CHUM-FM started broadcasting on September 1, 1963, with an ERP of 18,000 watts and a transmitter and studio at 1331 Yonge Street.[4] It aired a classical music format, the first station in Canada to do so. On March 21, 1966, their ERP was increased to 54,000 watts. In 1968, CHUM-FM received approval for a change in its transmitter location and increase in power to 100,000 watts. The transmitter was to be moved to the top of the Manufacturer's Life Building at 250 Bloor Street East.
At Midnight on July 1, 1968, CHUM-FM changed formats to progressive rock, a forerunner to the present-day adult album alternative format, by playing a wide range of music ranging from world and jazz to classical and folk. The station also aired public affairs programming, such as In Toronto. The station featured many famous Canadian radio personalities such as Larry Green, Walter Michaels, Steve Harris, Pete and Geets, Larry Wilson, David Marsden, David Pritchard and actor Rick Moranis.[5]
On December 14, 1973, the station was authorized, along with other Toronto FM and TV stations, to move their transmitter to the top of the CN Tower. The new transmitter was turned on on May 31, 1976, with a reduced ERP of 40,000 watts.[6]
In 1978, CHUM-FM created a Top 30 Album Chart to complement sister station CHUM's Singles Chart. A television version of the countdown was later broadcast on Citytv, featuring music videos for most of the songs in the countdown; the TV version was discontinued in January 2008, following Rogers Communications' acquisition of Citytv.
In June 1984, the station started evolving towards adult contemporary, with the shift completed by that September, though the station would retain a rock lean through the remainder of the decade.[7] Longtime morning show host Roger Ashby would join the station from CHUM-AM on September 2, 1985, and would be paired with Rick Hodge (who had been doing sports updates on the FM's morning show since 1974). Marilyn Denis would join the show in July 1986, with "Roger, Rick & Marilyn" becoming an instant success, making them some of the best known broadcasters in Toronto radio.[8] Throughout the next two decades, CHUM-FM would usually be the highest rated station in the Toronto market, though it would occasionally alternate with CHFI, who was usually ranked a very close second, and would occasionally dip to third place behind CFRB.
At the 25th Anniversary Canadian Music Industry Awards, held March 8, 2007, CHUM-FM was honoured as Station of the Year, Program Director of the year for CHUM-FM PD Rob Farina, and air talent of the year for Roger, Rick & Marilyn. Former CHUM President Jim Waters was inducted into the Music Industry Hall of Fame that same evening.
On June 22, 2007, CTVglobemedia purchased CHUM-FM and most of the other assets of CHUM Limited, the station's owners since their sign-on in 1963, following approval by the CRTC, while the Citytv stations were sold to Rogers Communications.
On June 23, 2008, Rick Hodge resigned from both CHUM and CHUM-FM to pursue other opportunities.[9] Roger Ashby and Marilyn Denis continued to host mornings, which would then be titled Roger, Darren & Marilyn (when Darren B. Lamb joined the show after a stint of afternoon drive host); Lamb left the station on September 23, 2015, with mornings hosted by Ashby and Denis.[10][11] After a stint at CFRB and CJEZ, Hodge would later move to sister station CHRE-FM in St. Catharines, where he remained until his retirement in 2019; Lamb would join CHFI in February 2016, and remained until his departure in 2021.[12][13]
Also in 2008, CTVglobemedia announced they had sold 1331 Yonge Street to a condominium developer and had acquired a new property, 250 Richmond Street West, to serve as the new home of CHUM and CHUM-FM.[14] On August 18, 2009, CHUM-FM left 1331 Yonge Street, ending 46 years at its historic home. The site would become home to a condominium complex. The new building is adjacent (and connected) to Bell Media's headquarters at 299 Queen Street West (which also formerly housed the studios of Citytv).
