CJOB

CJOB

Broadcast area	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Frequency	680 kHz
Branding	680 CJOB
Programming
Format	News • Talk • Information
Ownership
Owner	Corus Entertainment (Corus Premium Television Ltd.)
Sister stations	Radio: CJGV-FM, CJKR-FM TV: CKND-DT
History
First air date	March 11, 1946
Call sign meaning	Canada John Oliver Blick
Technical information
Class	B
Power	50,000 watts
Links
Website	www.cjob.com

CJOB is a talk radio station located at 680 kHz on the AM band in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is owned and operated by Corus Radio, a national media company in Canada. CJOB had been the highest-rated radio station in Winnipeg for many years until it was overtaken in 2015 by competing talk radio station CBC Radio 990. CJOB and its sister stations, 99.1 Fresh Radio and Power 97, all currently operate out of the same location at 1440 Jack Blick Avenue at Polo Park, Winnipeg.

History

1940s

• CJOB's first broadcast was on at 08:00 Monday March 11, 1946, as a 250-watt station at 1340 kHz owned by John Oliver Blick (the "JOB" in the callsign).

1950s

• The station moved to 680 kHz and increased its power to 5,000 watts on October 8, 1957. At the same time it installed a new antenna 90 metres (294 ft) high in Fort Whyte, Manitoba, 5 kilometres (3 mi) west of Hwy. 75.

• In 1959 CJOB applied to the Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG) in for Winnipeg's first private television station, but were unsuccessful. The licence was issued to Moffat Broadcasting, which put CJAY-TV on the air in November 1960.

1960s

• The station was sold to OB Limited in 1964.
• The station moved in 1964 to 930 Portage Avenue.

1970s

• In 1978 the station's broadcast power increased to 50,000 watts during the daytime, making it the province's second-most powerful station.

1990s

• In 1998 CJOB was sold to Western International Communications.

2000s

• In 2000 CJOB was sold to Corus Entertainment.
• In 2006 the station celebrated 60 years on-the-air.
• In 2007 CJOB asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a nested FM frequency at 106.3 transmitter at Starbuck to rebroadcast CJOB (AM) (mono). On September 7, the CRTC denied Corus's application to simulcast the AM radio signal at 106.3 MHz.

2010s

• In April 2010, Corus Radio Winnipeg announced the future relocation of its radio broadcast facility to 1440 Rapelje Avenue (since renamed Jack Blick Avenue), as part of a lease agreement between Corus Entertainment and Cadillac Fairview. The relocation to Polo Park was originally slated for January 2011. CJOB 680, CJGV-FM 99.1 (Groove FM) and CJKR-FM 97.5 (Power 97) would become the anchor tenants. Corus Radio Winnipeg planned to occupy the second floor of the three story building, upsizing its radio, production and business operations to 17,500 square feet (1,630 m²). At the time, general manager Garth Buchko said the stations had outgrown their 930 Portage Avenue facility. With the move, Corus Radio Winnipeg would also upgrade to state-of-the-art, fully digital on-air systems.
• At the end of February 2011, CJOB completed the move to its new location at 1440 Jack Blick Avenue.
• On March 11, 2011, CJOB celebrated 65 years on-the-air.
• In the spring of 2015, CJOB lost its long-held first place status as Winnipeg's highest-rated radio station to CBC Radio One.

Programming

The majority of CJOB programming originates locally. CJOB is Winnipeg's news and information leader with a heavy emphasis on breaking news, traffic and weather. After many years hosting a national broadcast, Charles Adler has returned to the prime morning timeslot of 09:00. The station also broadcasts Winnipeg Blue Bombers games, and also aired Manitoba Moose games before the team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. CJOB, which had been the flagship station for the WHA/NHL incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets, bid for broadcast rights to the current NHL Jets, but lost out to CFRW. On Mondays at 07:00 during the Canadian Football League season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach takes questions from Sports Director and voice of the Blue Bombers Bob Irving. Richard Cloutier and Kathy Kennedy host Winnipeg's Morning News, and Kennedy also hosts CJOB News At Noon. Dahlia Kurtz has entertaining guests from 13:00 to 15:00, followed by the All News Drive. Jim Toth hosts the CJOB Sports Show. Geoff Currier hosts the NightHawk weekday evenings between 20:00 and 23:00. CJOB also serves as the radio home of the Manitoba Bisons university football team.

Other personalities previously associated with the station include John Harvard, Peter Warren, Dick Vincent, Jack Wells and John Wells.

Up until 1959 CJOB broadcast the current hit parade music including rock and roll, but generally avoiding negro recordings like the Coasters and Platters. After 1959 the station changed its format to pop music only, in a negative reaction to R&R songs like Conway Twitty's Danny Boy. This music format continued until it changed to all talk in the 1980s.

Rebroadcasters

CJOB also has rebroadcasters in the following communities:

• CFIL-FM 97.1 - Gillam
• CJEN-FM 96.1 - Jenpeg
• CHGG-FM 96.1 - Limestone

External links

• CJOB
• CJOB history - Canadian Communications Foundation
• CJOB in the REC Canadian station database
• CJOB in the FCC AM station database
• CJOB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database