CKKL-FM

CKKL-FM

Ottawa,Ontario
Broadcast area	National Capital Region
Frequency	93.9MHz(FM)
Branding	Pure Country94
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Country
Affiliations	Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner	Bell Media (Bell Media Ottawa Radio Partnership)
Sister stations	CFGO,CFRA,CJMJ-FM,CJOH-DT,CHRO-TV
History
First air date	May 3,1947
Former call signs	CFRA-FM(1947–1961) CFMO(1961–1992)
Call signmeaning	CK KooL(former branding)
Technical information
Class	C1
ERP	95,000watts
HAAT	321.6 meters (1,055 ft)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	iheartradio.ca/purecountry/ottawa

CKKL-FM(93.9MHz) is acommercialradio stationinOttawa,Ontario.Owned byBell Media,it broadcasts acountryformatbranded asPure Country94.CKKL'sradio studiosand offices are located in the Bell Media Building on George Street inDowntown Ottawa'sByWard Market.

CKKL-FM has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 95,000watts.Thetransmitteris inCamp Fortune,Quebec,withinGatineau Park.

History

CFRA-FM

Frank Ryan originally launched the station on May 3, 1947 asCFRA-FM.At first it largelysimulcastthe programming of itssister stationCFRA560AM(now on 580kHz). In 1959, CFRA-FM began airing some separate programming.

In 1961, Ryan sought approval to increase power from 860 watts to 146,000 watts via a new tower site atCamp Fortune.TheRyan Tower(named after Frank Ryan) would become the area's main radio and television transmission site.

CFMO-FM

In 1961, the simulcast with CFRA ended. The FM station began a format ofbeautiful musicwith someclassical musicat night. The station adopted thecall signCFMO-FMto give it a separate identity from CFRA. The call letters stood forFM Ottawa. Both CFRA and CFMO were subsequently acquired byCHUM Limitedin 1968.

The station manager at the time was veteran broadcaster Gord Atkinson, well known to Ottawa listeners. The music director was Ray Eckford. Announcers included: John Cavill and Bryan Williams (mornings) as well as Jim Bristow and Dick Richards (whose real name was Richard "Dick" Gasparini, originally with CKWW and CKCY-FM) in the evenings. Core artists heard on CFMO-FM were orchestras conducted byPercy Faith,Henry ManciniandMantovani,as well as vocalists such asFrank Sinatra,Barbra StreisandandThe Carpenters.

Kool-FM

As the 1990s began, CFMO began playing more soft vocal music and fewer instrumentals. CHUM, Ltd. dropped the longtimeeasy listeningformat on August 28, 1992. The new call lettersCKKL-FMwere acquired and the brand nameKool FMwas used for the station's newHot ACformat. The first song wasTime, Love & TendernessbyMichael Bolton.(The CFMO call sign and format were picked up by CHEZ-FM Inc., and adopted on what is nowCKBY.)

During thehot ACdays, they aired mostlycontemporary hitsduring the evening hours (in large part due to CRTC regulations banning FM stations for having more than 50% of hit material on their playlists to protect AM stations andFrench-languagestations), as well as thedance musicshow "Pirate Radio" withChris Sheppardon Saturday nights. During the 1990s, CKKL competed againstTop 40stationsCKTF-FM(which airs inFrench) and AM stationEnergy 1200(which aired in English). Station liners during this time promoted "Hit Music on FM", directly targeting Energy 1200 listeners. After "Energy" flipped toalternative rockin 1997, CKKL was considered the default English-language hit music station in Ottawa. By February2003,whenCIHT-FM(now aCHRstation) launched with itsrhythmic contemporaryformat, CKKL completely shifted to CHR.

Bob FM

A Bob FMDodge Grand Caravan.

On May 31,2003,at 9:39 AM, CKKL-FM dropped itsCHR/Top 40format, and began stunting with the audio from the movieWhat About Bob?.After the movie aired, snippets of music played, with "Bob FM"launching at Noon that day, adopting theadult hitsformat. The first song on "Bob" wasI Want A New DrugbyHuey Lewis and The News.

Bob FM's morning show, Cub & Company, was hosted by Cub Carson and Melanie Adams, and until February 2013, Sandy Sharkey. The show was formerly hosted by "Stuntman" Stu Schwartz, who is now atCJMJ-FM.

In 2007, CTVglobemedia bought CKKL-FM along with the other CHUM Limited properties. In2011,Bell Canadaacquired CTVglobemedia, renaming the company asBell Media.

On February 1, 2013, Bell Media announced that longtime Bob FM announcers Steve Gregory and Sandy Sharkey were leaving the station as a result of cuts.

Former logo asBob FM

Pure Country 94

On November 10, 2014, Bell Media announced that the "Bob FM" format would be discontinued, citing changing "market conditions" and the need to "pursue a new opportunity". All of the station's on-air talent, including Cub Carson, were laid off, and the station began airing blocks of music punctuated by promos announcing an impending relaunch. Its website referred Bob FM listeners to the online stream of sister stationCJPT-FM.

On November 12, 2014 at 11:45 a.m., after again playing "I Want a New Drug" (a near-bookend to the launch of "Bob" ), followed by "Like a Virgin"byMadonna,CKKL went into a 15-minutestuntof a ticking clock. At Noon, CKKL flipped tocountryasNew Country 94,launching with a marathon of 10,000 songs played without commercial interruption starting with "Cruise"byFlorida Georgia Line.After the 10,000 song marathon, the station began airing advertisements again, preceding song number 10,001 and over.

On May 28, 2019, the station was renamedPure Country94as part of a nationwide rebranding of all Bell Media country stations. The station's morning hosts Sophie Moroz and Jeff Hopper began to host theiHeartRadio Pure Country Countdownfor the network as well.

External links

• Pure Country 94
• CKKL-FMat The History of Canadian Broadcasting by theCanadian Communications Foundation
• CKKL-FMin the REC Canadian station database