CFMB
| File:CFMB-AM.png | |
| Frequency | 1280 kHz (AM) |
|---|---|
| Branding | CFMB Radio Montréal 1280 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Religion, multilingual |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Evanov Communications |
| CHRF, CHSV-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | December 21, 1962 |
Call sign meaning | Canada's First Multilingual Broadcaster |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B (regional) |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°19′31.08″N 73°32′53.16″W / 45.3253000°N 73.5481000°W |
| Links | |
| Website | cfmb.ca |
CFMB is a multilingual Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, owned by Evanov Communications. It broadcasts on 1280 kHz with a power of 50,000 watts full-time as a class B station, using a directional antenna with different patterns day and night (the nighttime pattern being significantly tighter). Its transmitter is located near Saint-Mathieu, while its studios are located on York Avenue in the Westmount area of Montreal.
The station has a multilingual format targeting ethnic minorities and broadcasts programming in 23 different languages. Use of French or English is rare and is heavily limited per the station's conditions of licence, although vanity programming and infomercials at night (between midnight and 6 a.m.) are typically in English. (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations related to languages used on the air do not apply during that time period.)
History
CFMB was founded by Casimir Stanczykowski in 1962.[1] From its inception on December 21, 1962 until September 1997, the station broadcast on 1410 kHz. Its move to 1280 kHz was somewhat controversial, as that frequency was previously (until 1994) home to the now-defunct CJMS, a French-language station. Some individuals claimed that this move resulted from a conspiracy to prevent new competition to CKAC and CKVL, as 1280 kHz was the best AM frequency available in the Montreal area. Others claimed that the CRTC used the opportunity to promote multiculturalism at the expense of integration of immigrants to the French language. Supporters of the decision note that CFMB was due to lose its transmitter site and had already bought the old CJMS site, and that the only other application to use the 1280 kHz frequency was for a station with only 10,000 watts of power.[2]
As of Stanczykowski's death in 1981, the station was owned by CFMB Ltd., which was majority-owned by his widow Anne-Marie Stanczykowski, and her son Stefan Stanczykowski. Station president Andrew Mielewczyk also held a 20% stake in the company.[1] The 1410 kHz transmitter was briefly reactivated in 1998 when the station lent it to CJAD, which lost all four of its towers in the 1998 Ice Storm.
On November 18, 2014, it was announced that CFMB would be sold to Evanov Communications, pending CRTC approval. The acquisition made CFMB a sister station to Evanov's CHRF, a new French-language radio station whose original intent was to serve Montreal's LGBT community (the format was dropped in December 2015). The sale also united CFMB with CKJS in Winnipeg, another multicultural station that was founded by Stanczykowski. Although Evanov plans to maintain "synergies" between the two stations and move CFMB to the studios of CHRF, the company does not plan to lay off any employees.[1]
Programming
CFMB currently broadcasts programming in Algerian Berber, Khmer, Chinese, Greek, Haitian Creole, Italian, Spanish, Lithuanian, Arabic, Urdu, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian and Ukrainian.
After being laid off from the station on November 19, 2015, former CKGM morning host Elliot Price announced that he would host a new weekly sports talk show on CKGM, Price is Right, beginning February 14, 2016.[3][4]
References
- ^ a b c Faguy, Steve (November 18, 2014). "Multilingual radio station CFMB agrees to sale to Evanov Radio". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ Decision CRTC 97-82
- ^ Faguy, Steve. "Elliott Price returns to radio with Sunday night show on CFMB". Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "TSN 690's Elliott Price, Abe Hefter among Bell Media cuts in Montreal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
External links
- Official website
- CFMB Radio Montreal 1280 AM (Listen Live)
- CFMB history - Canadian Communications Foundation
- CFMB in the REC Canadian station database
