Boom FM

Last updated
Boom FM
Boom logo.svg
Type Radio network
Country
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programming
Language(s) English
French
Format Classic hits
Adult hits
Oldies
Ownership
Owner Bell Media Radio
(Bell Media)
History
Foundedby Astral Media
Launch dateMay 1, 2003
Links
Website boomfm.com

Boom FM is a branding of classic hits radio stations broadcasting in Canada. The trademark is owned by Bell Media, although only two stations using the branding are owned by that company.

Contents

The name "Boom" is a reference to baby boomers, who are the main target of the network.

History

"Boom" was first launched on May 1, 2003 as a network of French-language oldies stations, and originally included CFEI-FM and CHRD-FM. CFVM-FM and CFZZ-FM joined the network in 2005 after these stations were acquired by Astral Media from Corus Entertainment. All four stations previously had an adult contemporary format. Since Astral Media already has two FM stations in each of Quebec's larger markets, it is impossible for them under current Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations to launch Boom FM stations in these markets without dumping either the Énergie or the Rouge FM format, both of which are very successful according to Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM) ratings.

On December 26, 2009, "Boom" added its first English-language affiliate, CHBM-FM in Toronto, Ontario, which flipped from its longtime adult contemporary EZ Rock format (as CJEZ-FM) to adult hits under the Boom 97.3 name. It was the only Boom FM station not using the classic hits format, though its logo uses the same lettering and 45 RPM plastic insert device as its Quebec counterparts. Owner Stingray Radio, however, currently markets the station's format as classic hits. [1]

On June 30, 2011, "Boom" added its second English-language affiliate, CJOT-FM in Ottawa which flipped from the very same adult contemporary of the former CJEZ-FM Toronto as EZ Rock to the classic hits format as Boom 99.7.

Following Bell Media's approval in 2013 to acquire Astral Media, a condition was placed in which that it must divest itself of several television services and radio stations, including CHBM and CJOT, which were placed in a blind trust pending its eventual sales. [2] CJOT would be sold Corus Radio in March 2013, [3] while CHBM was sold to Stingray Radio in August 2013. [4] Corus' acquisition of CJOT-FM was approved on January 31, 2014, [5] while Stingray's acquisition of CHBM-FM was approved on March 19, 2014. [6] Despite differing ownership, both stations continue to use the Boom FM name and logo.

On August 25, 2014, Corus' CJSS-FM in Cornwall became the newest station in Ontario to be affiliated with the network.

In 2017, Stingray Radio gained permission from Bell Media to begin using the Boom brand and its content in Alberta. In July 2017, several of Stingray's rural Alberta stations took on the Boom format.

In May 2018, Boom 104.1 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Boom 106.5 Saint-Hyacinthe has changed to an adult contemporary format.

Stations

Station IDFrequencyCityProvinceLanguageOwner
CFEI-FM 106.5 Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec French Bell Media
CFZZ-FM 104.1 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Quebec French Bell Media
CHBM-FM 97.3 Toronto Ontario English Stingray Radio
CJOT-FM 99.7 Ottawa Ontario English Corus Entertainment
CJSS-FM 101.9 Cornwall Ontario English Corus Entertainment
CJXK-FM 95.3 Cold Lake Alberta English Stingray Radio
CKKY-FM 101.9 Wainwright Alberta English Stingray Radio
CILB-FM 103.5 Lac La Biche Alberta English Stingray Radio
CKBA-FM 94.1 Athabasca Alberta English Stingray Radio
CHSL-FM 92.7 Slave Lake Alberta English Stingray Radio
CIXF-FM 101.1 Brooks Alberta English Stingray Radio
CFXW-FM 96.7 Whitecourt/Fox Creek Alberta English Stingray Radio
CFHI-FM 104.9 Hinton Alberta English Stingray Radio
CHOO-FM 99.5 Drumheller Alberta English Stingray Radio

Former stations

Unrealised station

CKSM AM 1220 of Shawinigan, Quebec was originally announced in April 2007 to have been a new affiliate of Boom, with plans to relocate the station to the FM band. However, the plans never materialised, and the station, which at the time was owned by Astral but rebroadcast then-Corus owned CHLN 550 AM of Trois-Rivières, closed down on June 30, 2007. [7]

Other

Stingray's CHNO-FM in Sudbury, Ontario, CIJK-FM in Kentville, Nova Scotia, and CHHI-FM in Miramichi, New Brunswick are branded as Rewind instead of Boom, but otherwise resemble Boom FM stations with a similar logo design, a similar classic hits format and some shared programming. CIHI-FM in Fredericton, New Brunswick was also branded as Rewind until March 2024 when the station flipped to Top 40/CHR with Stingray's HOT brand.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astral Media</span> Canadian media company

Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channels and two conventional stations. In addition, Astral had a presence in out-of-home advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corus Entertainment</span> Canadian media/broadcasting company

Corus Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio, Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. Corus is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ontario.

