1 of 1- tvguy
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CHFI HD-2
Tonight I noticed a new HD subcarrier on CHFI HD-2. The channel bils itself as “The Rocket”. With liners “Canada’s Rock and Role Flamethrower”. (That cycles through on RDS) I’m not familiar with the format — alternative? Artists include Rob Zombie (Living Dead Girl), Papa Roach (last resort)
I did not hear announcers or station IDs so I don’t know whether it is rebroadcasting another Rogers station from another market.
I would have thought that Rogers would have put money makers like CFTR on 98.1 with its superior coverage.
What’s the back story on the Rocket?
- RadioActive
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Re: CHFI HD-2
I've heard them advertise it on 680. It is (or was now that it's on HD) an Internet-only station designed to help pump up Rogers' listen live app called "Seekr."
Here's the station's home page.
- mjf
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It's been there for a few weeks now. They play alternative rock, metal and some classic rock. Quite a bit like CHTZ without the local bands. They ID as "The Rocket, Canada's Rock and Roll Flamethrower" so it's not relaying any other station. No jocks heard.
- RadioAaron
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Re: CHFI HD-2
It's there so they don't have to pay music royalties for its stream on the app.
- tvguy
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Re: CHFI HD-2
Yes, I understand the royalty issue, but the streaming channel isn’t financially viable…really??? They could put it on 92.5 very easily, and swap 680’s feed to 98.1. I suspect 680 will have far more listeners on HD than the “Rocket” will ever accumulate. But then, it’s Rogers.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: CHFI HD-2
tvguy wrote:
Yes, I understand the royalty issue, but the streaming channel isn’t financially viable…really???
I'm not sure what you're saying here. The HD has zero revenue to the stream pays zero royalty. If it were streaming-only, they'd pay by the listener.
Totally agree it would make more sense do swap 680 and The Rocket's HD positions, but I don't think they care. HD is dead in the water.
- Scarboroughbluffsradiof99
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Re: CHFI HD-2
Its like bell and there pure country brand.
Pure country is a stream on iheart and a subchannel on 99.9 hd4 and its not called pure country toronto.
- RadioAaron
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Its like bell and there pure country brand.
Pure country is a stream on iheart and a subchannel on 99.9 hd4 and its not called pure country toronto.
Exactly.
iHeart in the US has made extensive use of this loophole.
- Evuguy
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Re: CHFI HD-2
I've been checking the last few days and The Rocket is no more. CHFI-HD now only has an HD-1 program. Did anybody notice it missing? 
Last edited by Evuguy (September 3, 2026 8:04 pm)
- Fitz
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Re: CHFI HD-2
I've been checking the last few days and The Rocket is no more. CHFI-HD now only has an HD-1 program. Did anybody notice it missing?
Yes I noticed it in July and early Aug when we were getting multiple days of E-Skip.
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- paterson1
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Re: CHFI HD-2
That's too bad I listened to The Rocket occasionally. I was impressed that it was CHFI's HD 2 channel and absolutely nothing like 98.1. If you wanted your music heavy and alternative, this was the station.
- radiokid
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Unless you promote it... how would anyone know it's there? Most people who did only know because they landed on it... like I did one day. (There is no rule that HD2 and 3 and 4 have to have any relation to the main Analog or HD 1 signal.... It's weird to me that people bring that up nonstop on here.)
It appears "The Rocket" it has been shot off to the sun as part of the last round of cutbacks.
Last edited by radiokid (September 4, 2026 11:44 am)
- Fitz
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Re: CHFI HD-2
That's too bad I listened to The Rocket occasionally. I was impressed that it was CHFI's HD 2 channel and absolutely nothing like 98.1. If you wanted your music heavy and alternative, this was the station.
How regularly or reliably can you get the HD signal for 98.1 where you are ?
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- RadioAaron
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Re: CHFI HD-2
Unless you promote it... how would anyone know it's there? Most people who did only know because they landed on it... like I did one day. (There is no rule that HD2 and 3 and 4 have to have any relation to the main Analog or HD 1 signal.... It's weird to me that people bring that up nonstop on here.)
It appears "The Rocket" it has been shot off to the sun as part of the last round of cutbacks.
The HD FM version was never meant to be listened to, it was there to feed a channel on Seekr.
- paterson1
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Re: CHFI HD-2
That's too bad I listened to The Rocket occasionally. I was impressed that it was CHFI's HD 2 channel and absolutely nothing like 98.1. If you wanted your music heavy and alternative, this was the station.
How regularly or reliably can you get the HD signal for 98.1 where you are ?
I am not a regular CHFI listener and don't even have them as a preselect in the car. A lot of Toronto stations are in and out on HD2 in the Kitchener area. But I did listen to The Rocket from time to time in the car and their signal was on more often than it wasn't. If you get about 25km outside of KW to the west, 98.1 is blocked out by Classic Rock 98.1 London radio.
- Scarboroughbluffsradiof99
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Re: CHFI HD-2
Even thogh bell cut back staff, closed down stations, and sold stations, they make somewhat good use of hd by putting pure country on hd.
And, they make good use of there iheart platform by launching theematic webstreams and stations.
Rogers, not good at all.
They shut down the rocket, and they don't have any special streams on seekr such as chfi lite or decade-spasific kiss substations.
The uk and us are way better than us on giving variety to people and making good use of there webplatforms.
I could listen to chfi or kiss or sportsnet on the radio, I go to your platform to get something unique.