CFBT-FM
Encyclopedia
CFBT-FM is a Canadian
contemporary hit radio
(CHR) radio station in the Greater Vancouver
region of British Columbia
. It broadcasts at 94.5 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power
of 90,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver
. CFBT is owned by Bell Media, with studios located on West 2nd Avenue in Vancouver.
format. The station's call letters, CFBT-FM, were assigned in November of the same year, and an official launch date was set for March 4, 2002
as the second urban station in Canada
. Test transmissions began in mid-February 2002. The station adopted a "soft start" launch wherein announcers and programming were gradually introduced over a period of several weeks. By mid-2003
, the station changed to more of a rhythmic top 40 format.
In September 2004, CFBT changed its format to a top 40/CHR format, significantly decreasing the amount of hip hop
and R&B
on the station's playlist. This change was prompted by the shift of CKZZ-FM
(Z95.3, now Virgin Radio 953) from top 40 to its current hot AC format on March 1, 2004
. It became the only top 40 station in British Columbia
until 2007
. The station continued to lean rhythmic for about a year, before adopting a more mainstream direction. More rhythmic tracks were phased in by 2007
, when CTVglobemedia acquired the station, but the rhythmic tracks were only those played by mainstream top 40 stations in the United States
, even those from the American top 40 chart.
On February 26, 2007, CHUM Limited
(CHQM-FM
, 1410 CFUN
, and 1040 The Team
) announced that it would acquire the station from previous owner Focus Entertainment Group. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the sale in October, and CTVglobemedia (CHUM's successor) assumed ownership on November 2, 2007. In addition, British Columbia got a second top 40 station again as sister station CHBE-FM
in Victoria, British Columbia
shifted from hot AC to top 40 by that time. By 2010
, Astral Media
's CHSU-FM
Kelowna
and CICF-FM
Vernon
(along with NL Broadcasting's CKRV-FM
in Kamloops) replaced CHBE-FM as the other top 40 station in British Columbia
, although sister station CHBE-FM
returned to hot AC as well, but CFBT still remains top 40 and no longer leans rhythmic despite for the fact all the rap tracks that had not been played on Canadian adult top 40 stations had since been dropped. In addition, most of the rhythmic content had been toned down at the station as the station is moving towards a hot adult contemporary direction while officially starting to sound like competing adult top 40 station Virgin Radio 953 (CKZZ-FM), but however, CFBT remains a top 40 station, much like how former rhythmics CIHT-FM
in Ottawa
and CIBK-FM
in Calgary
had toned down the rhythmic content most recently. Usually, CFBT is the #2 FM station in Vancouver
after adult contemporary sister CHQM-FM
(CFBT and CHQM are the only stations in Vancouver with those formats; respectively), and continues to beat adult top 40 rival CKZZ-FM
.
The 94.5 FM frequency was originally assigned by a low-power temporary FM radio station to provide information on traffic conditions between Vancouver and Coquitlam
, which received approval in 1998.
Until 2011
, CFBT was the only CTVglobemedia radio station that had never been owned by CHUM Limited
until it acquired CFXJ-FM
in Toronto
most recently. Since CTVglobemedia acquired the station, it is also the largest contemporary hit radio
station in Canada
not under local ownership.
Current Staff: Mornings with the Kid Carson Show, Jonny Staub in the midday slot, Holly Conway in afternoons, Remo in evenings, and Chris Palliser, Denai Johnson and Emilie Clarke take care of late nights/weekends.
The 2007 winner, Elise Estrada
, scored a Top 40 hit on the Canadian charts in the summer of 2007 with "Insatiable". Elise Estrada has also released a self titled album and is touring Canada.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(CHR) radio station in the Greater Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It broadcasts at 94.5 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 90,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver
North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)
The District of North Vancouver is a district municipality in British Columbia and is part of the GVRD. It surrounds the City of North Vancouver on three sides.-Geography:The District of North Vancouver is separated from Vancouver by Burrard Inlet...
