 | |
| Broadcast area | Calgary Metropolitan Area Banff |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.3MHz |
| Branding | 107.3 The Edge |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic alternative |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CHQR,CKRY-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | April 15,1982 (asCKIK-FM) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 298.5 meters (979 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 51°03′00″N114°04′30″W / 51.050°N 114.075°W /51.050; -114.075 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1073edge.com |
CFGQ-FM (107.3FM, "107.3 The Edge") is a radio station inCalgary, Alberta. Owned byCorus Entertainment, it broadcasts aclassic alternative format. CFGQ's studios are located on 17th Ave SW nearWestbrook Mall, while its transmitter is located at 85th Street Southwest and Old Banff Coach Road in western Calgary.
As of Winter 2020, CFGQ was the 7th-most-listened-to radio station in the Calgary market according to a PPM data report released byNumeris.[1]
The station was launched on April 15, 1982, asCKIK-FM, and first broadcast an adultalbum rock format. Throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, CKIK (known on-air as107 KIK FM and later asRock 107) played a variety ofrock formats.[2][3][4] Early in its history, the station encountered financial difficulties, which were alleviated in 1985, whenHarvey Glatt, Ottawa musicimpresario and founder ofCHEZ-FM, acquired a 75% interest in the station, which he held until 1995.[5]
In September 1997, CKIK flipped tocontemporary hit radio asPower 107. In January 2002, it flipped tohot adult contemporary asThe Peak 107.3. In 2004, the station returned to a rock format asclassic rock asQ107,[6] after which it adopted its current call letters.
In 2007, Terry DiMonte, formerly associated withCHOM-FM inMontreal, joined CFGQ as its morning host.[7] In December 2011, Terry DiMonte left CFGQ, returning to CHOM in Montreal. In August 2019, the station replaced its morning show withWilly in the Morning from sister stationCFMI-FM.[8]
On December 16, 2022, it was reported that CFGQ would launch a new format on January 9, 2023, with CFGQ's remaining local personalities (including afternoon hosts "Tarzan Dan" Freeman and Cam Sullivan) announcing the end of their respective shows. On the announced date, the station became an FM simulcast of AMnews/talk stationCHQR, with both stations collectively rebranded as "QR Calgary".[6][9]
In May 2023, following inquiries by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regarding whether the simulcast complies with broadcasting regulations, Corus filed a set of applications with the CRTC to formalize the simulcast by re-designating CFGQ as the originating station of the news/talk format under a specialty FM licence, revoking CHQR's AM licence, and formally designating the current CHQR facility as an AM rebroadcaster of CFGQ.[10]
In June 2024, before the CRTC began any action on Corus' application, the company abruptly rescinded the application and announced that it would abandon the CHQR simulcast on CFGQ instead. A Corus spokesperson stated that the choice was made because the company was "not able to monetize QR on both AM and FM the way we had hoped". Corus then confirmed that CFGQ would return to a music-based format by the end of July.[11] Later that month,RadioInsight reported that Corus had purchased thedomain name "1073Edge.com", implicating the possibility of amodern rock format modeled after Toronto sister stationCFNY-FM102.1 The Edge.[12]
On July 31, 2024, at 7 a.m., CFGQ flipped to aclassic alternative format as107.3 The Edge. The new format focuses primarily onalternative rock,grunge, andnew wave music from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s (marketed by the station as "iconic alternative"). The station will also airAlan Cross'sThe Ongoing History of New Music, and continue to carryCalgary StampedersCFL games.[13] The station competes primarily withHarvard Media's modern rockCFEX-FM, and to an extent withBell Media's active rockCJAY-FM.[14]
In February 2025, Corus announced the addition ofJustin Wilcomes, also known as Drex, in the morning slot effective March 3.The Drex Show will also air in the afternoon on CFNY in Toronto.[15]
CFGQ also has an FM transmitter inBanff (CFGQ-FM-2), which broadcasts at 100.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 92 watts.[16]