CHYK-FM

CHYK-FM
City Timmins, Ontario
Branding Le Loup 104.1
Slogan La Voix du nord
Frequency 104.1 MHz (FM)
First air date December 23, 1951
Format hot adult contemporary (French)
ERP 3.5 kW
HAAT 76 meters (249 ft)
Class A
Callsign meaning an available callsign that could be pronounced like the French word chic
Former callsigns CFCL (1952-1990)
CKOY (1990-2000)
Owner Le5 Communications
Sister stations CHYC-FM, CHYQ-FM
Website www.leloupfm.com/Timmins

CHYK-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at FM 104.1 in Timmins, Ontario. It broadcasts a francophone hot adult contemporary format for the city's Franco-Ontarian community. It is owned by Le5 Communications, and branded as Le Loup 104.1.

CHYK and its Sudbury and Nipissing sister stations CHYC, CHYQ are the only francophone commercial stations programmed entirely in Ontario. Apart from commercials and separate morning shows, the three stations in fact simulcast the same programming at almost all times, although all three stations produce a portion of the shared broadcast schedule.

History

The station was originally established on December 23, 1951 by J. Conrad Lavigne, with the callsign CFCL at 580 kHz. It operated as a private affiliate of Radio-Canada's French radio network, and was one of the few private affiliate stations of a CBC radio network anywhere in Canada. CFLH in Hearst began broadcasting the same year. In 1956, Lavigne also established CFCL-TV, a private CBC Television affiliate, in the city.

In 1957, CFLK began broadcasting in Kapuskasing. In 1960, CFCL moved from 580 to 620 kHz.

On July 28, 1975, Lavigne was denied an application to change CFCL's frequency from 620 kHz to 850 kHz with an increase in night-time power from 5,000 to 10,000 watts, with daytime power remaining at 10,000 watts. The station would have switched from different day and night patterns to directional at night only, to protect Class-A clear-channel station KOA in Denver. The partner application to use the 620 kHz frequency in Sudbury with 10,000 watts day and 5,000 watts night (single directional pattern) was also denied.

In 1979, Lavigne again attempted to change CFCL's frequency and launch a new station in Sudbury. The application, which was identical to the one filed in 1975, was yet again denied. That year, competing broadcasters CKAP Kapuskasing (which had proposed a rebroadcast station in Timmins on 1450 kHz with 10,000 watts day and 5,000 watts at night) and Lavigne and Cambrian Broadcasting (competing for a license for a new AM station at 730 kHz with 10,000 watts in North Bay) also had their applications denied.

In 1980, Lavigne's broadcast holdings were eventually merged into the Mid-Canada Communications system. When that company acquired several other radio stations in 1985, CFCL became a commercial station as part of the Mid-Canada Radio network, and disaffiliated from Radio-Canada.

Mid-Canada Radio was sold to the Pelmorex Radio Network in 1990. Because the radio and television station no longer had common ownership, the radio station's callsign was subsequently changed to CKOY. CFLH (1340 kHz) in Hearst later adopted the call sign CHOH, and was converted to FM 92.9 MHz in 1995,[1] while CFLK in Kapuskasing adopted the call sign CHYK.

Pelmorex, in turn, sold its stations to the Haliburton Broadcasting Group in 1999. CKOY was converted to 104.1 FM, and took over the CHYK callsign from its rebroadcaster in Kapuskasing.[2] The Kapuskasing (AM 1230 kHz) rebroadcaster was in turn converted to FM 93.7 MHz in 2003 and later adopted its current callsign CHYX-FM.[3]

In 2008, Haliburton announced a deal to sell the CHYC stations to Le5 Communications, a firm owned by Sudbury lawyer Paul Lefebvre. This deal was approved by the CRTC on October 31, 2008.[4] Le5 Communications rebranded the station as Le Loup in early 2009.

In 2010, Le5 Communications also launched the weekly community newspaper L'Express de Timmins.[5]

On March 2, 2012, Le5 Communications received approval from the CRTC to change the authorized contours of the station's rebroadcaster in Hearst, by changing the antenna radiation pattern from directional to non-directional, increasing the average effective radiated power (ERP) from 140 to 172 watts (maximum ERP from 140 to 221 watts), decreasing the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 56.6 to 43 metres and relocating the antenna site.[6]

A historical plaque in the city's Mattagami Park commemorates the station's historic role in the local Franco-Ontarian community.[7]

Transmitters

Rebroadcasters of CHYK-FM
City of license Identifier Frequency Power Class RECNet
Hearst CHYK-FM-3 92.9 140 watts A1 Query
Kapuskasing CHYX-FM 93.7 3400 watts A Query

References

  1. CRTC Decision CRTC 95-698
  2. Decision CRTC 99-404
  3. CRTC Decision 2003-578
  4. CRTC Decision 2008-296
  5. "Sudbury's French newspaper Le Voyageur sold". Points North (CBCS-FM), May 20, 2011.
  6. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-128 - CHYK-FM Timmins and its transmitter CHYK-FM-3 Hearst – Technical changes, CRTC, March 2, 2012
  7. CFCL Radio Plaque, ontarioplaques.com.

External links

Coordinates: 48°27′57″N 81°26′52″W / 48.46583°N 81.44778°W / 48.46583; -81.44778

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