CIDG-FM
Broadcast area | National Capital Region |
---|---|
Frequency | 101.7 MHz (FM) |
Branding | Rebel Rock 101.7 |
Programming | |
Format | Mainstream rock |
Ownership | |
Owner | Torres Media Ottawa, Inc. |
CIUX-FM | |
History | |
First air date | June 7, 2010 |
Former frequencies | 101.9 MHz (2010–16) |
Call sign meaning | CI DawG (former branding) |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 9001 |
Class | B1 |
ERP | 4,701 watts (average) 21,000 watts (peak) |
HAAT | 98 metres (322 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°26′48.1″N 75°37′27.1″W / 45.446694°N 75.624194°W |
Links | |
Website | rebel1017.com |
CIDG-FM (101.7
History
Licensing, blues format
The station's application was awarded to Torres Media, and approved by the
CRTC Commissioner Michel Morin took the unusual step of issuing a dissenting opinion towards the approval of CIDG's licence, in which he stated that Corus Entertainment's competing proposal for a new talk radio station served a greater need in the market. In his dissent, Morin called attention to the fact that very few other radio stations in North America offer a primarily blues-based format, suggesting that there may not be sufficient audience demand to support the station in the long term.[2]
On November 21, 2008, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
In the resulting round of hearings, Torres proposed that a new francophone station could be licensed on 94.5 FM, although such a station would be
Move to 101.7
CIDG faced difficulties in growing an audience due to the quality of its signal, which was restricted in power in order to protect stations in Cornwall (CJSS-FM) and Kingston (CFRC-FM) on the same frequency (101.9 MHz), as well as listeners being alienated by the hybrid blues/blues-rock format it originally broadcast.[9] Despite these shortcomings, the station did receive praise for helping promote Canadian blues artists.[9]
On April 10, 2015, Torres Media Ottawa and Pontiac Community Radio, the owner of
On August 23, 2016, the CRTC approved Torres' application to change CIDG's authorised signal contours.[13]
Flip to rock
On July 18, 2016, as part of a licence renewal, the CRTC removed CIDG's obligation to broadcast special interest music, citing that allowing CIDG to broadcast a mainstream format would allow the station to become more competitive and economically viable.[14]
As a result, Torres Media announced that alongside the frequency change, it would relaunch CIDG as active rock Rebel 101.7. Co-owner Ed Torres felt that the obligation to broadcast a blues-leaning format made it difficult to run CIDG with a format that could retain viewers. Torres stated that the station's music library would span "a number of decades". The new format would also take advantage of CKQB-FM's recent flip from active rock to contemporary hit radio (CHR) in March 2014.[9] Former CKKL-FM and CKQB personalities Darryl Kornicky and Jason "J-Man" Petrunik also joined the station. The former "Dawg" format was moved to an internet radio station, which will focus primarily on blues material as opposed to the mixture of blues and blues-rock.[9]
The change in format occurred on August 26, 2016,[9] although CIDG did not immediately move to its new frequency due to technical issues delaying the switch.[15] CIDG-FM moved from 101.9 MHz to 101.7 MHz on August 30, 2016 at approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT.[citation needed]
On September 6, 2017, Torres Media Ottawa Inc. received CRTC approval to relocating CIDG-FM's transmission site, changing the transmitter class from A to B1, increasing the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 98 to 99.6 metres and increasing the average effective radiated power (ERP) from 1,792 to 5,316 watts (maximum ERP from 5,500 to 19,340 watts). [16]
On April 8, 2019, Torres Media Ottawa Inc. received approval to increase CIDG-FM's power to 21,000 watts. [17]
On September 2, 2022, after hiring former Rogers Media rock director Danny Kingsbury, CIDG rebranded as Rebel Rock 101.7. With the rebrand, the station began to feature more classic rock material than before (thus flipping to mainstream rock), in an effort to broaden its audience to compete with CHEZ-FM.[18]
References
- ^ FCCdata.org/CIDG-FM
- ^ a b Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-222
- ^ "The Government of Canada Refers Decisions on Radio in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region Back to CRTC", November 21, 2008.
- ^ Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-2, January 8, 2009
- ^ "Language card played in bid for radio spot on FM dial". Ottawa Citizen, April 14, 2009.
- ^ Scott Fybush, "On Memorial Day, No On-Air 'Rewound'". NorthEast Radio Watch, May 25, 2009.
- ^ Scott Fybush, "The End of Analog". NorthEast Radio Watch, June 15, 2009.
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-203
- ^ a b c d e "DAWG-FM to be replaced by Rebel on the radio dial". Ottawa Citizen. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ 2015-0266-7, Frequency change and technical amendment - contours for CIDG-FM Ottawa, CRTC, April 10, 2015
- ^ 2015-0312-8, Frequency change for CHIP-FM Fort-Coulonge, CRTC, April 10, 2015
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC2015-575, CIDG-FM Ottawa and CHIP-FM Fort-Coulonge - Licence amendments and technical changes, CRTC, December 22, 2015.
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2016-341, CIDG-FM Ottawa - Technical changes, CRTC, August 23, 2016
- ^ "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2016-270" (PDF). CRTC. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Rebel 101.7 Facebook Page". Retrieved 28 August 2016.
Our techs are on their way.... we think... The freq change is being delayed.... That said.... Rebel 101.7 ON-AIR NOW!!
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-325, CIDG-FM Ottawa/Gatineau – Technical changes, CRTC, September 6, 2017
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-104, CIDG-FM Ottawa/Gatineau – Technical changes, CRTC, April 8, 2019
- ^ Thiessen, Connie (2022-10-06). "Torres Media rebrands Ottawa's Rebel 101.7 as 'Rebel Rock'". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
External links
- Rebel 101.7
- CIDG-FM at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
- CIDG-FM in the REC Canadian station database