CJAY-FM

The Voice of the Prairies Ltd. (owner of CFCN 1060) was denied a licence on May 28 for a new FM station at Calgary, operating on 102.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 28,000 watts. Voice of the Prairies was a division of CFCN Communications, owned by Maclean-Hunter Ltd. 

CFCN Communications Ltd. (The Voice of The Prairies Ltd.), owner of CFCN-AM and CFCN-TV was granted a licence for an FM station at Calgary. It would operate on a frequency of 92.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 74,000 watts (100,000 watts).  A competing application by Calgary Broadcasting (CFAC)was denied but the CRTC did invite further applications for additional Calgary FM stations.

The re-organization of the Maclean-Hunter group of companies (16 cable systems and the CFCN/Shoreacres/Great Lakes broadcasting group) was approved by the CRTC. Reservations were expressed regarding the nearly 10% equity of the Toronto-Dominion Bank in the new company, Maclean-Hunter Holdings Ltd. The shares had been held by Hunco and D. F. Hunter. Effective control of Maclean-Hunter Ltd. was now held by the directors and senior managerment.

CJAY-FM signed on the air June 1. Studios were co-located with CFCN-AM and TV at Broadcast House, on the western outskirts of the city. The AEL transmitter (and 100 watt standby) and antenna were adjacent to the CFCN-TV tower. The antenna was also shared by FM stations CHFM, CKUA and CKO. Rebroadcast transmitters were planned for Banff and Lake Louise. Ron Nordquist was director of engineering for the CFCN stations.

Ralph Connor, formerly of CKSO Sudbury, was instrumental in putting CJAY on the air and became General Manager of the station. 

Later in the year, CJAY was authorized to add a rebroadcast transmitter at Banff, operating with .91 watts. When it went on the air, it was known as CJAY-FM-1.

On May 30, CJAY-FM was denied rebroadcast transmitters at Brooks (94.9 MHz with 8.8 watts) and Drumheller (107.9 MHz with 9.4 watts).

CJAY received approval for a rebroadcast transmitter at Lake Louise, operating on a frequency of 97.5 MHz.

Vince DiMaggio was named station manager for CJAY, and Wes Erickson became program director.

On January 11, the CRTC renewed CJAY-FM’s licence until September 30, 1985. The renewal included rebroadcast transmitters: Banff CJAY-FM-1 and Lake Louise CJAY-FM-2.

The licences for CJAY-FM-2 Lake Louise and CJAY-FM-3 Invermere (British Columbia) were renewed. These transmitters were not owned by CFCN Communications. CJAY-FM-2 was operated by the Lake Louise Community Association and CJAY-FM-3 was operated by the Invermere District Television Co. Ltd. They were radicocommunication distribution undertakings licenced to distribute, in non-encrypted mode, the programs of CJAY-FM.

Edward W. Chapman was appointed chairman of the board of directors, CFCN Communications Ltd.

News supervisor Doug Anderson left CJAY for CFAC.

On August 10, CFCN Communications Ltd. was given approval to purchase CJAY-FM-3 Invermere (a rebroadcaster of CJAY Calgary), from Invermere District Television Co. Ltd.  CFCN Communications had been providing the capital costs necessary for the maintenance of this rebroadcaster for several years.

Gary Rozak became CJAY’s news director.

It was revealed that Maclean Hunter was trying to sell CJAY and CFCN-AM. It was widely known that the company was attempting to sell CFCN-TV which had now been pulled off the market because no acceptable offers had been received.

Long-time Calgary broadcaster Norm Edwards lost his battle with cancer on September 25. He was 48. Over the years, Norm had worked at CKXL, CHQR and CJAY-FM. He was on the air at CJAY until August.

1992
On June 19, the CRTC approved the sale by CFCN Communications (Maclean-Hunter) of CFCN-AM, CFVP-Short Wave and CJAY-FM (including CJAY-1 Banff and CJAY-3 Invermere) to Standard Broadcasting Corp. Maclean-Hunter did try to sell CFCN-TV as well but the asking price was not met.

B.J. Burke left CJAY to become part of the morning team at CJKR Winnipeg.

On April Fools Day, the morning teams at CJAY and Country 105 switched places. CJAY’s Gerry Forbes, Jake Taylor and Joe Sports went to CKIK-FM for the morning while the country’ station’s Doug Veronelly, Dan Carson and Robyn Adair hosted the CJAY morning show.

Tracy Walsh moved from promotions coordinator at CFPL-FM London to a similar position at CJAY. Joe Sports was sports director.

