 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Toronto Area |
| Frequency | 98.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 98.1 CHFI |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CFTR,CJCL,CKIS-FM,CFMT-DT,CITY-DT,CJMT-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | February 1, 1957 (1957-02-01) |
Call sign meaning | CanadaHi-FI |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 36,180 watts[2] |
| HAAT | 449 meters (1,473 ft)[2] |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°40′14″N79°22′47″W / 43.67054°N 79.37962°W /43.67054; -79.37962 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | chfi.com |
CHFI-FM (98.1MHz) is acommercialradio station inToronto, Ontario,Canada. Owned and operated byRogers Radio, a division ofRogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts anAdult contemporaryformat. Thestudios are in theRogers Building on the northwest corner ofBloor andJarvis Streets inDowntown Toronto. CHFI is often the most listened-to commercial radio station inGreater Toronto, according to theNumeris ratings.[3]
CHFI-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 36,180watts. Thetransmitter is atop theCN Tower.[2]
The station firstsigned on the air on February 1, 1957. It was initially owned by CHFI-FM, Ltd.[4] CHFI was the first commercial FM outlet in Toronto to provide its own distinct programming rather thansimulcasting an AM station. Thecall sign chosen to represent the words "CanadaHiFI" or "high fidelity", providing a higher quality sound than onAM radio. CHFI also initially provided a specialMuzak-like background audio service, playing soft instrumental music for offices and retail outlets in the city.
The station was acquired in 1960 by Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting, a forerunner toRogers 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 traditionaleasy listening fare, mostly instrumentalcover versions of popular hits, as well asBroadway andHollywood 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 aTop 40 format.
Music director Michael Compeau created a number of the station's much-imitated programs. The most famous was the popular and long runningCandlelight 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 collector's items. Compeau also created the popularClassics 'til Dawn, an overnight program of popularclassical music. (In 1984, Compeau would become program director of classical stationCFMX-FM and use this same format for its overnight program.) Another of Compeau's innovations wasFront 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 calledReminiscing 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.
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 theplaylist. Eventually, CHFI eliminated nearly all instrumental music, and instituted asoft adult contemporary format. The transition worked, making CHFI one of the longest-running English-languageadult contemporary stations inCanada.[5]
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.[6][7][8]
A new logo was unveiled in2000, when Rogers rebranded the station fromCHFI FM98 and the "Toronto's Perfect Music Mix" slogan, to98.1 CHFI, moving away from soft adult contemporary to mainstream AC under the "Toronto's Soft Rock" slogan.
In June2003, CHFI, competing closely with rivaladult contemporary station CJEZ, revamped their morning show to attract younger listeners. Firing Erin Davis and moving Bob Magee to afternoons, the station named Mad Dog and Billie, later known as "Jay and Billie", as the morning team, beginning June 23. Jay and Billie hosted mornings on co-owned Toronto stationCISS-FM before it flipped toadult hits earlier that month. In addition, the station rebranded as98-1 CHFI (pronounced, "ninety-eight-one CHFI"), and unveiled the "Today's Lite Music" slogan.[9][10]
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.[11][12] 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."[13][14] This turned around CHFI's popularity, as the station reclaimed the top spot in the Toronto ratings, while CJEZ's ratings fell.
In2009, CHFI returned to mainstream AC, but retained the "Toronto's Lite Favourites" slogan and added the decimal point back in thestation identification (as "98.1 CHFI"). 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 asAir Supply were largely dropped from the station's playlist. On December 26, 2009, long-time competitor CJEZ switched from an adult contemporary format to anadult hits format asCHBM-FM, leaving CHFI as the only adult contemporary station in Toronto.
In late 2015, Mike Cooper announced his retirement, though would continue to host theclassic hits-formatted "Coop's Classics" on Saturday nights. Darren B. Lamb, formerly withCHUM-FM, joined CHFI as Davis' co-host in February 2016. On November 9, 2016,Erin Davis announced she would be retiring from CHFI on December 15, and would be moving toBritish Columbia to be closer to her family. Lamb continued to host mornings, along with new co-hostMaureen Holloway.[15][16] On October 1, 2021, Maureen Holloway announced she would be leaving the station,[17] with Lamb having had his last appearance earlier in the year (Lamb has since retired). The following week,Tracy Moore from co-owned television stationCITY-TV began hosting the show on a temporary basis.[18] On November 29, CHFI announced that Pooja Handa and Gurdeep Ahluwalia, formerly ofCP24, would begin hosting mornings on January 4, 2022.[19]
In January 2024, several months after joining Rogers as co-host ofBreakfast Television on Citytv,Meredith Shaw launched the Sunday morning programThe Feel Good Brunch, which will also air on other adult contemporary radio stations owned by Rogers across Canada.[20] In March, it was announced that formerMuchMusic VJRick Campanelli was joining the station as a weekday afternoon host.[21] In 2025, Campanelli left CHFI to joinBreakfast Television as a live-eye reporter, but will remain on the station as host of a Sunday program.[22] Greg Burns, previously of sister stationCKIS-FM, succeeded him in the weekday afternoon slot.[22]
CHFI-FM can also be heard on these low-power transmitters:
| City of licence | Identifier | Frequency | RECNet | CRTC Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granisle | VF2350 | 99.9 FM | Query | 99-36 |
| McBride | VF2305 | 105.1 FM | Query | 97-156 |
| City of licence | Identifier | Frequency | RECNet | CRTC Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labrador City/Wabush | VF2050 | 99.1 FM | Query | 87-864 |
Radio stations in theGreater Toronto Area,Ontario | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | |||
| Peel Region |
| ||
| Durham Region | |||
| York Region | |||
| Halton Region |
| ||
| Dufferin County | |||
| Specialty | |||
| DigitalHD Radio | |||
| Internet radio | |||
| |||
