CHFI-FM
Adult contemporary | |
Ownership | |
---|---|
Owner |
|
CFTR, CJCL, CKIS-FM, CFMT-DT, CITY-DT, CJMT-DT, CHYM-FM | |
History | |
First air date | February 1, 1957 |
Call sign meaning | Canada Hi-FI |
Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
Class | C1 |
ERP | 44,000 watts |
HAAT | 420.5 meters (1,380 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°40′14″N 79°22′47″W / 43.67054°N 79.37962°W |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | chfi.com |
CHFI-FM (98.1
CHFI-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 44,000 watts. The transmitter is atop the CN Tower.[2]
History
Beautiful music
The station first
The station was acquired in 1960 by Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting, a forerunner to Rogers Radio. In 1962, an AM counterpart, CHFI (1540 AM) was added, which originally simulcast CHFI-FM's programming.
CHFI-FM pioneered the "beautiful music" format in Canada. The main programming heard from dawn until midnight was traditional easy listening fare, mostly instrumental cover versions of popular hits, as well as Broadway and Hollywood show tunes.
In 1972, CHFI's AM sister station, by this point under the CFTR call letters, abandoned the beautiful music simulcast of CHFI-FM and adopted a Top 40 format.
Popular programs
Music director Michael Compeau created a number of the station's much-imitated programs. The most famous was the popular and long running Candlelight and Wine heard evenings from 6 to 11 p.m. The program, hosted by Don Parrish, mixed soothing instrumentals, soft vocals and occasional light classical pieces in "pop" arrangements. The program spun off a series of best-selling record albums, many of which are now highly prized collectors' items. Compeau also created the popular Classics 'til Dawn, an overnight program of popular classical music. (In 1984, Compeau would become program director of classical station CFMX-FM and use this same format for its overnight program.) Another of Compeau's innovations was Front Row Centre, heard Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. This one-hour program featured full original cast recordings of popular Broadway musicals, with host Don Parish explaining the story between songs.
In the 1970s, Todd Russell began hosting a late evening program called Reminiscing featuring modern recordings of popular songs from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In 1973, Compeau decided to add some spice to the program by sprinkling in a few original period recordings. Since very few had been reissued on LP at this time, a call went out to collectors who loaned their original 78-rpm records to the radio station. The records were cleaned, repaired and brushed with distilled water before being transcribed to tape. Dubbed the "new library of old 78's", these antique rarities were showcased each weeknight. (In 1974, host Todd Russell died and was replaced by Sandy Hoyt.) CHFI soon amassed a collection of over 3,500 period recordings and the reminiscing program became one of the station's biggest successes. As time went on, the modern recordings were phased out and the program featured mainly the period recordings.
Adult contemporary
By the mid-1980s, the audience for CHFI and other beautiful music stations was beginning to age, while advertisers usually seek younger listeners. This led to the elimination of the specialty programs coupled with more vocals in the
In December 1987, Don Daynard became CHFI's new morning show host, a position he would hold until his retirement on December 10, 1999. Erin Davis joined the morning show in September 1988, with "Don and Erin" becoming one of Toronto's most prominent morning shows through the 1990s. Bob Magee took over Daynard's position on December 13, 1999.[5][6][7]
A new logo was unveiled in 2000, when Rogers rebranded the station from CHFI FM98 and the "Toronto's Perfect Music Mix" slogan, to 98.1 CHFI, moving away from soft adult contemporary to mainstream AC under the "Toronto's Soft Rock" slogan.
In June
Bringing Jay and Billie on for mornings backfired on CHFI, as the station's ratings declined. In September 2004, Erin Davis was hired by CJEZ as a fill-in co-host, working alongside Mike Cooper. This brought CJEZ's ratings up dramatically, beating CHFI in several target audience demographics. In June 2005, CHFI management fired Jay and Billie, rehired Davis for mornings (who returned on September 6), and also hired Mike Cooper as her co-host on October 26 after his contract with CJEZ expired.[10][11] At the same time, the station returned to using the point on the station's ID, returned to its soft AC format, and switched its slogan to "Toronto's Lite Favourites."[12][13] This turned around CHFI's popularity, as the station reclaimed the top spot in the Toronto ratings, while CJEZ's ratings fell.
