CHQT is a radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 in Edmonton, Alberta, broadcasting its signal on 880 kHz AM with an ERP

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 50,000 watt

Watt

The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...

s. It also broadcasts AM stereo

AM stereo

AM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for wireless radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers...

 using the C-QUAM

C-QUAM

C-QUAM is the method of AM stereo broadcasting used in Canada, the United States and most other countries. It was invented in 1977 by Norman Parker, Francis Hilbert, and Yoshio Sakaie, and published in an IEEE journal....

 system. The station currently operates an all-news radio format under the brand name iNews880, and is owned by Corus Entertainment

Corus Entertainment

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...

.

CHQT can also be received on 93.5 MHz on Shaw Cable FM.

History

• The station started on August 19, 1965 on 1110 kHz, with 10,000 watts power.

• In 1979, CHQT started using 50,000 watts power

• In 1985, the station changed frequency to 880 kHz on the sale to Monarch Broadcasting, Ltd.

• In June 2001, CHQT began using the moniker COOL 880.

• In October 2003, it became '880 JOE AM' for a few months before it returned to 'COOL 880' on January 13, 2004. The reason for the change to Joe AM was to protect its sister station Power 92 (CKNG-FM
  CKNG-FM
  CKNG-FM, broadcasting at 92.5 FM, is a radio station in Edmonton, Alberta. The station plays an adult hits format branded as Joe FM. Since Corus's other adult hits station in Kitchener, Ontario flipped to mainstream rock, CKNG-FM was the only adult hits station owned by Corus until 2011, when...
  
  ), which was planning a change to the adult hits
  Adult hits
  Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
  
   format. The company was afraid that another broadcaster would scoop the name and/or format on the FM band. However, the station lost a considerable amount of its listeners, and has not recovered. Power 92 then became JOE FM and abandoned the top 40 format in favor of an 80's and 90's mix of music.

• On May 20, 2008 at 6:30 AM, the COOL 880 oldies format switched to all news.

Other facts

• Before the name change and being bought by Corus Entertainment, their news slogan was This is Alberta's Major News station - AM 880 CHQT - Currently all newscasts on Edmonton Corus radio stations are produced by 630 CHED
  CHED (AM)
  CHED is a talk radio station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, broadcasting at 630 kHz on the AM dial and is owned by Corus Entertainment.The station originally began broadcasting at 1080 AM in 1954, until it moved to its current frequency in 1965....
  
  .

External links

• iNews880
• History of CHQT at Canadian Communications Foundation
  Canadian Communications Foundation
  The 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....