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July 22, 2024 4:15 pm  #1


CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

It's a terse press release and only a few lines long. But despite the fact CJBK London has been off the air since June 2023, it's only now that the CRTC has officially revoked the licence of the one time Top 40 legend.

There's something about seeing it in print that makes the long silenced great station truly dead. Another black mark for Bell, and more proof they should never have gotten into the radio business. 

CRTC Release

 

July 22, 2024 4:52 pm  #2


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

I was on air at 'SL during the mid 80's, battling 'BK (formerly CJOE) and as my PD Jerry Stevens called it.. " a closet Cat 2 Rock FM.  What a great market London was for radio back in the day!!

 

July 23, 2024 1:22 pm  #3


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

I think London still is a pretty good radio town.  I listen to Rogers JACK FM 102.3 here in Kitchener.  Like their music better than BOOM in Toronto. 

Interesting that CJBK is only the 2nd of the six radio stations that Bell closed over a year ago to actually turn in the license and ask the CRTC to revoke.  The four other stations 1060 Calgary, 1040,1410 Vancouver and 1290 Winnipeg still have their license and are listed as operational with the ISEC (Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada) database.  Is Bell still trying to sell these stations, and if not why have they not turned in the licenses and asked the CRTC to revoke them?  

 

July 23, 2024 2:53 pm  #4


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

Looks like there's a new set of call letters to add to this list. (You'd think this doesn't happen often, but a scroll down to the Ontario section shows the surprising number of stations that have ceased to operate in this province over the years.)

The oldest goes back to 1933 (CFCA, once owned by The Toronto Star) and some of the latest include CKSL, CKAV and CIRR (aka Proud FM.) I thought I knew every one of them around here, but I must confess CKRG-FM somehow escaped me. That may be because it was so low powered, if you weren't right next door to it, you couldn't get it. 

List Of Defunct Radio Stations In Canada 

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July 24, 2024 10:52 am  #5


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

I noticed that CFCA operated on 770. If the Toronto Star had continued operation of the station, I wonder what its permanent location would have been after the North American Regional Broadcast Agreement was implemented in March 1941.

 

July 24, 2024 11:05 am  #6


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

Interesting that the US owners of WTOR Youngstown NY (across the lake from Toronto) chose 770 ... my guess is it was in the FCC database as an optimal channel (for a daytimer) ...

 

July 24, 2024 11:45 am  #7


Re: CRTC Officially Revokes CJBK's Licence

mace wrote:

I noticed that CFCA operated on 770. If the Toronto Star had continued operation of the station, I wonder what its permanent location would have been after the North American Regional Broadcast Agreement was implemented in March 1941.

Those days were the Wild West as far as radio was concerned. A lot of stations shared the same frequency and many of the call letters we know today were very different back then. 

Here's a sample from 1928, just a bit under a century ago.

At the time CFCA was listed as being on 840 AM. But so was CNRT, one of the CN Rail radio stations that existed at the time for passengers to listen to as they rode the train. And so was another station you might have heard of - CJBC.

Then there's a broadcaster that's long since disappeared, CHNC. It was at 580. It was operated by something called the Toronto Radio Research Society and went off the air for good by 1933. I guess their research was done! It was on the same frequency as CKNC, about which I can find little information. (A Simcoe FM currently uses those call letters.) 

As if that wasn't enough, there were yet another two stations crowding the same part on the dial. CJSC also squeezed time on the frequency. And so did CKCL, the forerunner of what I believe would become CKEY, eventually moving over a space to 590.  

There is a CFRB listed - but it was said to be located in King, Ontario and could only be tuned in at 960. 

There's only one other set of nearby call letters I recognize - CKOC and CHML in Hamilton. But neither were on 1150 or 900 back then. The list has both at 880 AM, along with another long forgotten Steel Town entity, CHCS.

DXers with a time machine would have a field day.

Albeit a confusing one.  


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