CKQB-FM
Encyclopedia
CKQB-FM is a Canadian
radio station, which broadcasts an active rock
format at 106.9 FM in Ottawa
and 99.9 FM in Pembroke
(on a repeater as CKQB-FM-1). The station uses the on-air brand name 106.9 The Bear.
at AM 540, with the call sign CJSB and a power of 50,000 watts (daytime) and 10,000 watts (nighttime). The station was initially a mixture of music and talk
programming, then became an easy listening
station, and in January 1987 evolved into a soft adult contemporary format with the brand name 54 Lite Rock.
In 1988, the station adopted a mainstream rock
format and the brand name 54 Rock. In June 1989, the station's nighttime power was increased from 10,000 watts to 12,500 watts in an effort to extend their coverage area in the west-end of Ottawa.
In 1993, after 11 years without a profit on AM, the station applied to move from the AM band to the FM band using the available 106.9 frequency that had been occupied by CKO
from 1977 to 1989. The AM station signed off the air at 9AM on August 31, 1994 and the FM station signed on at 6PM on September 1, 1994 with the new brand name 106.9 FM The Bear and changed its call sign to CKQB.
In 2004, CKQB was given approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to operate an FM transmitter at Pembroke, Ontario on 99.7 FM, to rebroadcast the programming of CKQB's main station in Ottawa and provide better service to CKQB-FM’s listeners in Pembroke and in the surrounding west Ottawa Valley
area.
The station's music director, Kath Thompson, won the Canadian Music Industry Award for Music Director of the Year (Major Market) in 2007. On October 29, 2007, Astral Media
took control of CKQB-FM as a result of its takeover of Standard Broadcasting.
The station dropped the decimal point on its ID by late 2008
; it continues to do so now that the station is The Bear yet again.
On December 4, 2008, Astral announced that CKQB, along with sister stations CJFM-FM
in Montreal
and CKZZ-FM
in Vancouver
, would be rebranded as a Virgin Radio
station in January 2009. This is in addition to an existing Virgin Radio station, CKFM-FM
in Toronto
. CKQB will feature a "re-energized" rock format, as opposed to a hot adult contemporary format at the other Virgin Radio stations in Canada.
The rebranding was completed on January 9, 2009. The station subsequently faced criticism for its inaugural promotional campaign, which featured images of pregnant young women accompanied by the slogan "Lock up your daughters, the gods of rock are now in Ottawa." The station dropped the advertisements after a number of listeners filed complaints.
On August 26, 2009, Astral applied to change Pembroke's repeater frequency (CKQB-FM-1) from 99.7 to 99.9 MHz to mitigate interference due to the approval of Astral's new FM station in Ottawa at 99.7 MHz. The move to 99.9 FM received CRTC approval on October 14, 2009.
CKQB-FM's studios are located at the broadcasting complex shared by its former sister station CJOH-TV
, on Merivale Road in Nepean
. On February 7, 2010, CJOH-TV's studios were gutted by a four-alarm fire in the pre-dawn hours; CKQB-FM's studios, located in a separate building, were not affected.
In 2010, following the reformatting of francophone station CFTX-FM
as a mainstream rock
station, CKQB included more active rock
songs to its playlist. On February 4, 2011, the station dropped the Virgin branding, returning to its former Bear identity.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
radio station, which broadcasts an active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
format at 106.9 FM in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and 99.9 FM in Pembroke
Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
(on a repeater as CKQB-FM-1). The station uses the on-air brand name 106.9 The Bear.
History
The station was launched in 1982 by Standard BroadcastingStandard Broadcasting
Slaight Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. The company was first formed as Slaight Broadcasting in 1971, when owner J. Allan Slaight acquired CFGM in Richmond Hill...
at AM 540, with the call sign CJSB and a power of 50,000 watts (daytime) and 10,000 watts (nighttime). The station was initially a mixture of music and talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
programming, then became an easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
station, and in January 1987 evolved into a soft adult contemporary format with the brand name 54 Lite Rock.
