CHIN (AM)

Last updated
CHIN
CHIN Radio.png
Broadcast area Greater Toronto
Frequency 1540 kHz (AM)
BrandingCHIN Radio
Programming
Format Multilingual
Ownership
Owner
CHIN-FM
History
First air date
 1966
Call sign meaning
Canada Happiness International [1]
Technical information
Class B
Power 50,000 watts daytime
30,000 watts nighttime
Translator(s) CHIN-1-FM 91.9 MHz
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website www.chinradio.com/schedule-page-1540

CHIN (1540 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by CHIN Radio/TV International, and broadcasts a multilingual radio format, with programs in Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese and other languages. It formerly utilized an FM rebroadcaster at 91.9 MHz, CHIN-1-FM, originally used to fill in reception gaps in parts of Greater Toronto; CHIN-1-FM now broadcasts a separate schedule of ethnic programming, no longer simulcasting CHIN . In addition, there is a full-power FM station on 100.7 MHz, CHIN-FM, which offers a third ethnic programme schedule. CHIN, CHIN-1-FM and CHIN-FM have their radio studios on College Street in the Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood of Toronto.

Contents

By day, CHIN broadcasts at 50,000 watts, the maximum power for Canadian AM stations. Because 1540 AM is a clear-channel frequency reserved for the U.S. and Bahamas, CHIN reduces power at night to 30,000 watts to avoid interference. It uses a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The AM transmitter site is on Lakeshore Avenue on the Toronto Islands. [2] The transmitter for CHIN-1-FM is atop an apartment tower complex near Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto's Clanton Park neighbourhood.

Entrance hall Radio Station CHIN Toronto.jpg
Entrance hall

History

Early years

CHIN is one of Canada's first multilingual broadcast outlets along with Montreal's CFMB. Toronto broadcaster Johnny Lombardi and lawyer and North York mayor James Ditson Service signed on the station in 1966. [3] The 1540 AM frequency had originally been used by CHFI-FM to simulcast on the AM band, but owner Ted Rogers was dissatisfied with the frequency. At the time, it was only licensed as a daytimer, required to sign off at sunset to protect U.S. and Bahamian clear-channel stations that also broadcast on the frequency. Lombardi and Service bought Radio 1540 Limited from Rogers in 1965.

They used the frequency to launch CHIN the next year, while Rogers shifted CHFI-AM to 680 kHz, where it became CFTR. [3] In 1967, CHIN launched a sister station, 100.7 CHIN-FM. [4] Both stations are licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to carry a schedule of programs in numerous languages aimed at Toronto's many ethnic groups.

Loss and recovery of license

Lombardi was summoned to appear before the CRTC in 1970 after a Serbian-language programme aired on CHIN, calling for the assassination of Yugoslavia's consul in Toronto. [5] Due to this incident, and other issues, the CRTC refused to renew CHIN's license and ordered the station off the air by the end of the year. [6] Lombardi was also in conflict with Service and another minority shareholder, James Longo, who had appealed for the license to be transferred from Lombardi to themselves. [7]

Subsequently, Lombardi bought out Service's share of the company (Longo was not recognized as a shareholder by the CRTC). [8] Lombardi was able to regain the license after a new hearing in which Service and two other bidders failed to convince the CRTC to award the license to one of them over Lombardi. [9] [10]

24-hour broadcasting

CHIN had attempted to broadcast at night by securing a second frequency at 1600 AM, but its application was denied by the CRTC in 1973. CHIN was able to make an agreement with the owners of clear-channel Class A KXEL in Waterloo, Iowa, which also broadcasts on 1540. With that pact, the CRTC authorized CHIN to broadcast 24 hours a day from a new transmitter with a directional pattern that better protects KXEL from interference.

The next year, CHIN acquired a competitor when Brampton station CKMW (now 530 CHLO), switched to a multilingual format after being acquired from former CHIN sales representative Bill Evanov. [11] [12] Additional ethnic stations are now found on AM 1320, 1430, 1610, 1650 and 1690, all serving the growing immigrant communities in Greater Toronto.