In 2009, CHFI returned to mainstream AC, but retained the "Toronto's Lite Favourites" slogan and added the decimal point back in the station identification. In addition, newer jingles were unveiled, along with an opening bumper for newer music. As well, some upbeat, rhythmic material was also added, while softer artists such as Air Supply were largely dropped from the station's playlist. On December 26, 2009, long-time competitor CJEZ switched from an adult contemporary format to an adult hits format as CHBM-FM, leaving CHFI as the only adult contemporary station in Toronto.
In late 2015, Mike Cooper announced his retirement, though would continue to host the
In January 2024, several months after joining Rogers as co-host of
Rebroadcasters
CHFI-FM can also be heard on these low-power transmitters:
British Columbia
City of license | Identifier | Frequency | RECNet | CRTC Decision |
---|---|---|---|---|
Granisle
|
VF2350 | 99.9 FM | Query | 99-36 |
McBride | VF2305 | 105.1 FM | Query | 97-156 |
Newfoundland and Labrador
City of license | Identifier | Frequency | RECNet | CRTC Decision |
---|---|---|---|---|
Labrador City/Wabush | VF2050 | 99.1 FM | Query | 87-864 |
See also
- CFTR, originally CHFI
- Toronto Santa Claus Parade - CHFI is the official radio broadcaster since 1980s
References
- ^ http://assets.numeris.ca/Downloads/2016-17_07_Radio_ME_TorontoToplineRadio.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ FCCdata.org/CHFI-FM
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1958 page A-467
- ^ Pop goes the station as CHFI pulls plug on Beautiful Music Henry Mietkiewicz, Toronto Star, July 20, 1986
- ^ CKFM's Don Daynard moving to CHFI, Toronto Star, October 13, 1987
- ^ Morning man heads for the sunset; Don Daynard leaving popular CHFI radio show Betsy Powell, Toronto Star, September 29, 1999
- ^ 'Dandy' Don Daynard rides off into sunrise; CHFI's popular morning host retires after 47 years in the radio business, Betsy Powell, Toronto Star, December 11, 1999
- ^ "Erin Davis Departs as Mad Dog & Billie Join CHFI". Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ^ Mad Dog and Billie change dials: Morning radio hosts join CHFI; chance to reach more listeners Neco Cockburn, Toronto Star, June 17, 2003
- ^ Bye Bye, Jay and Billie
- ^ Message from PD Julie Adam regarding morning show change
- ^ You're fired, would you like to come back? Wallace Immen, The Globe and Mail, September 23, 2005
- ^ Top of the morning to you, Erin Davis Ashante Infantry, Toronto Star, September 4, 2005
- ^ Erin Davis announces retirement after nearly 30 years as CHFI host Sammy Hudes, Toronto Star, November 9, 2016
- ^ Maureen Holloway Kick-Starts Toronto Mornings on "Darren & Mo" on 98.1 CHFI Beginning January 9, Rogers Media, December 14, 2016
- ^ @981CHFI (October 1, 2021). "Today was Mo's last show on CHFI. Mo will always be part of the CHFI family, and we're grateful for the chapter she…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @981CHFI (October 2, 2021). "Beyond honoured to be asked to temporarily guest host @981chfi's #1 morning show. Join us Monday morning! I'll be t…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Introducing CHFI Mornings with Pooja & Gurdeep
- ^ Connie Thiessen, "Meredith Shaw returns to radio with ‘The Feel Good Brunch’". Broadcast Dialogue, January 16, 2024.
- ^ Connie Thiessen, "Rick Campanelli joins 98.1 CHFI lineup". Broadcast Dialogue, March 27, 2024.
External links
- 98.1 CHFI
- CHFI-FM at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
- CHFI-FM in the REC Canadian station database