CFXJ-FM is a radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned by Stingray Radio, it broadcasts a country music format. Its studios are located on Yonge Street at St. Clair Avenue in Toronto's Deer Park neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHBM-FM</span> Radio station in Toronto

CHBM-FM is a radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada broadcasting at 97.3 FM. The station currently broadcasts a classic hits format branded as Boom 97.3. CHBM's studios are located at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue in Toronto's Deer Park neighbourhood, while their transmitter is located atop the CN Tower. The station is owned by the Stingray Group.

EZ Rock was a brand of adult contemporary radio stations heard primarily in Canada. The branding was originally created by Telemedia in the mid-1990s for its AC stations, and based on the call sign of its former Toronto flagship CJEZ-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CKQB-FM</span> Radio station in Ottawa

CKQB-FM is a radio station licensed to Ottawa, Ontario. Owned by Corus Entertainment, it broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format. CKQB's studios are located at 1504 Merivale Road in Nepean along with sister station CJOT-FM, while its transmitter is located in Camp Fortune, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CITE-FM</span> Radio station in Montreal, Quebec

CITE-FM is a French-language radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it airs an adult contemporary format. It is also the flagship station of the "Rouge FM" network, which operates across Quebec and in the Ottawa-Gatineau radio market. The studios and offices are located at the Bell Media building at 1717 Boulevard René-Lévesque East in Downtown Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFZZ-FM</span> Radio station in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu–Montreal, Quebec

CFZZ-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec and serving Greater Montreal as a rimshot signal. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is part of the "Boom" network. As such, the station has an oldies format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIMF-FM</span> Radio station in Gatineau, Quebec

CIMF-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station in Gatineau, Quebec, and serving the National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario. It has an adult contemporary format and is part of Bell Canada's Rouge FM network which operates across Quebec and Eastern Ontario. The radio studios and offices are in Gatineau at 215 Boulevard Saint-Joseph in the same building as co-owned 104.1 CKTF-FM, part of the NRJ radio network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFIX-FM</span> Radio station in Saguenay, Quebec

CFIX-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Saguenay, Quebec. Its studios are located at Rue Racine Est in the former city of Chicoutimi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJOI-FM</span> Radio station in Rimouski, Quebec

CJOI-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Rimouski, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHRD-FM</span> Radio station in Drummondville, Quebec

CHRD-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Drummondville, Quebec. It is owned and operated by Bell Media and has a directional antenna with an average effective radiated power of 3,257 watts and a peak effective radiated power of 5,345 watts. The station has specialized in adult contemporary format since August 2009 and is part of the "Rouge FM" network, which operates across Quebec and Eastern Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHRE-FM</span> Radio station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

CHRE-FM is a commercial radio station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, serving Niagara Region. It is owned by Bell Media and is branded as Move 105.7. CHRE broadcasts an adult contemporary format. CHRE shares studios with its sister stations, CKTB and CHTZ-FM, in "Oak Hill Mansion", the former home of William Hamilton Merritt, at 12 Yates Street in downtown St. Catharines.

Rouge FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary radio stations broadcasting throughout Quebec, Canada. Established in 1990 as RockDétente, they are owned by Bell Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CKLH-FM</span> Radio station in Hamilton, Ontario

CKLH-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.9 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. The station broadcasts an adult hits format branded as Bounce 102.9. The station is owned by Bell Media. CKLH's studios are located at 25 Main Street West in Downtown Hamilton, while its transmitter is located atop the Niagara Escarpment on King Road, near the city boundaries of Hamilton and Burlington.

CKOB-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJDM-FM</span> Radio station in Drummondville, Quebec

CJDM-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Drummondville, Quebec.

Bell Media Radio, G.P., operating as iHeartRadio Canada, is the radio broadcasting and music events subsidiary of Canadian media conglomerate Bell Media. The company owns stations across the country, including in most of Canada's largest radio markets. The company's programming is distributed to other stations across Canada via its syndication division, Orbyt Media, and it is also the local licensee of the Virgin Radio brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJOT-FM</span> Radio station in Ottawa

CJOT-FM is a radio station licensed to Ottawa, Ontario. Owned by Corus Entertainment, it broadcasts a classic hits format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHLG-FM</span> Radio station in Vancouver

CHLG-FM is a commercial FM radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Owned by Stingray Group, the station broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are on Horseshoe Way in Richmond.

References

  1. "Radio".
  2. Biblic, Mirko (27 June 2013). "Re: Voting Trust Agreement between BCE Inc. and Pierre Boivin, the trustee Application No. 2013-0243-9 – Approved". CRTC. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  3. "Bell moves closer to Astral with sale of TV assets". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  4. "Newcap signs agreement with Bell Media to acquire five radio stations in Toronto and Vancouver". CNW. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. "Corus Entertainment Receives CRTC Approval on the Acquisition of Ottawa Radio Stations CKQB-FM and CJOT-FM". Corus Entertainment. January 28, 2014. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  6. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-129
  7. Boom FM renonce à Shawinigan Archived February 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine (in French)