FM rebroadcaster

With so many large buildings in and around Toronto, CHIN 1540 was experiencing reception problems in some neighborhoods. To help listeners having trouble with the AM signal, the station set up an FM rebroadcaster in 1997 at 101.3 FM with the call sign CHIN-1-FM. On April 17, 2003, Radio 1540 Ltd. was given approval to change the frequency of CHIN-1-FM to 91.9 MHz and to increase the effective radiated power from 22 to 35 watts. [13] [14]

On November 28, 2016, Radio 1540 Limited applied to operate a separate originating FM station under CHIN-1-FM's current technical parameters, specifically, at frequency 91.9 MHz with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,850 watts (maximum ERP of 5,000 watts with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 86 metres). [15] The CRTC approved Radio 1540 Ltd. application on May 5, 2017. [16]

On January 14, 2011, CHIN received approval to increase the effective radiated power for the CHIN-FM-1 transmitter from 161 to 1,850 watts (maximum ERP from 350 to 5,000 watts with an antenna height above average terrain of 86 metres). [17]

Programming

CHIN's lineup on 1540 AM consists primarily of Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese in the daytime and Brazilian Portuguese in the evening. It also airs Albanian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Filipino, German, Hebrew, Irish, Italian, Russian, Somali, Ukrainian and Yoruba programming on Saturdays and Sundays.

CHIN-FM-1 carries mostly South Asian programming, with some shows aimed at Italian, Jewish, Malayalam and Spanish-speaking listeners.

On February 10, 2016, CHIN stopped carrying "China Radio International" in late night hours and replaced it with dance music-formatted programming originating from internet broadcaster "DJFM Toronto".

Sam Yuchtman was the first producer hired by CHIN in 1966 and hosted The Jewish Hour until he retired in 1976. His daughter, Zelda Young, took over the program and continued as host of the show, later called The Zelda Young Show, until her death in 2023. The Jewish program is now hosted by Martin Abels. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFRC-FM</span> Radio station at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario

CFRC-FM is the non-commercial campus radio station at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The station has one of the longest radio histories in Canada, with experimental broadcasts dating back to 1922 and serves Queen's University students and faculty as well as the greater Kingston community. CFRC-FM is also a member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBCS-FM</span> CBC Radio One station in Sudbury, Ontario

CBCS-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Sudbury, Ontario, broadcasting at 99.9 FM, and serves all of Northeastern Ontario through its network of relay transmitters. The station's studio is located at the CBC/Radio-Canada facilities at 43 Elm Street in Sudbury.

CBLA-FM is a non-commercial radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the station is the flagship station of the CBC Radio One network, broadcasting a mix of news and talk. In addition to the Toronto market, CBLA also reaches much of Central Ontario with a network of twelve rebroadcasters. The studios are in the Canadian Broadcasting Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBQT-FM</span> CBC Radio One station in Thunder Bay, Ontario

CBQT-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Thunder Bay, Ontario, broadcasting at 88.3 FM, and serves all of Northwestern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.

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

CBO-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Ottawa, Ontario, airing at 91.5 FM, and serves much of Eastern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters. CBO's Ottawa-area transmitter is located in Camp Fortune, Quebec, while its studios are located in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre on Queen Street in Downtown Ottawa.

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

CIXL-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting in Welland, Ontario. It uses the on-air brand name Classic Rock 91.7 Giant FM, and broadcasts a classic rock format at 91.7 MHz. It is one of the few commercial FM radio stations on its frequency that can be heard in the United States, where frequencies between 88.1 and 91.9 MHz are set aside for noncommercial stations. CIXL's geographical position puts it in direct competition with WGRF Buffalo, CFLZ-FM Fort Erie, Stingray's CHBM-FM Toronto and WHTT Buffalo.

CBON-FM is a Canadian radio station. It broadcasts the Société Radio-Canada's Ici Radio-Canada Première network at 98.1 FM in Sudbury, Ontario. The station also serves much of Northern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.

CBFX-FM is a public non-commercial radio station in Montreal, Quebec. It is the flagship station of the Ici Musique Network and broadcasts in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBN (AM)</span> CBC Radio One station in St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador

CBN is a public AM radio station in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It carries a news, talk and information format and is the local Radio One station of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

CBEF is a non-commercial AM radio station in Windsor, Ontario. It airs the programming of Radio-Canada's Première network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBVE-FM</span> CBC Radio One station in Quebec City

CBVE-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network at 104.7 FM in Quebec City, Quebec. The station's main transmitter is located at Mount Bélair. Its studios are co-located with its francophone sister stations on Rue St-Jean in Downtown Quebec City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHOK</span> Radio station in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

CHOK is a Canadian radio station, licensed to Sarnia, Ontario and owned by Blackburn Radio. The station broadcasts a country format with local news, talk and sports. CHOK also has an FM translator, CHOK-1-FM, broadcasting at 103.9 MHz. The station is the radio home of the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as the Sarnia Sting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBU (AM)</span> CBC Radio One station in Vancouver

CBU is a Canadian non-commercial public radio station, in Vancouver, British Columbia. It carries the programming of the CBC Radio One network. The station broadcasts on 690 AM and on 88.1 FM as CBU-2-FM. CBU's newscasts and local shows are also heard on a chain of CBC stations around the Lower Mainland.

