 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Montreal |
| Frequency | 97.7MHz (FM) |
| Branding | CHOM 97.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| CFCF-DT,CITE-FM,CJAD,CJFM-FM,CKGM,CKMF-FM,CFJP-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | July 16, 1963; 62 years ago (1963-07-16) as CKGM-FM |
Former call signs | CKGM-FM (1963–1971) |
Call sign meaning | Randomly chosen |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 41,200watts |
| HAAT | 297.4 meters (976 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°30′20.16″N73°35′30.12″W / 45.5056000°N 73.5917000°W /45.5056000; -73.5917000 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | iheartradio.ca/chom |
CHOM-FM (97.7MHz) is acommercialFMradio station inMontreal,Quebec, Canada. Owned and operated byBell Media, it broadcasts amainstream rockradio format. The studios are in the Bell Media Building at 1717René Lévesque Boulevard East inDowntown Montreal. Rather than spelling out thecall letters, personalities on the station usually pronounce them as/ˈʃoʊm/SHOHM, although other Bell Media Radio personalities have also pronounced the call sign as/ˈtʃɒm/CHOM.
CHOM-FM is aClass C1 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 41,200watts using anon-directional antenna atopMount Royal.
The station was founded byGeoff Stirling as CKGM-FM. It was asister station toCKGM, then broadcasting at 980kHz. CKGM-FMsigned on the air on July 16, 1963}.
After a few weeks as asimulcast of CKGM, CKGM-FM launched anautomatedbeautiful music format on September 1, 1963. CKGM-FM played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumental music with low-key announcements and commercials.
On October 28, 1969, CKGM-FM changed its format toalbum-oriented rock (AOR). On-air advertising was kept at a minimum. The first song played by Doug Pringle after the format switch wasRichard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra", followed byThe Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun".[1] Management wanted to give the FM station its own identity, separate from theTop 40 format found on CKGM. CKGM-FM changed its call sign to CHOM-FM almost two years later, on October 19, 1971.[1]
In 1974, CHOM proposed to theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) a plan in which the station would becomebilingual, reflecting the population of Montreal, partially English and partially French. The CRTC accepted this plan but only on an experimental basis that would last three years. It also turned down a plan to implementquadraphonic broadcasting. CHOM had a staff ofdisc jockeys who mixed the two languages. Some were more familiar with English, some with French, but they could converse either way.
In 1977, the experimental bilingual operation had come to an end. The station was forced by the CRTC to opt between the two languages, and after considering becoming a French-language station, it finally reverted to English full-time. On-air advertising steadily increased during the late 1970s. Furthermore, CHOM's original format of AOR and "underground" rock tunes changed to include the playing of the top tracks from the biggest selling albums.
CHOM-FM became increasingly popular, and in 1979 surpassed its sister station CKGM inBureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM) ratings. Both stations were sold toCHUM Limited on August 20, 1985.
In 1997, CHOM acquired the rights toThe Howard Stern Show,syndicated fromNew York City. Stern was a hit in several U.S.radio markets and wanted to try his hand in Canada's top two cities, inToronto atCILQ-FM and in Montreal at CHOM. The show made its debut on CHOM's morningdrive time on September 2, 1997. From the start, it drew much controversy. On his very first show heard in Montreal, Stern delivered an anti-Francophone and anti-French tirade.
Here are four quotes from Howard Stern's broadcast on September 2, 1997, where he insulted the French and French-Canadians.[2]
"The biggest scumbags on the planet as I've said all along are not only the French in France but the French in Canada.”[2]
"Anybody who speaks French is a scumbag. It turns you into a coward, just like in World War Two the French would not stick up for us.”[2]
"I think that the French from Quebec are as silly as the French over in France.”[2]
"There is something about the French language that turns you into a pussy-assed jack-off.”[2]
"French-speaking people in Quebec have been fighting this... they are a bunch of snivelling cowards.”[2]
His show was cancelled a year later, on August 27, 1998, after numerous complaints to the CRTC. Those gripes includedpolitically incorrect remarks interpreted by complainants assexist andhomophobic.
Over time, CHOM relied less and less on current and recent rock releases. Nearly all songs on itsplaylist wereclassic rock, familiar to its audience and recorded in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. This continued for nearly two decades. But by the 2020s, the station returned to a mix of classic rock along with a few current and releases each hour.
Effective in January 2002, the station was sold toStandard Broadcasting, which already ownedCJAD andCJFM-FM in Montreal. The deal was in exchange for Standard'sCFWM-FM inWinnipeg.
Ownership changed hands again on October 29, 2007.Astral Media took control of Standard Broadcasting and its assets, including CHOM.
On June 22, 2011, Astral Media announced that populardisc jockey Terry DiMonte would be making a return to the station.[3] DiMonte had hosted the morning show for several years on CHOM.
In July 2013, Astral Media was acquired and merged intoBell Media.[4] With the merger, CHOM was reunited with its original AM sister station CKGM, whichCTVglobemedia (now Bell Media) acquired from CHUM in 2007.
On September 22, 2017, longtime radio personality Robert "TooTall" Wagenaar retired from his midday show after over 40 years at CHOM.[5] His replacement was Randy Renaud, a 30-year veteran of the radio station.[6]
On May 28, 2021, Terry Dimonte left the station.[7]
When first launched in 1963, CHOM (then known as CKGM-FM) had its studios and offices at 1455 Drummond Street in Montreal, along with CKGM. Like CKGM, CHOM moved to 1310 Greene Avenue inWestmount in the late 1960s.
In 1972, CHOM relocated across the street to 1355 Greene Avenue, while CKGM opted to stay at 1310 Greene. CHOM eventually returned to the CKGM building a few years later. It remained there until its acquisition byStandard Broadcasting in 2002. At that point, CHOM was moved to 1411 Fort Street in Montreal. That building also housed Standard's other two existing Montreal radio stations, CJFM-FM and CJAD.
In September 2012, Astral Media relocated its local English-language radio stations (including CHOM) to its French-language radio studios at 1717René Lévesque Boulevard East in Montreal.
