 | |
| Broadcast area | Calgary Metropolitan Region |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.5MHz (FM) |
| Branding | 98.5Virgin Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40/CHR |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| CKMX,CJAY-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 6,2002 |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 298.5 meters (979 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 51°03′54″N114°12′50″W / 51.065°N 114.214°W /51.065; -114.214 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | iheartradio.ca/virginradio/calgary |
CIBK-FM (98.5Virgin Radio) is aTop 40/CHRradio station based inCalgary,Alberta,Canada. TheBell Media outlet operates at 98.5FM with aneffective radiated power of 100 kW from atransmitter located at the intersection of Old Banff Coach Road and 85 Street Southwest, and its studios located in theCTV Calgary studios on Patina Rise SW in the Prominence Point neighborhood ofCalgary.
As of Winter 2020, CIBK is the 16th-most-listened-to radio station in the Calgary market according to a PPM data report released byNumeris.[1]
The station received approval by theCRTC in March 2001.[2] When CIBK made its debut on September 6, 2002 asVibe 98.5, they thought they would become the city's firstR&B/hip hop outlet, but they were beaten to the punch byCKIS by about a month. This would spark a format war in Calgary, with both stations making potshots at one another.[3][4][5] On April 1, 2003, CKIS would bail out and abruptly change to the "Jack FM" format, leaving CIBK as the victor.[6]
However, CIBK would also go through an evolution of its own as they transitioned to arhythmic contemporary direction by2003, and to their current mainstreamTop 40 direction by2004. CIBK still playedR&B/hip hop product (although at a reduced rate), and also incorporatedpop anddance into the mix, in part due to its license with the CRTC that now requires the station to be programmed as aTop 40/CHR outlet. Because CIBK was anticipated for years prior to its launch to be Calgary's long-awaitedurban station, it had faced much criticism for bailing out to a Top 40 format leaving many of the station's hip-hop/R&B fans disappointed and let down by Standard.[citation needed]
CIBK was part of the acquisition of most of the assets of Standard Broadcasting byAstral Media that was completed on October 29,2007. Under Astral, CIBK dropped therhythmic lean.
On April 1, 2010,Astral Media registered the domain names, VirginRadio985.com, Virgin985.com and VirginCalgary.com, which many speculated would be a branding change for CIBK to become a part of theVirgin Radio branding in Canada.[7] This was confirmed on the Vibe Morning Show's June 23, 2010 broadcast, and the rebranding took place on June 30 at Noon,[8] and will retain itsTop 40 format. It is the secondVirgin Radio station with a mainstream Top 40 format afterToronto'sCKFM-FM. The last song on "Vibe" was "Goodbye" byKristinia DeBarge, while the first song on "Virgin" was "California Gurls" byKaty Perry.[9][10]
CIBK-FM is the longest-tenuredTop 40/CHR station inAlberta still having the format today, onlyEdmonton'sCKNG-FM (nowadult hits since2004) had the longest-tenured format from1991-2003.
As part of the merger of Astral andBell Media approved by theCRTC on June 27, 2013, CIBK is now owned by Bell Media.
