CFTR (AM)

CFTR is also an abbreviation for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

CFTR

File:680News.svg
Toronto, Ontario
Frequency	680 kHz (AM)
Branding	680 News
Programming
Format	News
Ownership
Owner	Rogers Media
History
First air date	1962
Former call signs	CHFI (AM)
Technical information
Class	A (Clear channel) callsign_meaning =Canada's First Ted Rogers
Power	50,000 watts
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	680 News

CFTR, broadcasting under the brand 680 News, is an all-news radio station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which broadcasts live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 680 kHz on the AM dial. According to a recent survey by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM), 680 News has more cumulative listeners than any other radio station in Canada.

History of CFTR

The station launched in 1962 on 1540 kHz as CHFI-AM, simulcasting the beautiful music of CHFI-FM, one of Canada's first FM radio stations. Since 1540 was a clear-channel frequency assigned to stations in the United States and the Bahamas, CHFI-AM was authorized to broadcast only during the daytime. In 1963, it sought to pay CHLO in St. Thomas, Ontario to move from 680 to another frequency to free up 680 for CHFI-AM's use. No deal was finalized, but, by 1966, the stations reached an agreement to share 680, and CHFI-AM moved to twenty-four hour operation at that frequency. In 1971, it changed its call letters to CFTR, a tribute to Ted Rogers, Sr., radio pioneer and father of controlling shareholder Ted Rogers.

In 1972, it abandoned the simulcast of CHFI and adopted a Top 40 format. For many years, it was the primary competition to Toronto's original Top 40 station, 1050 CHUM.

In the late 70s - Programmers Chuck Camroux and Dan Plouffe upped the ante in the Rock and Roll Wars and tweaked the notoriously bad CFTR signal, added some reverb - a new morning man named Jim Bardy - and it was game on. 1050 CHUM's morning personality, Jay Nelson rose to the occasion - and both Stations hovered near one million listeners a week.

Other announcers included the late Paul Godfrey (*Host of his own TV show - "Boogie" ) - Dick Joseph - "Red" Knight, Bobby Day, Tom Jeffries, Bob Saint, Big "G" Glenn Walters and "Big Don" Biefer. The News Room was headed by Pat Holliday and included Larry Silver, Clint Nickerson and many more.

Among the station's claims to fame is hiring John "Records" Landecker away from Chicago's powerhouse WLS in 1981. CFTR surpassed CHUM in the Toronto BBM ratings for the first time in 1984, two years before CHUM dropped Top 40 in favor of an Adult Contemporary format.

It adopted its present all-news format in 1993, becoming the first all-news radio station in Canada since the end of the former CKO network in 1989. With the Toronto station's success, Rogers has since expanded the format to stations in Vancouver (CKWX) and Calgary (CFFR), while using similar branding for news-talk stations in Kitchener (CKGL), Halifax (CJNI-FM), Saint John (CHNI-FM), and Moncton (CKNI-FM).

Branding

The 680 News on air brand was developed for CFTR, and has since extended to Rogers Communications other "All News" Stations. The format proudly touts "more traffic reports than any other station" with traffic and weather together on the one's. 680 station id's and bumpers also state they are "the most listened to station in the nation". On air branding also re-enforces the repetitive nature of the all news format (as seen in the 'newswheel') but suggests that "The news is always changing [and listeners should] check with 680news 3,4,5 times a day". This brand has become one of the highest rated and most successful in Canadian radio history.

Weather Guarantee

As part of an ongoing promotion 680 News has a “guaranteed high” temperature for the day. The Forecast is set in the morning and the “guaranteed high” is announced on all weather reports. Listeners can enter a contest on the station’s website, and if the forecast high and the actual recorded temperature at Pearson International Airport differ by 3 or more degrees a name will be drawn from a pool of listeners. The winning listener wins a jackpot (starting at $1000) which is increased by $100 every day the station gets the temperature correct.

Hour newswheel

The 680 News format is very rigid except in cases of extreme breaking news when they switch to "In-depth Team Coverage" when the format has been known to be loosened a little.

Newsflow and commercials make up the rest of the unscheduled time.