. CFBT is owned by Bell Media, with studios located on West 2nd Avenue in Vancouver.
History
The CRTC began the application process for a new Vancouver FM station in the fall of 2000. There were eleven prospective applicants, reflecting the fact that the 94.5 MHz frequency was the last remaining high-power FM slot in the Vancouver market. On June 5, 2001, Focus Communications was granted a licence to operate an UrbanUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format. The station's call letters, CFBT-FM, were assigned in November of the same year, and an official launch date was set for March 4, 2002
2002 in radio
The year 2002 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 21 - A train derailment in Minot, North Dakota kills one person and knocks out power throughout the region, spilling 250,000 gallons of toxic anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer purposes. The designated primary station for the...
as the second urban station in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Test transmissions began in mid-February 2002. The station adopted a "soft start" launch wherein announcers and programming were gradually introduced over a period of several weeks. By mid-2003
2003 in radio
The year 2003 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.-Debuts:*March...
, the station changed to more of a rhythmic top 40 format.
In September 2004, CFBT changed its format to a top 40/CHR format, significantly decreasing the amount of hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
on the station's playlist. This change was prompted by the shift of CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 95.3 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 71,300 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour, and its studios are located in Richmond. The station has had a hot adult...
(Z95.3, now Virgin Radio 953) from top 40 to its current hot AC format on March 1, 2004
2004 in radio
The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
. It became the only top 40 station in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
until 2007
2007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
. The station continued to lean rhythmic for about a year, before adopting a more mainstream direction. More rhythmic tracks were phased in by 2007
2007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
, when CTVglobemedia acquired the station, but the rhythmic tracks were only those played by mainstream top 40 stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, even those from the American top 40 chart.
On February 26, 2007, CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
(CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 103.5 megahertz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary format...
, 1410 CFUN
CFUN (AM)
CFTE is a Canadian radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. On 1410 AM, it is owned by Bell Media and currently carries a sports format as TEAM 1410, a secondary station to CKST .-History:...
, and 1040 The Team
CKST (AM)
CKST is a radio station located in Vancouver, British Columbia, currently owned by Bell Media. It broadcasts at 1040 AM, has an all-sports format and is branded as the TEAM 1040...
) announced that it would acquire the station from previous owner Focus Entertainment Group. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the sale in October, and CTVglobemedia (CHUM's successor) assumed ownership on November 2, 2007. In addition, British Columbia got a second top 40 station again as sister station CHBE-FM
CHBE-FM
CHBE-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 107.3 FM in Victoria, British Columbia, and is owned by Bell Media.The station received approval in October 1999 and was originally launched in 2000 as CFEX, a modern rock station owned by Seacoast Communications, the owner of AM radio station...
in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
shifted from hot AC to top 40 by that time. By 2010
2010 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2010.-Events:*Date Unknown: CHOI/Quebec City flips from Alternative Rock to News/Talk.*January 4: KJCS/Lufkin, Texas goes silent....
, Astral Media
Astral Media
Astral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
's CHSU-FM
CHSU-FM
CHSU-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 99.9 FM in Kelowna, British Columbia. The station, owned by Astral Media, broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded as 99.9 Sun FM....
Kelowna
Kelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
and CICF-FM
CICF-FM
CICF-FM is a radio station in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada airing a contemporary hit radio format at 105.7 FM, using the on-air branding as 105.7 Sun FM.The station began broadcasting on October 23, 1978 on the AM band at 1050 kHz as CKAL...
Vernon
Vernon, British Columbia
Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while...