Until late 2009, CHUM-FM continued to be the most listened to and most influential radio station in Canada with over 1,166,000 weekly listeners according to the BBM data released on December 3, 2007.[15] In December 2009, AC rival CHFI-FM became the most-listened-to radio station in Toronto.[16] During the 2005-2009 season, CHFI continued to usually beat CHUM-FM as the top-rated radio station in Toronto, although CHUM-FM had unseated CHFI in some books.[17][18]
On September 10, 2010, Bell Canada announced plans to re-acquire 100% of CTVglobemedia's broadcasting arm, including CHUM Radio.[19] When the deal was finalized on April 1, 2011, CTVglobemedia became Bell Media, and likewise CHUM Radio became Bell Media Radio, effectively retiring the last remaining piece of the former CHUM Limited company. CHUM Radio had been the only division of the company to retain the CHUM name following the acquisition of CHUM Limited by CTVglobemedia in 2007.[20]
On June 22, 2018, the station underwent a major rebranding as part of an effort to appeal more strongly to women, including a new logo (amending its brand to CHUM 104.5, as opposed to 104.5 CHUM FM), a generally hotter music direction, as well as a stronger emphasis on social media and community interaction.[21]
Programming
CHUM's current host lineup includes Marilyn Denis, Jamar "J. Niice" McNeil, Ashley Greco, Josie Dye, Ruby Carr, Taylor Kaye, Peter Kash, and Aiko Iwashita.[22]
Marilyn Denis and Jamar
CHUM's morning show was hosted by Roger Ashby and Marilyn Denis for 32 years. The show originally featured Rick Hodge as an additional host until he resigned in 2008; after Hodge's resignation, Darren B. Lamb became a co-host, until he too resigned in September 2015. On July 16, 2018, the show returned to three people with the addition of Jamar "J. Niice" McNeil branded as "Roger and Marilyn with Jamar". On October 25, 2018, Ashby announced that he would retire from the morning show effective December 6, after 50 years with CHUM-AM-FM.[23] As of January 2019, the show is now branded as "Marilyn Denis and Jamar" (McNeil taking over Ashby's seat as co-host), and Marilyn Denis as host.[24]
HD Radio
On July 4, 2017, CHUM-FM launched HD Radio multi-casting services. The HD1 sub-channel carried the same programming as the standard analog frequency, while the HD2 sub-channel carried a simulcast of sister station CFRB, and the HD3 sub-channel carried a simulcast of CHUM-AM. As of Spring 2018, CHUM-FM is no longer broadcasting in HD, with the sub-channels moving to sister station CKFM-FM.
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHUM had expanded to and owned 33 radio stations across Canada under its CHUM Radio Network division and also owned other radio stations.
299 Queen Street West, also known as Bell Media Queen Street or Bell Media Studios, is the headquarters of the television/radio broadcast hub of Bell Canada's media unit, Bell Media, and is located at the intersection of Queen Street West and John Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building previously served as the headquarters of CTVglobemedia until Bell Canada acquired CTV again in 2011 as well as CHUM Television, a division of CHUM Limited, until CTV acquired CHUM in 2007, and was once known as the CHUM-City Building. It is now head offices and downtown Toronto studios for Bell Media.
CKVR-DT is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Toronto-based CTV flagship CFTO-DT, channel 9 ; it is also sister to 24-hour regional news channel CP24. CKVR-DT's studios are located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie, and its transmitter is located near Essa Road/Highway 27 on the city's southwest side.
CFPL-DT is a television station in London, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Kitchener-based CTV station CKCO-DT, although the two stations maintain separate operations. CFPL-DT's studios and local transmitter are located on Communications Road on the southwestern side of London, and its Wingham-area rebroadcast transmitter is located on Tower Road in South Bruce.
CITY-DT is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by network parent Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television outlets CFMT-DT and CJMT-DT. The stations share studios at 33 Dundas Street East on Yonge–Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, while CITY-DT's transmitter is located atop the CN Tower.