Standard Hour Hotclock

• 0:00 - Time Signal/Headlines
• 0:01 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:03 - News
• 0:05 - Commercial Break
• 0:06 - News
• 0:10 - Commercial
• 0:11 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:13 - Market Minute (Trading Hours Only)
• 0:13 - Commercial
• 0:14 - Headline re-cap
• 0:15 - Sports
• 0:17 - Commercial
• 0:18 - International
• 0:20 - Commercial
• 0:21 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:23 - Commercial
• 0:24 - Entertainment
• 0:25 - Commercial
• 0:26 - Business Report
• 0:28 - Commercial
• 0:29 - Travellers Weather

• 0:30 - Time Signal/Headlines
• 0:31 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:33 - News
• 0:35 - Commercial Break
• 0:36 - News
• 0:40 - Commercial
• 0:41 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:43 - Market Minute (Trading Hours Only)
• 0:43 - Commercial
• 0:44 - Headline re-cap
• 0:45 - Sports
• 0:47 - Commercial
• 0:48 - Health
• 0:50 - Commercial
• 0:51 - Traffic and Weather
• 0:53 - Commercial
• 0:54 - Entertainment
• 0:55 - Commercial
• 0:56 - Business Report
• 0:58 - Commercial
• 0:59 - Regional Conditions, followed by credits and station identification

Presenters

Current

Anchors

• Paul Cook
• Marlane Oliver
• Ann Doose
• Brian Fysher
• John Ross
• Catherine Jette
• Peter Coleman
• Jennifer Macdonald
• Judy Freedman
• Mike Cooke
• Jack Roe
• Sladjana Tamindzic
• Jonn Kares
• Georgia Balogiannis
• Barbara Tylbor
• Jason Tollman
• Milicent Angeles

Editors

• Elizabeth Harrison
• Grace Park-Kirton
• Thomas D'Monte
• Christy Laverty
• Momin Qureshi
• Con Stevenson
• Alicia Meahan

Writers

• Mary Ellen Beninger

Reporters

• Carl Hanstke
• Jaime Pulfer
• John Stall
• Kevin Misener
• Colin D'Mello
• Charlene Close
• James Munroe
• Shauna Hunt
• Richard Southern
• Cindy Pom

Sports

• Peter Gross
• Barb Digiulio
• Dan Dunleavy
• Andrew Nie
• Zack Cooper
• Alex Seixeiro

Business

• Mike Eppel
• Leah Walker
• James Munroe

Entertainment

• Leslie James
• Rudy Blair
• Gloria Martin

Traffic

• Darryl Dahmer
• Russ Holden
• Halina Balka
• Eva Fragiskatos
• Jennifer Young
• Laurie Turcotte
• Collette Wright
• Jeff Halpenny
• Christina Greco
• Pam Chiotti
• Ashley Redmond

Weather

• Brian Hill
• Jill Taylor

Management

• John Hinnen
• Scott Metcalfe
• Anne Lavrih

Past

• Teresa Kruze - now with CP24
• Bill Cole
• Mike Wilner
• Michael Gossack
• Dick Smyth
• David Craig
• Stephanie Smyth
• Evelyn Macko
• Larry Silver
• Paul Decourcey
• Mariane McLeod
• Ken Cassavoy
• Marianne Summers
• Mike Cleaver
• Joe Snider
• Karen Parsons
• Carolyn Heldman
• Nancy Daigneault
• Karen Bodirsky
• David Melbourne
• Scott Simpson
• Kathy Hyde
• Michael Kane
• Michael Hainsworth
• Anne Machowski
• Janet Deline
• Jim Morris
• Bob Nichols
• Al Zimmer
• Danny Nicholson
• Mike Dejong
• John Downs
• Chris Mavridis
• Mark Brennae
• Arlene Healy
• Rob Sands
• Jane Mitchinson
• Cory Galbraith
• Lisa Brandt
• Rick Ralph
• Don Saxon
• Sara Buchan

External links

• 680 News
• CFTR in the REC Canadian station database
• Canadian Communications Foundation station history
• CFTR: The Legend 1978-1982 tribute page