I had the great fortune in 1982 to be hired at CKMW 790 AM , which shared studios with CFNY. I was there for two years and eventually became the morning guy, including when the station became a dance influenced format with the early rap and hip hop releases mixed in. This was around the time that the AM side  was sold and ethnic broadcasting began in the afternoons and evenings, and eventually took over completely. But, I did get to rub shoulders with the greats at NY , and became the voice of their  Knob Hill Farms spots. It was the pinnacle of my time in radio, after I was let go , I became a big rig driver , and later a tow truck operator until a few years ago. I'm 69 now, and look fondly back at my time in the hallowed halls of 83 Kennedy Road, Brampton . Other than marrying my wife, and the birth of my children, it was the best time of my life. 

When I came to Toronto from Vancouver in thr early 80s I was shocked and delighted to discover CFNY.
I was blown away that a commercial radio station was playing the kind of music I played at my university radio station, CITR.
I was amazed that CFNY was actually playing tuners I had never heard of before.
I was hooked by the on air hosts who were doing weird and quirky DJ stuff.
Now of course, that is all just a memory.
I am annoyed at the new promo ads that boastfully tell us how pioneering and innovative CFNY WAS.
If what they did back then was so worthy of praise, why not do it again now?

 

The really interesting thing is that it wasn't just "a listener", but many who were seriously outraged by the move. At one point, at least one intervention was filed with the CRTC opposing the station's license renewal.

The shift may have been an ironic side-effect of the relocation of the station's transmitter to the CN Tower, which was done in 1983. A bigger signal might have meant more commercial pressure to appeal to a more general audience, especially considering that smaller communities outside the GTA (i.e. Peterborough, Belleville/Quinte West, Barrie/Midland/Orillia, etc.) had few stations of their own at the time, FM stations especially.

By 1994-ish, the station had transitioned to a modern rock format. It's not the station wasn't highly regarded during the 1990s-2010s time period, because it was, but by then the whole "alternative" niche (which seems difficult if not practically impossible to firmly define) was widespread as a commercial radio format across North America, and not just in large markets. Thus, the station wasn't so much the unique showpiece of the area that it was in the 1970s and 1980s, but rather a basic expectation that ought to be fulfilled in what was already one of the largest and most cosmopolitan markets in North America.

When a station applies for a license, don't they make a committment as to the type of program they intend to carry?

RadioAaron wrote:

turkeytop wrote:

When a station applies for a license, don't they make a committment as to the type of program they intend to carry?

No.

I believe that back in those days the categories for licenses were "Pop/Rock - Harder" and "Pop/Rock - Softer", and as long as the station maintained their playlist within their designated boundaries, they were okay and not running afoul of their license.

I also seem to recall around that time that CHUM-FM was classified as a "Pop/Rock - Harder" station and remember hearing that they applied to the CRTC to add "Pop/Rock - Softer" to their condition of license, mostly because they were playing a lot of softer music with their baby boomer format.



PJ

turkeytop wrote:

There must be some restrictions. If I wanted to get my toe in the door of a crowded market like London, I could just propose something unique like ethnic or aboriginal programming, then flip to rock or cowboy music on day II.

I believe ethnic or aboriginal would fall under a specialty license, in which case a format flip would likely require an application to the CRTC, much like jazz, classical or news/talk, which are not easily flippable formats.



PJ