It appeared on SOWNY on Feb. 11th, 2020, piggybacking on a report off of Facebook's Canadian Radio News. A poster named Saul noted someone had detected a signal on 1220, the home of the old CHSC. It turned out to be CFAJ, the new oldies stations from St. Catharines.

It’s now been exactly two years since that fateful post and as unbelievable as it may seem, the station continues to be in test mode! Twenty-four months has to be a record for a newcomer to not have hired any announcers, not have commenced even a limited newsroom and not have aired a single commercial, unless you count the occasional PSA.
 
What in God’s name is taking them so long? And how long can they go without actually getting any revenue or starting real programming? So far, it’s been non-stop songs, which is great if you’re an oldies fan and don’t mind music on AM. But the announcement that it’s a ‘test broadcast’ has been airing endlessly since that day in 2020. I’m sure the pandemic may have something to do with it. But honestly, two years? That has to be some kind of record.
 
Meanwhile, they’re already on the net, as has been previously noted here. But did you know there are other sections of their website that they haven’t linked to? In addition to a new logo (below) it appears they’ve settled on a new slogan, “Great Music, Great Talk For Our Generation.” (What “talk” are they referring to, since Peter Borbely, listed as their sole employee, is the only one on the air - and even then, just to make the “this is a test broadcast” announcement.)
 

 
He gives out a phone number and an email address, claiming “We welcome your questions and concerns.” I’ve tried to ask those questions about my concerns regarding a sign-on date repeatedly for months and months and have never received a single answer. Doesn’t sound welcoming to me! (And why does a St. Catharines station’s phone number have a 416-area code?)
 
The station’s hidden site also contains an extensive history of CHSC, which - while interesting and somewhat dated - is kind of odd when you’re launching a brand new station whose only relation to that long gone entity is the frequency. You can see it here.
 
So when can we expect an actual real radio station with all the bells and whistles going full strength? It’s impossible to say. If they can’t get this thing up and running after two years, I’m not sure they ever will. (According to the original CRTC release when it got permission to take over the frequency, the licence expires on August 31, 2022. They better be on by then!)
 
In the words of an oldie by the one-hit-wonder Ace, “How Long Has This Been Going On?” The answer is two years and counting. And you have to wonder how much longer they can let this happen.