CKBE-FM
File:925theqLogo.png | |
Broadcast area | Greater Montreal Area |
---|---|
Frequency | 92.5 FM |
Branding | The Q 92.5 |
Programming | |
Format | adult contemporary |
Ownership | |
Owner | Corus Entertainment (sale pending to Cogeco) |
History | |
First air date | 1947 (CFCF), 1963 (CFQR) |
Call sign meaning | Quebec Radio |
Technical information | |
Class | C1 |
ERP | 41,400 watts |
Links | |
Website | The Q 92.5 |
CFQR-FM is an English language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.
Owned and operated by Corus Entertainment, it broadcasts on 92.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,400 watts (class C1) using an omnidirectional antenna.
The station carries an adult contemporary music format.
CFQR-FM is the only English-language adult contemporary station in Montreal (the French-language equivalents for Montreal adult contemporary radio are CFGL-FM (Rythme FM) or CITE-FM (RockDétente). Its main competitor is Astral Media hot AC CJFM-FM (Virgin Radio). In addition, the rimshot station WEZF (Star 92.9) in Burlington, Vermont can be received in much of Montreal. However, the largest market in Canada with only one adult contemporary station is Vancouver, with CHQM-FM 103.5, although Vancouver is Canada's third-largest market, as opposed to Montreal being the second-largest market in Canada.
Much like similarly-formatted CHQM-FM in Vancouver, CFQR-FM does not participate in any other all-Christmas music monthlong marathons during the November-December season, although French-language AC stations CITE-FM and CFGL-FM do so during December. CFQR-FM is currently the largest AC station in Canada not having a month long Christmas music marathon, although in November & December, the station does play Christmas music during weekends, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, and remains its usual AC format on weekdays with some Christmas songs mixed in. Defunct sister AM station CINW had carried a month long Christmas music marathon. CFQR-FM has begun playing all-Christmas marathons since 2009.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/CFQR-FM.png)
CFQR was put on the air in 1947 as CFCF-FM (and operated on a frequency of 106.5) - a sister to CFCF 600 - simulcasting the programming of 600. After changing frequency to 92.5 MHz, CFCF-FM was one of four FM stations which came on the air in 1962 using common transmitting facilities on the new Mount Royal tower. The other stations were CKMF (originally CJMS-FM) on 94.3, CJFM (originally CJAD-FM) on 95.9 and CHOM (originally CKGM-FM in 1963) on 97.7. In October 1966, the station changed call letters to CFQR-FM and adopted an easy-listening (or beautiful music) format. It kept this format for several years simply as CFQR 92.5. By 1988, vocal artists were added to the playlist, effectively reducing the instrumentals to 30%.[1] While CJAD blended more news-talk to its adult contemporary format by that time, CKGM began dropping the AC format it had from 1986-1989.
Q92 (1992-2009)
The 92.5/600 pair underwent an ownership change in 1991 and the following year CFQR dropped the remaining instrumentals and became a fulltime adult contemporary format. The station adopted the Q92 branding as well. It eventually joined Vancouver's CHQM-FM to flip to the current adult contemporary format.
Gordon Courtenay died suddenly Saturday October 29, 2006, only an hour before he was supposed to host his Saturday night show live from D'Aversa restaurant, a show that had been running on Q92 for almost 30 years, starting at the Airport Hilton in 1981.
On July 14 and 15, Q92 launched its Summer Concert Series, drawing more than 300,000 for several outdoor concerts at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Peel.[2]
August 27, 2007 saw the launch of the new "Live Drive Show" with hosts Ken Connors, Sonia Benezra and Judy Croon.
By 2007, the Aaron & Tasso morning show changed formats to hot AC, although the format remains AC the rest of the day. However, the experiment didn't work, and their morning show was reverted to fulltime adult contemporary when the station rebranded to The Q. Also, the playlist began to tweak, with most of the soft rock being dropped (Faith Hill was dropped from the playlist in favour of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift titles). However, Q92's playlist is now considered as younger-skewing adult contemporary playlist, with most of the popular music from the adult contemporary chart. Q92's first tweak happened by 2003, when they were known as The New Q92, with a more softer-leaning AC format. Another tweak occurred in 2005, when the station re-added hot AC titles to the playlist, and dropping all 1960s titles from the playlist.
In September 2008, Q92 stopped playing classic hits because of sister CINW changing to classic hits in July 2008. The on air lineup was also changed. Q92 midday personality David Tyler was replaced by Donna Saker. Terry DiMonte started a noon-hour show which originated from co-owned classic rocker Q107 in Calgary. It was cancelled in the spring of 2009. Terry DiMonte, remained the morning announcer on Calgary's Q107. Montrealers had listened to him for decades on all three of Montreal's Standard Radio stations (even during Standard's sale of their terrestrial broadcasting assets to Astral in October 2007). His ended his career in Montreal on CHOM 97.7, a classic rock station, in February 2008).