CKNX-TV was a television station owned by CTVglobemedia which served mid-western Ontario, Canada. It was part of the A television system. The station's offices, studios, and transmission facilities were located at Carling Terrace corner John Street in Wingham. A bureau in Owen Sound closed down in late 2004.
CHWI-DT is a television station licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting CTV 2 programming to the Windsor area. Owned and operated by Bell Media, the station has studios at the Bell Canada Building in downtown Windsor with a secondary office in Chatham; its transmitter is located on Zion Road in Chatham.
CHRO-TV is a television station licensed to Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, serving the capital city of Ottawa as part of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside CTV outlet CJOH-DT. The two stations share studios with Bell's Ottawa radio properties at the Market Media Mall building on George Street in downtown Ottawa's ByWard Market; CHRO-TV's transmitter is located on TV Tower Road near Pembroke. The station operates a digital-only rebroadcaster in Ottawa, CHRO-DT-43, with transmitter in the city's Herbert Corners section.
CP24 is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE Inc. and operated alongside the Bell-owned CTV Television Network's owned-and-operated television stations CFTO-DT and CKVR-DT. The channel broadcasts from 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto.
CTV 2 Atlantic is a Canadian cable television channel serving Atlantic Canada owned by Bell Media, with its studios located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc., it operates as a de facto owned-and-operated station of its secondary CTV 2 television system.
CKVU-DT is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, serving as the West Coast flagship of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by network parent Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television station CHNM-DT. The two stations share studios at the corner of West 2nd Avenue and Columbia Street in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver; CKVU-DT's transmitter is located atop Mount Seymour in the district municipality of North Vancouver, with additional transmitter link facilities on the roof of the Century Plaza Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.
CityNews is the title of news and current affairs programming on Rogers Sports & Media's Citytv network in Canada. The newscast division was founded on September 28, 1975 as CityPulse as a standalone local newscast on the network's Toronto station owned by CHUM Limited. Through the acquisitions of the Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary A-Channel stations in 2004, it was relaunched under the CityNews brand on August 2, 2005 and later expanded to Montreal in 2012. The remaining Citytv stations airs the news headlines segments during each station's Breakfast Television morning show.
CHUM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, broadcasting on 1050 kHz. The station is owned and operated by Bell Media. CHUM's studios are co-located with TSN at 9 Channel Nine Court in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough, with its transmitter array located in the Clarkson neighbourhood of Mississauga. TSN 1050 is simulcast on Bell Satellite TV channel 989, and on Shaw Direct channel 867. The station is also carried on the 3rd HD digital subchannel of CKFM-FM.
CFTR is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario, serving the Greater Toronto Area. Owned by Rogers Radio, a division of the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications, the station became Canada's first solo station to broadcast an all-news radio format, following in the footsteps of the CKO national all-news radio network, a format that has since been replicated in major markets across the country. The CFTR studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor and Jarvis Streets in downtown Toronto, while the station transmitter is located on the southern edge of Lake Ontario at Oakes and Winston Road in nearby Grimsby.
Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, OLN, localized versions of FX and FXX, the Rogers Radio stations, Frequency Podcast Network, and these properties' associated digital media outlets.
CHFI-FM is a commercial radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts an adult contemporary format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. The studios are in the Rogers Building on the northwest corner of Bloor and Jarvis Streets in Downtown Toronto. CHFI is often the most listened-to commercial radio station in Greater Toronto, according to the Numeris ratings.
CFBT-FM is a commercial radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, the station broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as 94.5 Virgin Radio. The radio studios and offices are at Robson and Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver.
Marilyn Denis is a Canadian television and radio personality. Denis was the host of The Marilyn Denis Show until her retirement from that role on June 9, 2023. She is also co-host of CHUM-FM's Marilyn Denis and Jamar.
CFTE was a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Owned by Bell Media, it last broadcast a business news format.
CTV 2 Alberta is a Canadian English language entertainment and former educational television channel in the province of Alberta. Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc., it operates as a de facto owned-and-operated station of its secondary CTV 2 television system.
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