(along with NL Broadcasting's CKRV-FM
CKRV-FM
CKRV-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 97.5 FM in Kamloops, British Columbia. The station broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded as 97.5 The River, and prior to 2010, had a hot adult contemporary format. Even though now a top 40 station, it's still classified as a hot AC...
in Kamloops) replaced CHBE-FM as the other top 40 station in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, although sister station CHBE-FM
CHBE-FM
CHBE-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 107.3 FM in Victoria, British Columbia, and is owned by Bell Media.The station received approval in October 1999 and was originally launched in 2000 as CFEX, a modern rock station owned by Seacoast Communications, the owner of AM radio station...
returned to hot AC as well, but CFBT still remains top 40 and no longer leans rhythmic despite for the fact all the rap tracks that had not been played on Canadian adult top 40 stations had since been dropped. In addition, most of the rhythmic content had been toned down at the station as the station is moving towards a hot adult contemporary direction while officially starting to sound like competing adult top 40 station Virgin Radio 953 (CKZZ-FM), but however, CFBT remains a top 40 station, much like how former rhythmics CIHT-FM
CIHT-FM
CIHT-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts a CHR format at 89.9 on the FM dial in Ottawa, Ontario under the branding Hot 89.9 The station is owned and operated by Newcap Broadcasting....
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and CIBK-FM
CIBK-FM
CIBK-FM is a contemporary hit radio station based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Astral Media outlet operates at 98.5 MHz FM with an effective radiated power of 100 kW.-History:...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
had toned down the rhythmic content most recently. Usually, CFBT is the #2 FM station in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
after adult contemporary sister CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 103.5 megahertz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary format...
(CFBT and CHQM are the only stations in Vancouver with those formats; respectively), and continues to beat adult top 40 rival CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 95.3 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 71,300 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour, and its studios are located in Richmond. The station has had a hot adult...
.
The 94.5 FM frequency was originally assigned by a low-power temporary FM radio station to provide information on traffic conditions between Vancouver and Coquitlam
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Coquitlam is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Coquitlam is mainly a suburban city, and is one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. According to the 2007 Canadian Census, it is the 5th-largest city in British Columbia...
, which received approval in 1998.
Until 2011
2011 in radio
The following events occurred in radio broadcasting in 2011.-Events:*January 1: 2 Knoxville stations change formats as WDLF and WYLV flip to K-LOVE and Air 1 , and a few Pittsburgh station change formats, as ESPN Radio moves from WEAE to WBGG, and Radio Disney moves from WWCS to the renamed WDDZ,...
, CFBT was the only CTVglobemedia radio station that had never been owned by CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
until it acquired CFXJ-FM
CFXJ-FM
CFXJ-FM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, which uses the on-air brand FLOW 93.5. It first aired in 2001 as Canada's first urban music station...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
most recently. Since CTVglobemedia acquired the station, it is also the largest contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
not under local ownership.
Current Staff: Mornings with the Kid Carson Show, Jonny Staub in the midday slot, Holly Conway in afternoons, Remo in evenings, and Chris Palliser, Denai Johnson and Emilie Clarke take care of late nights/weekends.
The Beat Music Awards
The station conducts an annual local talent search, The Beat Music Awards. The winner of the competition gets to record four songs with the professional production team RockSTAR Music corporation. In 2010 the finalists "compete for the grand prize of a production deal with RockSTAR Music Corp with two professionally produced songs to be featured as MP3 downloads on thebeat.com." ("Beat 94.5 Contests - 2010 Beat Music Awards", at http://thebeat.com/post/9420 as accessed 16 July 2010)The 2007 winner, Elise Estrada
Elise Estrada
- 1987–2006: Early life and career beginnings :Elise Estrada was born in Philippines and moved to Canada when she was 4. While growing up in Vancouver, Estrada had participated in many pageant and singing competitions. At age 17, Estrada won the title of "Miss Vancouver Princess" and later became...
, scored a Top 40 hit on the Canadian charts in the summer of 2007 with "Insatiable". Elise Estrada has also released a self titled album and is touring Canada.
External links
- The Beat 94.5
- CFBT-FM history at Canadian Communications FoundationCanadian Communications FoundationThe Canadian Communications Foundation is a history of Canadian broadcasting for radio and television chronicles and documents. It also provides a history of radio and television stations, including networks, programs, broadcasters and many others....