 | |
| Broadcast area | GreaterMontreal area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.1MHz (FM) (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Ici Radio-Canada Première |
| Programming | |
| Language | French |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| CBFX-FM,CBM-FM,CBME-FM,CBMT-DT,CBFT-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | December 11,1937 |
Former call signs | CBF (1937–1998) |
Former frequencies | 910kHz (AM) (1937–1941) 690 kHz (1941–1998) |
Call sign meaning | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation French |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100 kW |
| HAAT | 298.9 meters (981 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°30′20″N73°35′30″W / 45.5056°N 73.5917°W /45.5056; -73.5917 |
| Links | |
| Website | Ici Radio-Canada Première |
CBF-FM is aFrench-languageradio stationlicensed toMontreal,Quebec, Canada.
Owned and operated by the government-ownedCanadian Broadcasting Corporation, ittransmits on 95.1MHz from theMount Royalcandelabra tower with aneffective radiated power of 100,000watts (class C1) using anomnidirectional antenna. Its studios andmaster control are located atMaison Radio-Canada in Montreal.
The station has anon-commercialnews/talkformat and is theflagship of theIci Radio-Canada Première network which operates across Canada. Like all Première stations, but unlike mostFM stations, it broadcasts inmono. In the summer of 2018, CBF-FM started to broadcast in FM multiplex.
CBF went on the air on December 11, 1937, as the CBC launched its French-language network, known as Radio-Canada. CBF operated on 910 using 50,000 watts full-time with anomnidirectional antenna as aclear channelClass I-A station. The transmitter was located inContrecoeur.
The station moved to 690 on March 29, 1941, as a result of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement. In 1978, the CBC consolidated its two Montréal AM broadcast transmitters and the station moved to a new transmitter site shared with CBM inBrossard (Now known asCBME-FM on 88.5 FM).
CBF started to broadcast fromMaison Radio-Canada in November 1971. Commercial advertising on the station was eliminated in 1974 except forMontreal CanadiensNHLhockey games. (CBF was the Canadiens' radio flagship since its opening in 1937 and would remain so until 1997.)
CBF applied to move to FM and was authorized to do so by theCRTC on July 4, 1997.[1] The AM signal covered much of the western half of Quebec, and was strong enough to be heard inOttawa and theNational Capital Region, as well as parts ofNew York State andVermont. Indeed, untilCBOF signed on in 1964, CBF doubled as the Radio-Canada outlet for Ottawa as well. Its nighttime signal covered most of the eastern half of North America, including much ofEastern Canada. However,radio frequency interference rendered it almost unlistenable in parts of Montreal during the day, which prompted the decision to move the station to the FM dial.
The FM transmitter was put on the air ahead of schedule on January 22, 1998, and initially had special programming targeting people affected by the1998 Ice Storm (i.e., people without electricity). The AM signal was shut down on January 21, 1999. (English-languagesister station CBM got permission to move to FM and started FM operations at the same time, retaining its AM signal until May 14, 1999.) CBF becameCBF-FM when it moved to the FM dial. The existing station with the CBF-FMcallsign at 100.7 MHz was renamedCBFX-FM. The station's old home at 690 was taken over by CKVL, which moved from 850 under the new callsignCINF. That station closed down in 2010, and the frequency remained dark until 2012, when English-languagesports stationCKGM moved there.
To improve reception, CBF was authorized to increase its power from 17,030 watts to 100,000 watts on June 2, 2000. The power increase was implemented in mid-2001.
In recent years the popularity of the station has increased significantly. The station is now usually one of the top five stations inBureau of Broadcast Measurement ratings (using shares), after decades of being an also-ran.
On September 27, 2018, CBF-FM began broadcasting inHD Radio for compatible receivers, with its second digital radio subchannel offering ICI Musique Classique, a digital-only music feed.[2]
| City of licence | Identifier | Frequency | Power | Class | RECNet | CRTC Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eeyou Istchee James Bay | CBF-FM-7 | 100.1 FM | 199watts | A | Query | |
| La Tuque | CBF-FM-18 | 99.9 FM | 60 watts | B | Query | |
| Mont-Laurier | CBF-FM-9 | 91.9 FM | 38,000 watts | B | Query | 85-523 |
| Mont-Tremblant | CBF-FM-14 | 95.5 FM | 835 watts | A | Query | |
| Rivière-Rouge | CBF-FM-15 | 88.3 FM | 4,600 watts | B | Query | |
| Saint-Donat | CBF-FM-20 | 89.7 FM | 5,460 watts | B | Query | 2008-280 |
| Saint-Michel-des-Saints | CBF-FM-13 | 90.9 FM | 466 watts | A | Query |
On October 17, 1986 the CRTC approved the CBC's application to change CBF-3's frequency from 1400 to 650 kHz. (Now part of CHLM-FM).[3]
CBF-FM-10 inSherbrooke andCBF-FM-8 inTrois-Rivières were once full satellites of CBF, but began airing some local programming in 1998. They have both been licensed as full-fledged stations since 2000, despite still having rebroadcaster-like call signs. Both stations have their own local programs and news bulletins; otherwise, their schedules are similar to CBF.
On July 5, 2010, the CBC applied to decrease the effective radiated power of CBF-20, and also on the same date, the CBC also applied to broadcast, on the rebroadcasting transmitters CBF-16, CBF-17 and CBF-18, the programming of CBF-8 instead of the programming of CBF. All technical parameters of the rebroadcasters would remain unchanged.[4]
On July 29, 2010, the CRTC approved the application to transfer transmitters CBF-1, CBF-3 and CBF-4 from CBF toCHLM-FMRouyn-Noranda.[5]
On October 30, 2012, the CBC received approval to change the source of programming from CBF toCBFG-FMChisasibi on the following repeaters:[6][7] CBFA-1Manawan, CBFA-2Obedjiwan, CBFWWemindji, CBFMMistissini, CBFA-3Wemotaci, CBFHWaskaganish and CBFVWaswanipi.
As of 2015, the entirety of CBF's schedule is broadcast live throughout North America viaSirius XM Canada on channel 170.[8] In effect, CBF is one of only two terrestrial stations in North America to be broadcast on Sirius XM, and the only one broadcast using the same feed as the local station (WBBR inNew York City; is the only other station, though any local commercials are replaced with national commercials and promos).
