CHQR is a radio station owned by Corus Entertainment operating in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Broadcasting at AM 770, it airs talk programming. With the exception of one show, all of CHQR's weekday programming is produced in-house. CHQR is also the exclusive radio voice of the Calgary Stampeders. CHQR is also the last AM station in the Calgary market to broadcast in C-QUAM AM Stereo. CHQR is a Class B station on the clear-channel frequency of 770 kHz.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Southern Alberta |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 770 kHz (AM) C-QUAM AM Stereo |
| Branding | QR Calgary |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CFGQ-FM, CKRY-FM, CICT-DT, CISA-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | August 15, 1964 |
Former frequencies | 810 kHz (1964–1986) |
Call sign meaning | "Calgary's Highest Quality Radio" |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 50°49′16″N 114°03′07″W / 50.8211°N 114.052°W |
| Repeater(s) |
|
| Links | |
| Website | globalnews.ca/radio/qrcalgary/ |
CHQR's studios are located on 17th Avenue Southwest in Calgary, while its transmitters are located just south of the Calgary city limits near De Winton.
As of Winter 2021, CHQR is the most-listened-to radio station in the Calgary market according to a PPM data report released by Numeris.[1]
History
edit
The station originally began broadcasting at 810 AM in 1964 and received approval to move to its current frequency on June 26, 1986.[2]
On November 9, 2011, Corus Entertainment Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary CKIK-FM Limited applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to add an FM transmitter to serve Calgary on the frequency 106.9 MHz to rebroadcast the programming of CHQR 770.[3] This application was denied on May 24, 2012.[4]
In December 2015, CHQR was added to sister station CKRY-FM's HD2 sub-channel when they activated HD Radio services, becoming the first station in Alberta to do so.
On January 9, 2023, CHQR rebranded as QR Calgary and added an FM simulcast on CFGQ-FM.[5] That spring, following inquiries by the CRTC regarding whether the simulcast complies with broadcasting regulations, Corus filed a set of applications with the CRTC to formalize the simulcast by re-designating CFGQ as the originating station of the news/talk format under a specialty FM licence, revoking CHQR's AM licence, and repurposing the current 770 AM facility as a rebroadcaster of CFGQ. In doing so, Corus questioned the format's continued viability on AM in Calgary, reiterating the arguments it had made during its 2011 rebroadcaster application while also referencing increased interference, and automakers removing AM radio from electric vehicles due to electrical interference issues.[6]
Corus withdrew the application in June 2024, and announced that it would end the simulcast by the end of July 2024 in favour of returning to a music format on 107.3 FM. A Corus spokesperson stated that the simulcast was not economically successful "the way we had hoped".[7] CFGQ broke from the simulcast in late-July, and relaunched as classic alternative The Edge on July 31.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Winter 2020 PPM Data". Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ Decision CRTC 85-54
- ^ Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-694
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-307, CHQR Calgary – New FM transmitter in Calgary (Denied) CRTC, May 24, 2012
- ^ "Q107 Calgary Flips to CHQR Simulcast". RadioInsight. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ Thiessen, Connie (May 24, 2023). "Corus formally applies to air news/talk on FM in Calgary, questions viability of AM". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ Thiessen, Connie (2024-06-10). "Corus to abandon talk on FM in Calgary". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ Thiessen, Connie (2024-07-31). "Corus launches 107.3 the Edge in Calgary". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
External links
edit- QR Calgary
- CHQR history - Canadian Communications Foundation
- CHQR in the REC Canadian station database