CHMN-FM

Calgary Broadcasting Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (division of Selkirk Communications Ltd.) received approval from the CRTC to operate two satellite stations for CFAC Calgary. The Canmore transmitter would broadcast on a frequency of 1450 kHz and have a power of 1,000 watts day and 250 watts night. The Banff transmitter would operate with 50 watts on a frequency of 1340 kHz. Most programming on the transmitters would originate with CFAC, but 35 hours a week would originate from the Canmore operation, whose facilities would include a mobile unit. A competing application for Canmore by Alpine Broadcasting Ltd. (1230 kHz) was denied.

In September, CFHC Canmore signed on the air. 

CFHC-1 signs on in Banff.

On January 17, CFHC was granted an increase in night-time power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts.

On August 20, CFHC-1 Banff was given approval to increase power from 50 watts day and night  to 1,000 watts during the day and 250 watts at night.

On July 9, Selkirk Broadcasting Ltd. was granted a night-time power increase for CFHC-1 Banff,  from 250 watts to 1,000 watts. 

At licence renewal time, CFHC was noted as braodcasting 57 hours and 30 minutes per week of local programming, with the remainder of the schedule originating with CFAC Calgary.  

On September 28, Maclean-Hunter Limited’s purchase of Selkirk Communications and the subsequent transfer of several stations to Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. was approved. Included in the transfer to Rogers: CFHC Canmore and its rebroadcast transmitter, CFHC-1 Banff.

Rob Tyson remained as CFHC’s operations manager even though he moved to parent station CFAC as promotions manager. Charlie Brown became program supervisor. Mike Blanchard joined the news department from CJXX Grande Prairie. Grant Criddle joined CFHC for afternoon drive and sales (in Banff). He had been with CKDQ in Drumheller.

When CFHC (and CFHC-1) had its licence renewed on June 30, Rogers Broadcasting informed the CRTC that the station would no longer rebroadcast CFAC Calgary. Instead, CFHC would carry the programming of the SRN Oldies Coast-to-Coast Network. During the new licence term, CFHC would broadcast 57 hours a week of local programming and rebroadcast 111 hours a week of SRN programming.  

Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. received approval on July 10 to convert CFHC to the FM band. The Canmore transmitter would operate on the frequency 106.5 MHz, with an effective radiated power of 360 watts (replaces AM 1450 kHz with 1,000 watts full-time, non-directional). The transmitter at Banff would also use 106.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 200 watts (replaces AM 1340 kHz with 1,000 watts full-time, non-directional). The new station would broadcast local programming between 6:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. The balance of the programming would be provided by the Pelmorex radio network. 

The CRTC had concerns because Rogers also operated an FM transmitter for Calgary’s CHFM-FM in Banff. Approval of this application would give the company two FM transmitters at Banff, requiring an exception to the Commission’s common ownership policy, which generally prohibits a licensee from operating two undertakings of the same type in the same language, in the same market.  Rogers stated that the two transmitters only rebroadcast the programming service of an originating FM service, and such transmitters are excluded from the definition of a station. It was also pointed out that Banff had no local originating station, and that conversion of CFHC to the FM band would not negatively affect diversity of listening choices in Banff.  In the end, the Commission was convinced that approval of the application would provide a better quality service to the Banff population, and that an exception to the common ownership policy was warranted in this case.  

The FM transmitters went on the air as CJMT-FM Canmore and CJMT-FM-1 Banff (MT for Mountain FM). The AM transmitters left the air once replaced by FM. The CJMT call letters were used for only a short time before becoming CHMN-FM and CHMN-FM-1 (Mountain FM). 

Early on the morning of December 2nd, Ted Rogers, founder and former Chief Executive of Rogers Communications, owners of this station, died at his home in Toronto, after having suffered from congestive heart failure for some time.

On November 30, the CRTC renewed the licence for CHMN-FM Canmore and its transmitter CJMT-FM-1 Banff until August 31, 2017.

Ron Prochner was the new General Manager/General Sales Manager at CFGP, succeeding Dave Reid. Prochner moved from being GSM at Mountain FM (CHMN-FM) Canmore/ Banff. Brad Hugel took over the GSM job at Canmore.

Jim Blundell succeeded Kevin McKanna and is the Acting General Manager of the 13 Rogers Radio stations in Alberta. Blundell had been the Vice President & GM at CTV Vancouver Island, C-FAX and KooL FM Victoria and left Bell Media in September of last year. Blundell’s background included being the Market Manager for the CHUM radio stations in Brockville, Kingston and Peterborough. In 2007, he was promoted to VP/GM of then Star-FM London and, in 2009, he was promoted again to take the lead at CHUM’s (now Bell Media’s) Victoria properties.