CKQB-FM is a Canadian
radio
station, which broadcasts an active rock
format at 106.9 FM in Ottawa
and 99.9 FM
in Pembroke
(on a
repeater as CKQB-FM-1). The station uses
the on-air brand name
Virgin Radio 106.9.
History
The station was launched in 1982 by
Standard Broadcasting at
AM 540, with the call sign
CJSB
and a power of 50,000 watts (daytime) and 10,000 watts (nighttime).
The station was initially a mixture of music and
talk programming, then became an
easy listening station, and in January 1987
evolved into a
soft adult
contemporary format with the brand name
54 Lite
Rock.
In 1988, the station adopted an
active
rock format and the brand name
54 Rock. In
June 1989, the station's nighttime power was increased from 10,000
watts to 12,500 watts in an effort to extend their coverage area in
the west-end of Ottawa.
In 1993, after 11 years without a profit on AM, the station applied
to move from the AM band to the
FM band
using the available 106.9 frequency that had been occupied by
CKO from 1977 to 1989. The AM station signed off
the air at 9AM on August 31, 1994 and the FM station signed on at
6PM on September 1, 1994 with the new brand name
106.9 FM
The Bear and changed its call sign to
CKQB.
In 2004, CKQB was given approval by the
Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to operate
an FM transmitter at Pembroke, Ontario on 99.7 FM, to rebroadcast
the programming of CKQB's main station in Ottawa and provide better
service to CKQB-FM’s listeners in Pembroke and in the surrounding
west
Ottawa Valley area.
The station's music director, Kath Thompson, won the Canadian Music
Industry Award for Music Director of the Year (Major Market) in
2007. On October 29, 2007,
Astral Media
took control of CKQB-FM as a result of its takeover of Standard
Broadcasting.
On
December 4, 2008, Astral announced that CKQB, along with sister
stations CJFM-FM
in Montreal
and CKZZ-FM
in Vancouver
, would be rebranded as a Virgin Radio station in January 2009.
This is in
addition to an existing Virgin Radio station, CKFM-FM in Toronto
. CKQB
will feature a "re-energized" rock format, as opposed to a
hot adult contemporary format at the
other Virgin Radio stations in Canada.
The rebranding was completed on January 9, 2009. The station
subsequently faced criticism for its inaugural promotional
campaign, which featured images of pregnant young women accompanied
by the slogan "Lock up your daughters, the gods of rock are now in
Ottawa." The station dropped the advertisements after a number of
listeners filed complaints.
On August 26, 2009, Astral applied to change Pembroke's repeater
frequency (CKQB-FM-1) from 99.7 to 99.9 MHz to mitigate
interference due to the approval of a new FM station in Ottawa at
99.7 MHz. The move to 99.9 FM received CRTC approval on October 14,
2009.
On-air personalities
- Dylan Black
- Cub Carson
- Carly D'Amico
- Wendy Daniels
- Katherine Dines
- Gonzo
- Jason Herrington
- Jetboy
Logos
Image:54RockLogo88 89.jpg|Former logo as 54 Rock
(1988-1990).Image:54RockLogo90-94.jpg|Former logo as 54 Rock
(1990-1994).Image:54RockLogo1994.jpg|Former logo as 54 Rock
(1994).Image:CKQB FM.jpg|Former logo as 106.9 The Bear (1994-2002;
2006-2009). The 2002-06 logo had the "Ottawa's Best Rock Mix"
byline.Image:Virgin_Radio_106.9_Sign_(Byward_Auto_Classic).jpg|Virgin
Radio 106.9 logo at the Byward Market.
Compilation albums
- Homegrown '89 (1989 - Cassette issue when branded as 54
Rock)
- Homegrown '90 (1990 - Cassette issue when branded as 54
Rock)
- Unmuted: Ottawa Recording Artists United Against AIDS
(1996)
- Unmuted II (1997)
References
- Canadian Communications Foundation History of
CKQB-FM
- Decision CRTC 89-346
- Decision CRTC 93-636
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2004-60
- Astral press release, December 4, 2008
- "Virgin Radio drops 'lock-up-daughter' ads".
Ottawa
Citizen, February 18, 2009.
- Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC
2009-519
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-649
External links
Wikis
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