In 1988, the station adopted a mainstream rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
format and the brand name 54 Rock. In June 1989, the station's nighttime power was increased from 10,000 watts to 12,500 watts in an effort to extend their coverage area in the west-end of Ottawa.
In 1993, after 11 years without a profit on AM, the station applied to move from the AM band to the FM band using the available 106.9 frequency that had been occupied by CKO
CKO
CKO was a Canadian radio news network which operated from 1977 to 1989. The CKO call sign was shared by twelve network-owned stations, as listed below....
from 1977 to 1989. The AM station signed off the air at 9AM on August 31, 1994 and the FM station signed on at 6PM on September 1, 1994 with the new brand name 106.9 FM The Bear and changed its call sign to CKQB.
In 2004, CKQB was given approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to operate an FM transmitter at Pembroke, Ontario on 99.7 FM, to rebroadcast the programming of CKQB's main station in Ottawa and provide better service to CKQB-FM’s listeners in Pembroke and in the surrounding west Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
area.
The station's music director, Kath Thompson, won the Canadian Music Industry Award for Music Director of the Year (Major Market) in 2007. On October 29, 2007, Astral Media
Astral Media
Astral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
took control of CKQB-FM as a result of its takeover of Standard Broadcasting.
The station dropped the decimal point on its ID by late 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
; it continues to do so now that the station is The Bear yet again.
On December 4, 2008, Astral announced that CKQB, along with sister stations CJFM-FM
CJFM-FM
CJFM-FM is an English language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec. Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 95.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,200 watts using an omnidirectional antenna....
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 95.3 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 71,300 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour, and its studios are located in Richmond. The station has had a hot adult...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, would be rebranded as a Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
station in January 2009. This is in addition to an existing Virgin Radio station, CKFM-FM
CKFM-FM
CKFM-FM, branded as 99-9 Virgin Radio , is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 99.9 on the FM dial in Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned by Astral Media...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. CKQB will feature a "re-energized" rock format, as opposed to a hot adult contemporary format at the other Virgin Radio stations in Canada.
The rebranding was completed on January 9, 2009. The station subsequently faced criticism for its inaugural promotional campaign, which featured images of pregnant young women accompanied by the slogan "Lock up your daughters, the gods of rock are now in Ottawa." The station dropped the advertisements after a number of listeners filed complaints.
On August 26, 2009, Astral applied to change Pembroke's repeater frequency (CKQB-FM-1) from 99.7 to 99.9 MHz to mitigate interference due to the approval of Astral's new FM station in Ottawa at 99.7 MHz. The move to 99.9 FM received CRTC approval on October 14, 2009.
CKQB-FM's studios are located at the broadcasting complex shared by its former sister station CJOH-TV
CJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
, on Merivale Road in Nepean
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
. On February 7, 2010, CJOH-TV's studios were gutted by a four-alarm fire in the pre-dawn hours; CKQB-FM's studios, located in a separate building, were not affected.
In 2010, following the reformatting of francophone station CFTX-FM
CFTX-FM
CFTX-FM is a French-language radio station based in Gatineau, Quebec. After receiving approval in 2005, the station was launched in 2006 with an active rock format as Tag Radio and later, Tag Radio X, after its sister station in Quebec City, CHOI-FM. It changed to a modern rock format as Tag Radio...
as a mainstream rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
station, CKQB included more active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
songs to its playlist. On February 4, 2011, the station dropped the Virgin branding, returning to its former Bear identity.
Logos
 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 1994–2009 | 2009–2011 | 2011-present |
Compilation albums
- Homegrown '89 (1989 - Cassette issue when branded as 54 Rock)
- Homegrown '90 (1990 - Cassette issue when branded as 54 Rock)
- Unmuted: Ottawa Recording Artists United Against AIDS (1996)
- Unmuted II (1997)
External links
- 106.9 The Bear
- CKQB history at Canadian Communications FoundationCanadian Communications FoundationThe Canadian Communications Foundation is a history of Canadian broadcasting for radio and television chronicles and documents. It also provides a history of radio and television stations, including networks, programs, broadcasters and many others....