CFMZ-FM
 |
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| City of license | Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Branding | Classical 96.3 |
| Frequency | 96.3 MHz (FM) |
| First air date | 1988 |
| Format | Classical music |
| ERP | 24 kW |
| HAAT | 283 m |
| Class | C1 |
| Callsign meaning | C F Moses Znaimer |
| Former callsigns | CFMX-FM-1 (1988-2008) |
| Owner | ZoomerMedia (MZ Media Inc.) |
| Sister stations | CFMX-FM, CFZM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.classical963fm.com |
CFMZ-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. Broadcasting on 96.3 MHz (FM), the station is owned by ZoomerMedia and broadcasts a format consisting of classical music. CFMZ's studios are located on Jefferson Avenue in Liberty Village, while its transmitter is located atop First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto.
Along with CJPX-FM in Montreal and CJSQ-FM in Quebec City, CFMZ is one of the only commercial broadcasters in Canada that plays a purely classical music format, and the only one of those that broadcasts in English.
History
Cobourg, Ontario radio station CFMX has been broadcasting continuously since 1982, although it had gone on the air and off again, several times, between 1976 and 1982. CFMZ first aired in 1988 as a rebroadcaster[1] of CFMX, with the call sign CFMX-FM-1. The station was originally licensed to Mississauga, the transmitter location. The transmitter was moved to Toronto in 1993.[2] CFMX's operations were gradually centralized in Toronto by 1997, and for all intents and purposes the Toronto rebroadcaster was now the primary signal.
In September 2006, Canadian broadcaster Moses Znaimer purchased the station.[3] The CFMZ call sign was originally assigned to the Cobourg transmitter. However, according to Industry Canada databases, the Toronto rebroadcaster kept its original CFMX-FM-1 call sign.[4]
In September 2007, Znaimer also announced a deal to acquire CHWO, a pop standards station in Oakville.
In 2008, the CRTC approved a change that upgraded the Toronto rebroadcaster to a full-fledged station under the calls CFMZ, while the Cobourg station reclaimed the original CFMX calls. All music programming originates from Toronto, although the Cobourg station now originates 24 hours per week of locally oriented talk and spoken word programming.[5][6]
The station was originally owned by Znaimer's privately held MZ Media Inc. As part of a reorganization of Znaimer's media assets, the station was transferred to the publicly traded ZoomerMedia in 2010.[7]
References
- ↑ Decision CRTC 88-292.
- ↑ Decision CRTC 93-654.
- ↑ "Znaimer ready to reinvent classical radio", Toronto Star, September 18, 2007.
- ↑ Call sign search and Broadcasting database (ZIP file) (using the file fmstatio.dbf) from Industry Canada. Retrieved on November 14, 2007.
- ↑ NorthEast Radio Watch, June 23, 2008.
- ↑ CRTC Decision 2008-31.
- ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-193
External links
- Classical 96.3 FM
- CFMZ-FM history - Canadian Communications Foundation
- Query the REC's Canadian station database for CFMZ-FM
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