French)
Ownership
OwnerEvanov Radio Group
CFMB,CHSV-FM
History
First air date
February 2,2015
Last air date
May 31,2020
Call signmeaning
CH RadioFierté (format)
Technical information
ClassB
Power50,000wattsday
10,000 watts night[1]

CHRF(980kHz) was aFrench languagecommercialAMradio stationinMontreal,Quebec,Canada.[2]Owned byEvanov Radio Group,the station broadcast anadult standardsradio format,along with some multicultural programming.[2]CHRF's studios were located on Papineau Avenue in theRosemont–La Petite-Patrieborough of Montreal, while itstransmitteris located nearMercier.

History[edit]

Preparing to broadcast[edit]

Between itssign-onin 1959 until 1990, 980 in Montreal was the home ofCKGM,for many of those years, Montreal's leadingEnglish-languageCHR/Top 40station. Then from 1990 until 2012, CKGM was heard at 990, so it could broadcast at 50,000wattsfulltime, the maximum power permitted for Canadian AM stations. In 2012, CKGM moved to an even better frequency,clear channelClass A690, leaving 980 or 990 available for another Montreal AM station to use. Several applicants sought permission to put a new station on the air using CKGM's old frequency.

The Evanov Radio Group was awarded a license by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) on November 21, 2011, with the intent to air a francophoneLGBT-based talk and music format similar to the company'sCIRR-FMinToronto.[3]CHRF was initially licensed to broadcast at the 990 kHz frequency previously occupied by CKGM.[4]At 990, the new station was to have begun operations in 2013, operating with a power of 50,000 watts as aclass B station,using adirectional antennaat night in order to protect two Class A stations at that same frequency,Clear-channel stationCBWinWinnipeg,Manitoba,andCBYinCorner Brook,Newfoundland and Labrador.

On July 25, 2013, Evanov filed a request with the CRTC to relocate CHRF to 980, due to potential coverage problems using the directional antenna. There are no clear channel stations using 980, nor are there any close by that broadcast there currently. The closest ones areCFPLinLondon,Ontario;WCAPinLowell,Massachusetts;WOFXinTroy,New York;andWTEMinWashington, D.C.In addition, the closest 980 allocations to Montreal had since been vacated, following the moves ofCBVinQuebec City(1997) andCKRUinPeterborough(2009) to FM. The frequency change was approved on December 4, 2013.[5]CKGM, the former occupant of 990, relocated there from 980 in 1990.[6]

On September 18, 2014, Evanov announced that the station planned to commence broadcasting in November 2014.[7]Testing of the 980 signal, consisting of pop music, promotional material, and invitations to the public to report reception issues, began in late October 2014.[8]

Radio Fierté[edit]

CHRF's programming, under the nameRadio Fierté,debuted at 6:00 a.m. on February 2, 2015.[9](It had been delayed from January 2015.)[8]Programming on CHRF under the LGBT format was similar in style to its Toronto sister stationCIRR-FM,and included morning programLes Barbus,hosted by Michel Duchesne and Sylvain Verstricht;Les matins lesbienswith Véronique Chevrier; afternoon programMarino et ses Diamants,hosted by Marie-Noëlle Gagnon ( "Marino" ); and drive-time programLes Pétards,hosted byJoe Bocanand Miguel Doucet. Chart programs included Doucet's nightlyTa Playlist,and two Saturday chart shows,Le Top 10 FrancoandLe Top Anglo,hosted by Duchesne, Verstricht and Doucet, plus a Sunday morning music show,La Chansonnette avec Marino.

On December 1, 2015, CHRF dropped the "Radio Fierté" format after just 10 months, and beganstuntingwithChristmas musicasAM 980.[10]Much like its previous format, the station aired Christmas music in both English and French, while the station's imaging was completely in French, per condition of its license.

Switch to adult standards[edit]

On December 28, 2015, CHRF adopted anadult standardsformat, still asAM 980(but with branding modelled upon Evanov's "Jewel"soft adult contemporarystations). The original plan was to play adult standards during daytime hours, while the station would air programming targeting theHaitiancommunity during evening hours. Under the standards format and during the holidays, when the station switches to Christmas songs (which returned in 2016), all music broadcast on CHRF wasautomated,without usingdisc jockeysor live personalities.[11]

In theNumerisratings for the period during December 2015 through February 2016 (when CHRF's Christmas stunt and standards/Haitian formats were in effect), the station finished in last place among both Anglophone and Francophone stations surveyed, with an average of 100 Francophone and zero Anglophone listeners each day, and a market share of 0.1% and 0.0%, respectively.[12][13]

By June 2016, CHRF reintroduced hosted music programming, with weekday morning showCafé Rivard(hosted by music director Alain Rivard), afternoondrive timeprogramLe Retour de Plaisance(with program director Serge Plaisance), a Saturday night LGBT discussion programLGBT Avec Vous(hosted by Danyel Turcotte and Arlet Fara), and SundayItalian musicprogramArcobaleno Musicale(with Mario Lipari).[14][15]CHRF discontinued its evening Haitian programming, with lounge music blockSoireés Loungyheard weekday evenings.[14]In all cases, conditions set forth in its license in terms of music and talk content remained in force.

Closure[edit]

Challenged by cutbacks and the advent ofCOVID-19 pandemic in Montreal,Evanov made the decision to close CHRF and return its license to the CRTC.[16][17]The station officially signed off at 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2020. In a farewell message posted on the station's website, program director Serge Plaisance announced that his show and those of Johanne Verdon and Mario Lipari would be moving to sister stationCFMB.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^Faguy, Steve."Radio Fierté requests frequency change, one-year extension to launch".Fagstein.com.Retrieved8 December2014.
  2. ^ab"Making waves: Montreal broadcasters in flux"[permanent dead link].The Gazette,August 11, 2012.
  3. ^"Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-721".CRTC, November 21, 2011.
  4. ^"TSN 990 Montreal Moves to 690 Tuesday".RadioInsight,August 31, 2012.
  5. ^Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-648, December 4, 2013
  6. ^"Radio Fierté requests frequency change, one-year extension to launch".Fagstein,July 25, 2013.
  7. ^"Two new radio stations to launch in Montreal region by end of 2014".Fagstein,September 18, 2014.
  8. ^abFagstein: "Radio Fierté begins testing on 980 AM", October 27, 2014.
  9. ^Faguy, Steve."Radio Fierté is now officially broadcasting".Fagstein.com.Retrieved3 February2015.
  10. ^CHRF Montreal Drops LGBT Format
  11. ^Fagstein: "Unanswered Questions going into 2016", January 9, 2016.
  12. ^Numeris: "PPM Top-line Radio Statistics Montreal CTRL Anglo and Franco", for survey period November 30, 2015 - February 28, 2016
  13. ^Fagstein, "Radio ratings: Virgin and The Beat are tied (so both declare victory)", March 12, 2016.
  14. ^abAM 980 programming schedule
  15. ^Fagstein: "Montreal radio ratings: The Beat gaining on Virgin", June 12, 2016.
  16. ^Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2020-177,CHRF Montréal – Revocation of licence,CRTC,June 1, 2020
  17. ^Fagstein: "Evanov Radio shuts down CHRF 980 AM".Fagstein,June 1, 2020.
  18. ^"Fermeture du Am980-CHRF | Am 980".Archived fromthe originalon 2020-05-31.Retrieved2020-06-01.

External links[edit]

45°32′26″N73°35′25″W/ 45.5405°N 73.5904°W/45.5405; -73.5904

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