CHCD-FM

T.M. (Theodore) Fielder, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, received CBC approval for the operation of a daytime-only radio station at Simcoe. The new station would broadcast on a frequency of 1560 kHz and have a power of 250 watts. Fielder and partner Fred Sherratt chose the Simcoe area for a radio station because it represented a vacuum in local broadcasting areas in Canada.

Simcoe Broadcasting Co. Ltd. opened CFRS on June 23. An official opening was planned for June 30. Studios and offices were at the corner of John and Grove Streets. The CFRS transmitter and single tower were on part of Lot 6, Concession 6, Woodhouse Township, Norfolk County. CFRS was owned by former radio announcers Ted Fielder and Fred Sherratt. Fielder was station manager. Years later, Sherratt would become an executive with Toronto-based CHUM Limited. The call letters stood for Canada’s Farmland Radio Service. (The “RS” in the calls could also have represented Radio Simcoe and the “F” and “S” could also have stood for the owners, Fielder and Sherratt.) 

CFRS had no network affiliation and aired “Blend Programming”. Fielder said: the standard radio format indicates the end of one program and the beginning of another by arbitrary timing and the use of themes. We have eliminated both. Instead we blend gradually from one type of program to another. CFRS used a push button controlled record selector which eliminated the need for a studio operator. The station also had an unattended transmitter site.

Ownership of Simcoe Broadcasting Co. Ltd.: T. M. Fielder 57.3%, F. G. Sherratt 11.2%, J. E. MacKay 2.8%, B. J. Fielder 1.1%, and other 11 shareholders 27.6%. Ted M. Fielder was president of the company and manager of CFRS. He was also program and production manager. Fred G. Sherratt was commercial manager. John J. Morrison was news director.

Bob Laine left CFRS for CHUM Toronto.

Fred Sherratt, co-founder of CFRS, left for Peterborough to run CKPT for Allan Waters and Ralph Snelgrove. He took over in Peterborough as of August 22. Sherratt was also now a director of Peterborough Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (CKPT), and was one of the founders of CFRS and served as manager since its inception.

The CFRS organized “Live Broadcast System” or LBS, was a subsidiary service which supplied live broadcast material to other Canadian radio stations on a regular basis. Robert Watmough was the manager of the operation, running it out of CFRS. 

Ted M. Fielder was president of the company and manager of CFRS. Gord Roberts was morning man.

CFRS opposed an application by CHLO St. Thomas to move from 680 kHz to 1570 kHz because CFRS had hoped to add the use of the 1570 kHz frequency at Simcoe. CFRS was a daytime-only station, operating with 250 watts on 1560 kHz. It had proposed to increase the daytime power on 1560 kHz to 1,000 watts and add night-time service on 1570 kHz, with a power of 1,000 watts. CHLO would in time get the 1570 kHz frequency.

CFRS was given permission April 21 to move its studios and offices from 228 John Street to 39 Kent Street North.

William V. Stoeckel was president of the company. At this time CFRS had a full-time staff of 16. It had a three person news department.

CFRS applied to change its frequency to 1600 kHz. It was not alone. CHSC (1220) St. Catharines, CKOT (1510) Tillsonburg and CHIN (1540) Toronto also wanted the frequency. There were also two applications for new stations at Guelph and at Waterloo, using the adjacent frequency of 1590 kHz. 1600 kHz had been used in the region by CJRN Niagara Falls – now on 710 KHz. CHIN wanted 1600 for night-time use only. It would continue to use 1540 during the day. CHIN also felt that if it got 1600 for night use, the channel might still be of use to any of the other applicants – especially during the day.

CFRS was desperate to improve its technical facility and add night-time service. The existing transmitter was old and in need of regular repair. A case in point: due to transmitter problems, CFRS lost a half day of service on August 21 and the entire day on August 22. 

Bob Schnarr was at CFRS.

On July 9, CFRS was authorized to move to 1600 kHz and operate with a power of 10,000 watts, day and night. The change was originally approved February 28 but required clearance from the Department of Communications which was now given. The other applications for 1600 kHz and for 1590 kHz were turned down.

CFRS moved to 1600 kHz with 10,000 watts, using different directional patterns for day and night. The transmitter and four 155 foot towers were located at Port Ryerse. CFRS had broadcast during daytime hours only, on 1560 kHz with 250 watts.

On May 31, the sale of CFRS by Simcoe Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (W.V. Stoeckel, Muriel Stoeckel, John Malo, Ralph Bruder, Robert Boswell, R.E. Mann Jr., Franklin Reid, Aileen Boyle, Isobel Ferguson and R.E. Mann Sr.) to Radio Station CHSC Ltd. (Robert Redmond) was approved. 

Doug Barron was appointed CFRS music director.

