CHRF-AM

On November 21, the CRTC approved an application by Dufferin Communications Inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language commercial AM radio station in Montréal at 990 kHz. Dufferin proposed to operate the station on 690 kHz (Class A) with a daytime and night-time transmitter power of 50,000 watts. The 690 frequency was approved for use by Bell Media’s CKGM 990, as a result, Dufferin would use CKGM’s old 990 kHz frequency. The proposed station would be called Radio Fierté and its format would include spoken word and music programming that would be directed to Montréal’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. The programming would reflect this community’s interests, concerns and activities. Music programming would consist of a blend of selections from a variety of musical genres. Dufferin specified that the station’s programming would be completely local and that it would accept a condition of licence to this effect. Dufferin explained that the programming would be equally divided between music and spoken word. The spoken word programming broadcast by Radio Fierté each broadcast week would be as follows: 7 hours and 52 minutes devoted to news, 1 hour and 27 minutes devoted to sports and 3 hours and 41 minutes devoted to traffic. The station would also provide open-line programs. Radio Fierté’s musical programming would be similar to that of a contemporary music station (content category 2 – Popular Music) for adults, but 10% of the programming broadcast each broadcast week would be devoted to Special Interest Music (content category 3). Dufferin also stated its intention to devote at least 15% of its category 2 musical programming to emerging artists. The licence would expire August 31, 2018. 
 

On December 4, the CRTC approved the Dufferin’s application to change the frequency from 990 kHz (Class B) to 980 kHz (Class B), and to decrease the transmitter’s night-time power from 50,000 to 10,000 watts.  
 

CHRF 980 Radio Fierté began on-air testing in October. 
 

Radio Fierté launched February 2 with a Hot Adult Contemporary format serving the LGBT community.

In December, CHRF switched from LGBT programming as Radio Fierte to Soft Adult Contemporary/Standards during the day and Haitian programming at night. It was now known as AM980.
 

On August 12, the CRTC approved the application by Evanov Radio Group Inc. for authority to acquire, as a part of a corporate reorganization of Evanov Communications Inc., the assets of CHRF Montréal and CHSV-FM Hudson/Saint-Lazare from Dufferin Communication Inc., as well as the assets of CFMB Montréal from CFMB Limited.

CHRF 980 signed off the air forever at the end of the night on May 31. This followed Evanov Radio’s request to the CRTC to revoke the station’s licence. Approval for that request was published on the commission’s website on June 1. An Evanov spokesperson said the station “never really got off the ground” and was draining millions of dollars from the company. This was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.