CFMX-FM (103.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Cobourg, Ontario, and serving the Peterborough area. It is owned by ZoomerMedia and airs a classical music format branded as Classical 103.1. It is a semi-satellite of Toronto's 96.3 CFMZ-FM. All music programming originates from Toronto, although 24 hours per week of locally oriented talk, news and spoken word programming broadcasts from radio studios in Cobourg.[1] During the simulcast music shows, CFMX-FM inserts local commercials.
| Semi-satellite of CFMZ-FM Toronto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | Cobourg Peterborough |
| Frequency | 103.1 MHz (FM) |
| Branding | Classical 103.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classical music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CFMO-FM, CFMZ-FM, CFZM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1979 |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 86,700 watts |
| HAAT | 252 metres (827 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°4′14.16″N 78°8′35.16″W / 44.0706000°N 78.1431000°W |
| Links | |
| Website | classicalfm.ca |
CFMX-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 86,700 watts. The transmitter is on Alnwick Hills Road in Baltimore.[2]
History
editEarly years
editCFMX-FM was launched in 1979 by D. B. Williamson, who also owned Cobourg's CHUC 1450 AM. The station was plagued with financial and technical problems in its early years, and in 1981 its license was briefly suspended by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Williamson's company went into receivership in 1983, and the station was acquired by businessman Martin Rosenthal.
In 1988, the station added a repeater in Mississauga on 96.3 FM, to serve Toronto-area listeners.[3] The 96.3 transmitter moved into Toronto in 1993.[4] The station's operations eventually became centralized in Toronto by 1997, with a small sales office remaining in Cobourg. For all intents and purposes, the Toronto rebroadcaster was now the primary station.
Change in Ownership
editIn September 2006, Canadian broadcaster Moses Znaimer purchased the station.[5] Znaimer changed the call sign to CFMZ to reflect his initials.[6]
Toronto station CKFM-FM briefly attempted to change its call sign to CFMX (reflecting its branding as Mix 99.9) after Znaimer adopted the CFMZ call sign, but was forced to revert to CKFM-FM because the Toronto transmitter had kept its original CFMX-FM-1 call sign.[7]
In September 2007, Znaimer also announced a deal to acquire CHWO 740 AM, an adult standards and oldies station in Oakville. It is now known as CFZM.
Return to CFMX-FM
editIn 2008, the CRTC approved a license change that resulted in the Toronto rebroadcaster being upgraded to a full-fledged station. As part of the change, the CFMZ call sign moved to Toronto, while the Cobourg station reclaimed the original CFMX call letters.[8]
The station was originally owned by Znaimer's privately held MZ Media Inc., but as part of a reorganization of Znaimer's media assets, the station was transferred to the publicly traded ZoomerMedia in 2010.[9]
References
edit- ^ CRTC Decision 2008-31.
- ^ FCCdata.org/CFMX-FM
- ^ Decision CRTC 88-292.
- ^ Decision CRTC 93-654, Change in technical parameters of CFMX-FM-1, CRTC, October 21, 1993
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-458, CFMX-FM-1 Toronto, CFMX-FM Cobourg and CFMX-DR-1 Toronto - Acquisition of assets, CRTC, August 31, 2006
- ^ "Znaimer ready to reinvent classical radio", Toronto Star, September 18, 2007.
- ^ Call sign search and Broadcasting database (ZIP file) Archived 2013-12-07 at the Wayback Machine (using the file fmstatio.dbf) from Industry Canada. Retrieved on November 14, 2007.
- ^ NorthEast Radio Watch, June 23, 2008.
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-193
External links
edit- Classical 103.1
- CFMX-FM at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
- CFMX-FM in the REC Canadian station database