The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / GTA Radio Frequency Swaps

**Posted by RadioActive** May 27, 2025 10:30 am

They don't happen often and they sometimes cause a great deal of confusion - moving a radio station's signal from one spot on the dial to another. I was wondering how many I could think of in Toronto and area history. There have been a few.

The most famous may have been the CBC taking over 99.1 FM after CKO died there. CKEY desperately wanted that frequency and I strongly suspect the now long gone station would still be around today if they'd succeeded. That sparked a game of musical frequencies. CBC gave up 740, which was at first bought by Whiteoaks for a much more powerful CHWO (then at 1250,) and eventually taken over by Moses Znaimer's outfit. 1250, meanwhile, became CJYE, an all Christian outlet.

Speaking of CKEY, CJCL moved from 1430 to 590, leaving what was now called CKYC to take the old spot on the dial. It's now CHKT, an all Chinese language station.

CFGM once moved from 1320 to 1310. Years later, it famously left Richmond Hill for North York, and is now CFIQ, aka AM640. The pioneering country call letters reappeared on a Caledon station eventually owned by Vista, but its licence was surrendered in 2024.

CJMR in Mississauga started out life at 1190, You'll now find it at 1320.

And CKDO was on 1350 for years, before travelling down the dial to a stronger signal at 1580, where it remains.

I'm sure there are others I've forgotten, but there's one big one that probably pre-dates everyone on this board. CJBC started life in Toronto at 1010, with CFRB occupying 860. 'RB wasn't exactly crazy about the move, but the CBC was the de facto CRTC in those days, and they had the final say. They wanted the better clear channel frequency and ordered the swap take place. Both stations remain in those changed positions to this day but each got something else out of the deal - an increase to 50,000 watts.

It was Sept. 1, 1948.

**Posted by RadioActive** May 27, 2025 10:41 am

I knew I'd forget at least one. CHIC (formerly CJFB) was first on at 1090, moved to 790, changed call letters to CKMW and is now CIAO, one of the few commercial radio stations in North America at 530 AM. (And perhaps the only HD AM signal on that frequency anywhere in the world.)

**Posted by mace** May 27, 2025 10:52 am

To seal the the CFRB/CJBC frequency swap, I believe the CBC agreed to CFRB being able to broadcast at 50,000 watts. From what I understand, before this, only CBC stations could operate at 50K.

**Posted by pinto** May 27, 2025 1:30 pm

Does the old 1570/680 swap count? It was 1/2 a Toronto swap. I believe St Thomas, CHLO got a few bucks to give up 680. Could be wrong and I am ready to be corrected.

**Posted by Radiowiz** May 27, 2025 1:58 pm

Y95/Energy 108 became Energy 95.3 and Y108.

**Posted by RadioActive** May 27, 2025 2:27 pm

pinto wrote:
Does the old 1570/680 swap count? It was 1/2 a Toronto swap. I believe St Thomas, CHLO got a few bucks to give up 680. Could be wrong and I am ready to be corrected.

Sure it counts, because it involves a station - once CHFI-AM at 1540 - moving to another frequency. In this case, they had to pay for CHLO to go, which makes it even more unusual. I believe there were also issues with a station in Rochester, N.Y. on 680 and interference concerns.

**Posted by RadioActive** May 27, 2025 2:32 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
Y95/Energy 108 became Energy 95.3 and Y108.

Another excellent example, and a fairly recent one as these things go.

**Posted by pinto** May 27, 2025 2:40 pm

And 1410 went to CKSL - now dark

**Posted by Jody Thornton** May 27, 2025 3:13 pm

570 CHYM and 96.7 CKGL became 96.7 CHYM-FM and 570 CKGL (the latter now being 570 News/CityNews instead of country)

**Posted by NW** May 27, 2025 8:33 pm

What about Scarborobluffsradiof99's favourite station 820-CHAM, which moved down from 1280 to 820.

If I'm not mistaken this enabled the Pearson Airport Station to move to 1280 from 530, which enabled 790-Brampton to move to 530 once the other 530 station in Fort Erie moved to FM.

**Posted by RadioActive** May 27, 2025 8:44 pm

My memory of this is a bit shaky, but didn't Flow 98.7 originally start out on 95.3? Then Stingray wanted to use the latter frequency for its somewhat disastrous "Today Radio" programming, so the Flow format was transferred down the dial to 98.7. Or something like that. Does anyone recall the sequence of events?

**Posted by RadioAaron** May 27, 2025 8:55 pm

RadioActive wrote:
My memory of this is a bit shaky, but didn't Flow 98.7 originally start out on 95.3? Then Stingray wanted to use the latter frequency for its somewhat disastrous "Today Radio" programming, so the Flow format was transferred down the dial to 98.7. Or something like that. Does anyone recall the sequence of events?

Basically that. Flow 93.5 flipped to "Today" and gave/sold(?) the Flow IP and social accounts to CINA Radio who used it to replace their G98.7 branding.

Not exactly a frequency swap, but related.

**Posted by tvguy** May 27, 2025 10:15 pm

This goes back a long time but when shoreacres broadcasting (Jack Kent Cooke) owned CKEY the station moved from 580 to 590 kc. I remember the move-day and there was a series of tones broadcast on the two transmitters to direct listeners to tune “up” the dial. This took place in 1964 and 580 was used in Windsor (CKWW). CKEY 580 had been on Toronto Island. I don’t know if 590 started at Grimsby or whether it broadcast from the Island. One other frequency change. CIRV-fm began on 88.7 but the co-channel interference was severe from WBFO Buffalo, (a lot of tropo interference spring/fall) so after a couple of years, they were approved to move to 88.9 MHz. I believe that Frank Alvarez would not have received a licence if he hadn't applied for a co-channel "drop in" on a Buffalo frequency...so that he did not use any of the remaining Toronto FM frequency allocatons.

Last edited by tvguy (May 27, 2025 10:22 pm)

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** May 27, 2025 11:10 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I'm sure there are others I've forgotten, but there's one big one that probably pre-dates everyone on this board. CJBC started life in Toronto at 1010, with CFRB occupying 860. 'RB wasn't exactly crazy about the move, but the CBC was the de facto CRTC in those days, and they had the final say. They wanted the better clear channel frequency and ordered the swap take place. Both stations remain in those changed positions to this day but each got something else out of the deal - an increase to 50,000 watts.

It was Sept. 1, 1948.

Interesting to note too, Hamilton's CHML occupied the 1010 frequency from 1936-41, according to Wikipedia.

PJ

**Posted by Dale Patterson** May 27, 2025 11:19 pm

CKEY moved from 580 to 590 in 1964. I remember hearing the switch.

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** May 28, 2025 2:43 am

Wasn't there a radio station somewhere in Canada, many years ago, that had to flip to a different frequency at night and then flip back to their other frequency during the daytime hours? I seem to remember hearing a story like that somewhere.

PJ

**Posted by tvguy** May 28, 2025 4:37 am

The station was CHYR leamington. 710 daytime and 730 night time.

**Posted by RadioActive** May 28, 2025 6:30 am

CKEY at 580.

**Posted by RadioAaron** May 28, 2025 6:33 am

Does the CKEY flip to 590 relate to CFRA Ottawa's flip from 560 to 580? Timing seems about right.

**Posted by Shorty Wave** May 28, 2025 6:53 am

I must say how impressed I am with the collective knowledge/input of those who commented on this post! I didn’t start in this market so I don’t know much about the local broadcasting history, but with posts like this, I learned something. Thanks to all who posted and enlightened me!