1 of 1- RadioActive
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Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
Now it can be told – the original call letters for the University of Toronto’s CIUT! The story came out on CFRB’s morning show Monday, when Dave Trafford was subbing for regular host John Moore.
Trafford revealed that he was involved in getting the station at 89.5 its original licence before the CRTC and was asked what call letters they wanted. The group behind the fledgling station chose “CFUT.” But that was rejected by the feds, apparently because it contained the letters “FU” in sequence. So they settled for the apparently far less offensive CIUT instead.
That led me to wonder if there were any other “FU” call letters in Canada. And it turns out there are. I could only find two and both are in B.C. The most famous of these, of course, is “CFUN” in Vancouver, a once-legendary Top 40 station that went by several different calls over its history. (It’s currently a TSN branded station.)
The other is CFUV, the University of Victoria radio station. Ironically, its web page is advertising for producers, and it’s using a condensed .jpg on the front page. It doesn’t have enough room to show the “C” or the “V” and instead there’s a clear view of the sole letters “FU” until you click through to the actual article.
So is this now official government policy and will there never be any call letters issued with those dreaded letters in sequence?
- Chrisphen
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
I heard him declare St. Mikes to be the largest college in UT. Pro-tip: it isn't.
- ig
- Iain Grant
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
It's never going to get worse than CKNT. I suggested that for a format many many years ago and almost ended up being thrown out a board room window. And now, it might be a Mississauga station if we live long enough to see it happen.
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
- RadioActive
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
It's amazing to me that a relatively innocent choice like "CFUT" gets rejected, but CKNT was approved. My understanding is that the "NT" stands for NewsTalk" but what an unfortunate set of four letters to pair beside each other.
And you're right - we may never get to hear it actually pronounced. The Mississauga station at 960 has become as mythological as a unicorn. It gets talked about, but we never actually see or hear it. I believe this is the longest gestating radio station in Canadian history, now more than six years since they were granted a licence and nary an air wave to be heard on that frequency. And despite the hope its owner expressed last year, we're more than halfway through 2017 and still nothing.
They apparently have an extension until November of this year. Stay tuned!
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Thread Starter- Saul
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
I think Peterborough 90.5 was CKKK for a few years.
I had a show on CIUT in the late 90s and also was on the board of directors. Never heard the CFUT story. Ha!
- betaylored
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
CWTF wouldn't fly in Canada, but... As in Whisky Tango Foxtrot and not WTF, What The eff. Those fcuk t-shirts from the french connection uk. clothing company were good for a larf at the time...and a brilliant bit of marketing. Imagine some of the ad campaign ideas possible with the call letters mentioned so far. Socks! Boxer shorts! The mind reels...
- geo
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
In the early '70s "Juan de Fuca University" was proposed for Victoria, BC. Premier W.A.C. Bennett killed it on the basis that it was bound to be called Fuc-U. Voters replaced W.A.C. Bennett with Dave Barrett.
He should have stuck with Fuc-U.
- Paul Jeffries
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
I've always thought that if the "e" on K-Lite FM's neon sign were to burn out it could spell trouble...(among other things... :O )
PJ
ClassicHitsOnline.com...The place where all the cool tunes hang out!
- splunge
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
just for the record, these days Industry Canada (ISEDC) hands out call letters, not the CRTC.
- RadioActive
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Re: Why The Feds Refused CIUT’s Original Call Letters
geo wrote:
In the early '70s "Juan de Fuca University" was proposed for Victoria, BC. Premier W.A.C. Bennett killed it on the basis that it was bound to be called Fuc-U. Voters replaced W.A.C. Bennett with Dave Barrett.
He should have stuck with Fuc-U.
I wonder how he would have felt about Simon Fraser University, which, of course, is SFU.
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