 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Vancouver |
| Frequency | 96.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Jack 96.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult hits |
| Subchannels | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CISL,CKWX,CKKS-FM,CKVU-DT,CHNM-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | March 1, 1980 (1980-03-01) |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 92.1 MHz (1980–1984) |
Call sign meaning | Sounds like "Jack" |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 707.4 metres (2,321 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 49°21′27″N122°57′14″W / 49.357365°N 122.953776°W /49.357365; -122.953776 (CKLG-FM Tower) |
| Repeater | CJAX-FM-1 96.9 (Whistler) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | jack969.com |
CJAX-FM (96.9MHz) is a commercialradio station inVancouver,British Columbia. Owned byRogers Radio, a division ofRogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts anadult hits format branded as "Jack 96.9". Its studios are at 2440 Ash Street in theFairview neighbourhood of Vancouver. CJAX was the first conventional radio station inNorth America to adopt the "Jack" branding, officially classified as "variety hits" or "adult hits". Most "Jack" stations play a wide mix of music from the late 60s through the 90s, as well as some current and recentadult contemporary andhot adult contemporary singles.
CJAX-FM is aClass C station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 32,000watts (70,000 watts maximum).[1] Thetransmitter is atopMount Seymour in theDistrict of North Vancouver. Programming issimulcast on a 1,430-wattrepeater, 96.9CJAX-FM-1 inWhistler.[2]
The station signed on the air on March 1, 1980. Its original call sign was CJAZ-FM and it broadcast on 92.1 FM in Vancouver. It was owned bySelkirk Communications, airing an all-jazz format. It transmitted fromSalt Spring Island at 100,000 watts. Although overall regional coverage was very good, poorstereo reception in the key Vancouver area led the station to make some changes in 1984. It switched its frequency to 96.9 MHz and it relocated its transmitter to Mount Seymour.
Low ratings for its jazz format led to a format change on September 15, 1985, when the station adopted anurban adult contemporary format, the first in Canada. It rebranded asFM 97 and the call sign was changed to CKKS-FM.
In 1986, CKKS began playingadult contemporary music with an on-air rebranding to97Kiss FM. Four years later, the station was sold to Maclean-Hunter Ltd., and in1994, it became a part of Rogers Broadcasting. Rival stationCHQM-FM dropped itseasy listening format in1992, also switching to an adult contemporary format. Its ratings surpassed CKKS as Vancouver's leading AC station, becoming Vancouver's most-listened-to FM station later on.
In 1988, the West Coast Community T.V. Association received CRTC approval to add a low-power transmitter at 102.7 MHz inUcluelet to rebroadcast the programming of CKKS-FM.[3] The call sign for the Ucluelet transmitter (currentlydark) is CIWC-FM.
In early December of2002, the station switched toChristmas music for the holidays. OnBoxing Day, at 8 a.m., CKKS flipped toadult hits asJack FM. The first song on "Jack" was "You Shook Me All Night Long" byAC/DC. The change ended the ten-year AC war in Vancouver, which meant thatCHQM-FM became the only mainstream AC station in the Vancouver market.[4]
Given the "attitude" inherent in the "Jack" brand, management felt that the call letters "CKKS" would maintain an undesirable association with Kiss-FM's "soft favourites" identity. As it turned out, in 2001, Corus Entertainment had abandoned the old CKLG call sign formerly assigned to one of its Vancouver AM stations (Mojo AM 730). Rogers applied to transfer these letters to Jack FM, and the station's call sign became CKLG-FM shortly thereafter. This was in part an attempt to trade onCKLG-AM's history as a popular Vancouver music station in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The move was successful, as Jack-FM's ratings increased dramatically, at one point briefly surpassing traditional market leaderCKNW before settling into the upper rankings in the Vancouver market. (The CKKS call sign was subsequently given to aSechelt rebroadcaster ofCISQ-FM inSquamish, British Columbia.)[5]
In July 2012, the station adopted the "Playing Whatever! Whenever!" slogan. The station also added in more recentadult contemporary andhot adult contemporary songs. In 2014, the call letters were changed again, this time to CJAX-FM to reflect the "Jack" branding.
In January 2025, Ronnie Stanton joined the team as lead music director and has driven the ratings from a #13 to #5.
In 2005, some members of Vancouver'sIndo-Canadian community accused the station of racial insensitivity. They objected to 96.9 Jack-FM's advertising strategy.[6][7]
The ads in question featured Vijay Chandra, aFijian radio engineer for the station with a strongSouth Asian accent, singing to promote Jack-FM's "Larry and Willy show".[8] The complaints stemmed from a perception that viewers are intended to laugh at Chandra's accent, rather than at the ad copy itself, and that similar lyrics performed without an accent would not be considered humorous.
In May 2016, CJAX began broadcasting usingHD Radio technology.[9] On June 23, 2016, CJAX added a simulcast of all-newssister stationCKWX on its HD2digital subchannel.[10][11] On August 28, 2017, CJAX added a simulcast of co-ownedsports radio stationCISL to its HD3 subchannel.
In 2020 the station addedJustin "Drex" Wilcomes as its morning host.[12] In fall 2022 he had to take several weeks off from CJAQ after suffering aheart attack and undergoing surgery.[13] but was back on air by spring 2023.[14] His Jack FM show was cancelled in April 2024.[15]
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