Morning man Aaron Rand played a featured role in YTV's "Prank Patrol" (a nationally-viewed kids show on cable) debuting that show's 3rd season.[3]
The annual one day Corus Montreal Radiothon for Sainte-Justine's Hospital for Children, hosted by CFQR and its sister stations, raised more than $560,000 on November 16, 2007.
The Q 92.5 (2009-Present)
On April 14, 2009, the station, widely known as "Q92", changed its identity to "The Q 92.5" (pronounced ninety-two five) and unveiled a new logo and website. This became the third station in Montreal for the late 2000s to change its branding.
A new jingle was also introduced: "Montreal's Music, Montreal's Music, The Q's just right for you!".
In addition, the station began phasing back softer adult contemporary songs (as a result, Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes were returned to the playlist); however the station re-added 1960s songs such as Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. CFQR-FM changed its playlist and schedule in the rebranding.
The Q's studios along with the rest of Corus Quebec's radio stations are located in downtown Montreal at Place Bonaventure. The Q identifies itself as a "mainstream adult contemporary" radio station, blending a variety of pop, pop rock and pop rhythm hit music styles from today and the last few decades.
On August 19, 2009, an announcement was made that Tasso Patsikakis and Suzanne Desautels would no longer be part of the morning show and that Aaron Rand would be going solo. Rand and Patsikakis had worked together for 23 years.
In November 2009, two additions were made to Rand's morning show; Murray Sheriffs as news announcer (replacing Barry Morgan) and Sarah Bartok hired from Vancouver as traffic reporter (replacing Shaun McMahon who now produces the show).
On April 30, 2010, it was announced that Cogeco will acquire all radio stations owned by Corus in Quebec, including CFQR-FM, pending CRTC approval. If the sale is approved, CFQR-FM will be Cogeco's first English-language radio station, as all of its other stations are francophone.[4]
Current Shows
Weekdays
- Q-Mornings with Aaron Rand - Q-Information Updates with Murray Sherriffs, Q-Stress Saver Traffic with Sarah Bartok, Produced by Shaun McMahon (5:30am to 8:45am)
- Chris Reiser (8:45am to 12:00pm)
- Q-All Request Lunch - Chris Reiser (12:00pm to 1:00pm)
- Donna Saker (1:00pm to 4:00 pm)
- The Live Drive with Ken & Donna - Ken Connors and Donna Saker, Q-Stress Saver Traffic with Greg Charlebois (4:00pm to 7:00pm [as T.Q.I.F. 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Fridays])
- The John Tesh Radio Show (7:00pm to 12:00am [8:00pm – 12:00am on Fridays])
- CJ - Christin Jerome (12:00am to 5:00am Monday thru Thursday)
- Q-All Nite (12:00am to 5:00am Friday)
Saturdays
- The John Tesh Radio Show (6:00am to 10:00am)
- All Access Weekend with Anne-Marie Withenshaw (10:00am to 12:00pm)
- Q-Music - Alternating hosts (12:00pm to 6:00pm)
- Studio 92 (6:00pm to 1:00am)
Sundays
- Q-All Nite (12:00am to 6:00am)
- The John Tesh Radio Show (6:00am to 10:00am)
- The 80's Show - Stu Jeffries & Kim Clarke Champniss (10:00am to 12:00pm)
- Q-Music - Alternating hosts (12:00pm to 6:00pm)
- Q-Music (6:00pm to 9:00pm)
- Chill (9:00pm to 12:00am)
Management
In May 2007, Corus announced that Chris Kennedy had been appointed as Q92's program director. Q92 and Kennedy parted ways prior to Christmas of 2008. [5]
Brian DePoe became Program Director of CFQR and CINW in February 2009. DePoe had been Operations Manager and Program Director at 97.3 E-Z Rock in Toronto (Astral Media) [1]
References
- ^ English Montreal Stations '80s & 90s
- ^ Dewolf, Christopher (July 20, 2007). "Great Publics Spaces". Project for Public Spaces (PPS). Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- ^ Entertainment, Corus (August 27, 2007). "press release". Corus/YTV. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ Radio-Info: "Canada's Corus Entertainment sells all its stations in Quebec, including Montreal", April 30, 2010.
- ^ Press release distributed by CNW Telbec, May 10, 2007 – A man who's up on the latest music and radio trends – New Q92 FM program director, Chris Kennedy
External links
- The Q 92.5 (Official Website)
- Listen Live (Flash Player)
- CFQR-FM history at Canadian Communications Foundation
- CFQR-FM in the REC Canadian station database