CHNC-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in New Carlisle, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHIN-FM</span> Multilingual radio station in Toronto

CHIN-FM is a commercial radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts a Multilingual radio format and is owned by CHIN Radio/TV International. It is co-owned with CHIN 1540 AM and CHIN-1-FM at 91.9 MHz. All three stations have separate ethnic programme schedules. The studios and offices are on College Street in the Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood of Toronto.

CHIN Radio/TV International is a Canadian radio and television broadcasting company, which owns and operates four radio stations and a television program production unit, all targeting multilingual communities. The company also holds the annual CHIN Picnic. CHIN's studios are located on College Street in the Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood of Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFZM</span> Radio station in Toronto, Ontario

CFZM is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by ZoomerMedia, headed by Canadian broadcaster Moses Znaimer. It airs an oldies and adult standards radio format, branded as Zoomer Radio, with the slogan "The Original Greatest Hits". The studios and offices are on Jefferson Avenue in the Liberty Village neighbourhood.

CHES-FM, branded as Erin Radio 91.7 is an English-language community radio station based in the town of Erin, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CKYL-FM</span> Radio station in Peace River, Alberta, Canada

CKYL-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a country format at 94.9 FM in Peace River, Alberta and also several different other frequencies on the FM dial. The station is branded as River Country and is owned by Peace River Broadcasting.

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

CFMS-FM is a Canadian radio station, transmitting at 105.9 MHz from Markham, Ontario. The station broadcasts a mixed format, with daytime programming featuring English-language adult contemporary music along with news, weather and traffic information targeted to York Region, and evening programming featuring a multilingual ethnic format in multiple languages, including Cantonese, Filipino, Hindi, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tamil and Urdu.

References

  1. ↑ Maglio, Antonio (19 January 2003). "23 - Respect through much hard work". Spotlight. Tandem (Corriere Canadese), Multimedia Nova Corporation. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  2. ↑ FCCdata.org/CHIN-AM
  3. 1 2 "In 1540 Slot: Lombardi Approved In Radio Proposal", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]25 June 1965: 15.
  4. ↑ "CHIN-FM | History of Canadian Broadcasting".
  5. ↑ "Radio program called incitement to assassinate", BLAIK KIRBY. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]12 Feb 1970: 11
  6. ↑ "'Generally poor service' cited: CRIC orders CHIN and two other radio stations to go off the air", BLAIK KIRBY. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]01 Apr 1970: 1.
  7. ↑ "CRTC stays out of owners' feud, warns CHIN improve performance", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]12 Feb 1970: 11.
  8. ↑ "Lombardi buys out Service", Staff. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]18 June 1970: 10.
  9. ↑ "Four-way contest for CHIN frequency at CRTC hearing", BLAIR KIRBY Globe and Mail Reporter., The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]07 Oct 1970:
  10. ↑ "Lombardi keeps CHIN frequency", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]07 Nov 1970: 29
  11. ↑ "CHIN-AM | History of Canadian Broadcasting". Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  12. ↑ "CHIN challenged by Brampton station", Toronto Star (1971-2009); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]23 Jan 1984: D3.
  13. ↑ Decision CRTC 97-539
  14. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2003-119, CHIN Toronto – Technical Changes, CRTC, April 17, 2003
  15. ↑ Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2016-465, CRTC, November 28, 2016
  16. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-136, Ethnic FM radio station in Toronto and licence amendment for CHIN Toronto, CRTC, May 5, 2017
  17. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011–30, CHIN and its transmitter CHIN-FM-1 Toronto – Technical change, CRTC, January 14, 2011
  18. ↑ "Sign Offs". Broadcast Dialogue. October 5, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

43°38′33.00″N79°23′13.92″W / 43.6425000°N 79.3872000°W / 43.6425000; -79.3872000

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.