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Toronto Star Introduced CFCA Radio 100 Years Ago Today
For about 11 years the Toronto Star ran a radio station in Toronto with the call letters CFCA. The station experimented for a few years prior but had their grand opening June 12 1922. More on this from an interesting radio site out of Guelph with the Hammond Museum of Radio...
Also worth noting that Foster Hewitt broadcast his first play by play hockey game on CFCA from the Arena Gardens (Mutual Street Arena) on February 16, 1923 between the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club and the Kitchener Greenshirts. CFCA closed down on September 1 1933, after the owners were convinced that the federal government was going to take over all private radio stations in Canada and create a broadcasting monopoly. This of course didn't happen.
Last edited by paterson1 (June 12, 2022 6:06 pm)
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Re: Toronto Star Introduced CFCA Radio 100 Years Ago Today
And of course, as you know because it's your old stomping ground, the call letters CFCA would resurface in Kitchener-Waterloo as a "beautiful music" format for many years.
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Re: Toronto Star Introduced CFCA Radio 100 Years Ago Today
The beautiful music CFCA in Kitchener was a very successful station back in the late 60's and into the 80's. It was rare because during this time it was the FM station that was making money, more than the sister AM CKKW. CFCA was quite popular, with a big coverage area, great ratings, and you would often hear the station in stores and businesses.
CFCA played MOR/Beautiful Music and had strong personalities on air and a good news operation. Full service radio, but on FM. The announcers would talk more than the average FM station and would read letters from listeners from time to time. Growing up my dear late mother had CFCA and Guelph's CKLA on all day on the big Philco Stereo in the living room.
Mazie was ahead of her time since she mostly stopped listening to AM, other than CFRB from about 7 to 8:30 in the morning. Other than that and occasionally putting up with her teenage sons listening to CHUM or CFTR, the stereo was always on CFCA or similar format CKLA.
CFCA in Kitchener is still around, but known as 105.3 Virgin Radio and has yet to unseat the original CHR FM station in K/W Corus' 91.5 The Beat. Also trailing Rogers #1 rated a/c CHYM FM and country CKGL. Guelph's CKLA is now a hot a/c format with Magic 106.5 which is also owned by Corus.
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