Gerry Forbes was doing mornings at CJAY. Downtown Brown took over swing/overnights/weekends while Time Morgan left for CFMI Vancouver. Brown had been with CKWF in Peterborough. 

On November 26, CJAY was given approval to decrease effective radiated power from 74,000 watts to 44,000 watts and to increase effective antenna height from 146.5 metres to 160 metres.  

Bob Steele left CJAY’s afternoon drive show in August to join the morning show at CFBR-FM in Edmonton.

On September 6, Standard Radio launched CIBK 98.5. Studios and offices for CFCN-AM and CJAY-FM moved to a brand new facility with CIBK on the third floor of 1110 Centre Street North.

On December 12, CJAY was given approval to relocate its transmitter three kilometres west of the current site (the old CFCN-TV tower) to the master FM antenna on the CBC tower. Effective radiated power would increase from 44,000 watts to 100,000 watts, and antenna height would go from 160 metres to 298.5 metres.

On September 27, Astral Media Radio G.P. received CRTC approval to acquire the assets of the radio and TV undertakings owned by Standard Radio Ltd., subject to certain conditions.  The purchase included CJAY-FM, CIBK-FM and CKMX-AM.    

Chad Thomas returned to Astral Radio Calgary as Digital Accounts Manager. He left the stations to found an agency when they were owned by Standard Radio Calgary.

Astral Radio BC Peace Region Brand Director J. Terrence, after 10 years at that location, three as PD, moved August 16 to sister station CJAY to become Assistant Brand Director.

On August 31, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CJAY-FM and its transmitters CJAY-FM-1 Banff and CJAY-FM-3 Invermere until March 31, 2012.

Stewart Meyers was now vice president of Alberta operations and general manager of the Astral Calgary radio stations, succeeding Tom Peacock. The position in Calgary became effective September 1. Meyers moved from Corus Radio Toronto at the end of 2002 to become operations manager and program director at the then-Standard Radio Calgary. When Marty Forbes retired at the beginning of 2009, Meyers took over at Astral Edmonton as VP/GM. Meyers would manage both clusters for the time being.

Megan Gough was the new KooL 101.5 Marketing and Promotions Director, succeeding Sonya Koson. Gough had been with CJAY 92. CJAY’s new Promotions & Marketing Director was Jason Almeida. His last stop was K-97 Edmonton.

On March 20, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CJAY-FM and its transmitters CJAY-FM-1 Banff and CJAY-FM-3 Invermere, British Columbia to August 31, 2012.

Ross MacLeod left The Team 1260 Edmonton to become brand director at CJAY 92 and Classic Country 1060. Chris Ford moved from sister Astral station CJAY Calgary to Big Dog 92.7 Regina as afternoon driver/music director. 

On July 10, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CJAY-FM Calgary and its transmitters CJAY-FM-1 Banff and CJAY-FM-3 Invermere (BC) to March 31, 2013.

On February 6, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CJAY-FM Calgary and its transmitters CJAY-FM-1 Banff and CJAY-FM-3 Invermere (BC) to August 31, 2013.

Norm (Harold) Haines died at age 73. He started his broadcast career as an announcer at CFTJ Galt in 1958 and worked at CKCR Kitchener, CFCO Chatham, CKWS-Radio-TV Kingston and CFOX Montreal. Haines moved to Calgary where he was president of Voice of the Prairies Ltd. (CFCN Radio). He took on CFCN in 1973, and in time, developed CJAY-FM, Canada’s first new generation FM station.

On June 27, 2013, after a previous such application had been denied in 2012, the CRTC approved an application by Astral Media Inc. to sell its pay and specialty television channels, conventional television stations and radio stations to BCE Inc., including CJAY-FM.

Tim Morris died suddenly at age 45 on November 25. He was morning show producer and a personality on The Gerry Forbes Show on CJAY 92 in the mid-nineties before moving to Power 107 in 1997 to produce for host Roger Rhodes.

In February, Gerry Forbes announced he would retire from CJAY 92 after 25 years with the station. He started in radio in Kamloops in 1975, and later worked at CFTR and CHUM Toronto, before moving on to Calgary.

Kirk Ryan, 58, died October 15. Ryan worked in sales and marketing at Calgary radio stations CJAY and CHQR from 1986 to 1998.

John Clark, 67, passed away on March 27. Clark began his career in 1970 at CHNL Kamloops. He moved on to CKXL Calgary in 1974, and then CJAY in 1982. Clark left the business in 1993.