On November 1, CFRS became CHNR. The “HNR” in the calls: Haldimand-Norfolk Radio. 

Mary Dee became CHNR’s sport director while Carolyn Tangney and Doug Crosse joined the news department.

Paul Irvine joined the news department from CKNX in Wingham.

Redmond Broadcasting Inc. was given approval April 30 to convert CHNR to the FM band. The new station would operate on 106.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 3,320 watts with antenna height of 150.7 metres. The objective of the change was to overcome perceived shortcomings of the night-time signal of CHNR, in order to provide a clear and consistent signal within its market and to improve its financial situation. 

At this time, studios and offices were noted as being at 600 Norfolk Street. 

Bette Fielder passed away on March 4. She became a featured host on CKTB in St. Catharines and then brought her two hour talk show to CFRS in 1956 when the station was opened by her husband Ted Fielder.

In the summer, CHNR began testing on FM. The station became CHCD-FM 106.7. CHNR 1600 simulcast the FM signal until its deletion on December 4.

On December 2, approval was given for an increase in effective radiated power from 3,320 to 3,420 watts in order to reflect the as-built technical facilities of the station. 

General Manager Clarke Drennan retired. Dave Chamberlain became the new GM / General Sales Manager.

CHCD was now operating from a new home at 55 Park Road in Simcoe. 

Blair Daggett was CHCD’s general manager. He had been with NewCap Radio.

On February 26, the purchase of CHCD by CHCD-FM Inc. (85% owned by James MacLeod) from Redmond Broadcasting Inc. (Bob Redmond) was approved. On March 1, MacLeod took ownership of CHCD with Blair Daggett in control of day to day operations. With the sale of CHCD, Bob Redmond left the business of owning radio stations (CHCD was his last station to be sold). 

On October 1, a change of frequency for CHCD  from 106.7 MHz to 98.9 MHz was approved. As a result, ERP will increase from 3,420 watts to 14,370 watts. The proposed changes were intended to resolve long-standing coverage deficiencies of the existing signal as well as to improve its financial situation within its principal market. 

After a period of testing, CHCD made the official move to 98.9 MHz (as CD 98-9) at 7:00 a.m. on June 30.

Robert E. Redmond, former owner of CHCD-FM passed away on May 7.

On December 21, CHCD’s application to add a transmitter at Nelles Corners (93.1 MHz, 1,352 watts average / 6,000 watts maximum, 83.7 metres) was denied by the CRTC. The application was technically mutually exclusive with one by Bel-Roc Communications for use of 92.9 MHz in Haldimand County.

At this time, the CHCD studios and offices were noted as being at 55 Park Road in Simcoe. 

Kate Buick left CD 98.9 after 15 years (including time with the station when it was CHNR-AM) to become Program Director and midday host at K-Rock 105.5 Charlottetown. She was succeeded on Norfolk Morning by Asta Syri who joined Gerry Hamill and Renee Berube. CD 98.9 VP/GM Blair Daggett took over PD responsibilities on an interim basis.

Dave Kirby became news director of CD 98.9. He had been with London’s BOB FM.

Former CFRS personality Bob Laine (Shlanger) passed away August 31. He began his long radio career at the Simcoe station.

Ashley DeGroote, News Director at CD 98.9 FM, left to do marketing/PR outside of broadcasting.

The new News Director at CD989 Simcoe was John Crawford, most recently of 680News Toronto and, before that, K-Lite Hamilton. Also at CD989, the new morning show co-host was Shaena Patton.

The CRTC approved the change to the ownership and effective control of Radiocorp Ltd. from a control exercised by James MacLeod to a control jointly exercised by Andrew Dickson and John Pole (My Broadcasting Corporation). Radiocorp Ltd. was licensee of CHCD-FM.

CD98.9 was rebranded 98.9 myFM. Up until recently, the station was owned by Jim MacLeod (85%) and Blair Daggett who purchased it from Robert Redmond in late 2000 (approved in 2001). CFRS Simcoe launched in 1956 to much ballyhoo, including coverage in Time magazine. The first song played was Fancy Pants by the David Carroll Orchestra. CD 98.9 FM was sold to MY Broadcasting Corp. in October of 2012. Under the change, the format remained Adult Contemporary.

Blair Daggett, the Vice President and General Manager at 98.9 myFM Simcoe, retired in March from full-time responsibilities though he remained with MY Broadcasting Corp. doing project work. He was succeeded as GM by General Manager/General Sales Manager Rob Mise of myFM St. Thomas, who also retained that position. Daggett, who began in radio in the fall of 1977 at CKCL Truro, moved onward and upward through stops at CJFX Antigonish, CFCY Charlottetown, CHTN Charlottetown and Newcap Corner Brook, where he was GM. In October of 2000, he took a minority position in CHCD-FM.