 | |
| Broadcast area | Greater Sudbury |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.5MHz (FM) |
| Branding | Hot 93.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | CHR/Top 40 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Stingray Group |
| CHNO-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1965 (92.7FM) May 18,1990 (790AM) August 17,2009 (93.5 FM) |
Former call signs | CKSO-FM (1965–1978) CIGM (1978–2009) |
Former frequencies | 92.7MHz (1965–1990) 790kHz (AM) (1990–2009) |
Call sign meaning | CI GeorgeMiller (One of the early partners in the Sudbury radio station business) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 43kWsVertical 100 kWs Horizontal |
| HAAT | 150.2 meters (493 ft) |
| Links | |
| Website | hot935.ca |
CIGM-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts inSudbury,Ontario. The station airs aCHR/Top 40 format at 93.5 MHz on theFM dial with the brandingHot 93.5. The station is owned and operated byStingray Group.
The station first aired at 92.7FM in 1965,[1] with the call lettersCKSO-FM, airing a more extensive schedule ofCBC Radio programming than itsAM sister stationCKSO.[2] It adopted theCIGM calls and acountry format in 1978, after CBC Radio was granted a license for its ownO&O station,CBCS-FM.[2]
CIGM and CKSO were owned by Cambrian Broadcasting.[2] TheGM in the station's call sign was chosen by 1978 to honourGeorgeMiller, one of the founding investors in the company. Miller died in 1977.[3]
As part of Cambrian's sale ofCKSO-TV toMid-Canada Communications in 1979/1980, the company's shareholders dissolved Cambrian and reincorporated themselves as a new company, called United Broadcasting, which retained ownership of the radio stations.[2] In 1986, United Broadcasting sold CKSO and CIGM toTelemedia.[4]
On March 16, 1990, the CRTC approved Telemedia Communications Ontario Inc.'s application to amend the Promise of Performance for CIGM by changing the music format from Group III (Country and Country-Oriented) to Group IV (40% Pop and Rock-Softer; 60% Pop and Rock-Harder).[5] Two months later, on May 18, 1990, CKSO and CIGM swapped frequencies. CIGM moved to CKSO's 790 slot on the AM dial, and CKSO took on the new call lettersCJRQ and CIGM's 92.7 FM frequency. After the 1990 swap, the CKSO call sign no longer existed in the Sudbury area until an unrelatedChristian music radio station (asCKSO-FM) began test transmissions in late 2002.
In 2002, Telemedia was purchased byStandard Broadcasting. Shortly afterward, Standard sold CJRQ, CIGM andCJMX toRogers Radio.
In fall 2005, CIGM and sister stationCKAT inNorth Bay underwent a format change, withcountry music cut back, although not entirely eliminated, in favour of increasednews andsports programming. After the change, both stations used slogans such as "Today's Country", "News Leader" and "Sports Leader".
In July 2008, Rogers announced it would trade CIGM toNewcap Broadcasting in exchange for Halifax AM stationCFDR. Both stations were the sole remaining AM stations in their respective markets, and in both cases the original owner already had the maximum permitted number of FM stations in the applicable market, whereas the acquirer only had a single FM station. Both companies applied to move the stations to FM as part of the trade.[6][7] Newcap applied to convert CIGM to 93.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts.[8]
The applications were approved on November 24.[9] The purchase made CIGM a sister station to Newcap'sCHNO-FM.
After longtime CIGM morning man Scott Overton's employment with the station was discontinued by Rogers during the ownership transition, he wrote a letter to theSudbury Star andNorthern Life thanking the station's audience for its loyalty and indicating that the station's "long history as acountry station will apparently end within the next few months."[10][11][12] In early 2009, a number of staff at CIGM were laid off, including the news director.[13] Notably, Newcap had applied for a newCHR/Top 40 station in the round of CRTC license hearings that resulted in the launch ofCICS-FM, a competingcountry music station owned byLarche Communications.
In late July 2009, CIGM's website went offline with a message advising listeners to check out theEZ Rock website, the former sister station of CIGM.[14]
On August 17, 2009, CIGM began broadcasting on 93.5 MHz,stunting with a 10-minute test broadcast with mostlyclassic rock music (including a clip of "Radio Ga Ga" byQueen), including clips from television theme shows (such asSeinfeld andThe Flintstones), random clips of other songs, some nature sounds, and sound effects, as well as advising listeners to tune in on August 20 at 10:00 a.m. — at which time the station switched stunts to aChinese pop music format branded asKung Pao 93.5, which was actually mostly Chinese classical instrumentals, with a few pop songs in rotation.[15] The same stunt format was also aired byWVHT inNorfolk, Virginia for four days in April 2009.[16] Notably, CIGM's website during the stunt was identical to the one that had been used by WVHT during its stunt — with the exception that the name of one of the station's fictional personalities was changed to "Felony Doll", a pun on the name ofCJRQ morning host Mellaney Dahl.
At midnight on August 24, AM 790 finished its last country song, "There She Goes" by Sudbury nativeGil Grand, followed by an announcement:[17]
It's been 32 years since CIGM was born. Since 1977, we've been proudly playing country music for Greater Sudbury. On behalf of everyone who has worked here over these many years, we'd like to say thanks to the loyal country fans who have shared a great journey, but the memories will last forever.
Immediately after the announcement, the station aired a steady 394.5Hz audio tone which lasted until the simulcasting of the new programming heard on 93.5 FM began on the morning of the 24th.
The station officially launched asHot 93.5 on August 25 at 12:00 p.m. after a stunt of a clock ticking.[18][19] The first song on "Hot" was "I Gotta Feeling" byThe Black Eyed Peas, which started off 10,000 songs in a row commercial free; this ended on September 21, 2009, when regular programming began. This is the first time Sudbury has had aCHR/Top 40 station since sisterCHNO-FM flipped formats toadult hits on January 1, 2006. On September 26, 2009, CIGM began airing syndicated countdown shows such as theCanadian Top 20 with Jimmy T,American Top 40 withRyan Seacrest,Canadian Hit 30 Countdown andRick Dees Weekly Top 40. The station also includesOn Air with Ryan Seacrest which runs weekdays.
On September 30, 2009, at about 5:00 p.m., the old 50,000 watt AM 790 transmitter was turned off, ending nearly 75 years of AM broadcasting in Sudbury, being the last AM radio station outlet in the city.[20]
TheSudbury Wolves games, which were formerly aired on CIGM, moved toCJTK-FM for the 2009-2010Ontario Hockey League season.
According to the fall 2011BBM ratings atMilkman Unlimited dated December 1, 2011, CIGM achieved the #1 status in Greater Sudbury among adults 25-54.[21] Since the station signed on in 2009, the station is still branded asThe New Hot 93.5.
On February 23, 2013, theRick Dees Weekly Top 40, which was carried on both Saturday and Sundays every weekend, was replaced byHollywood Hamilton's Weekend Top 30.
46°25′29″N81°00′53″W / 46.42472°N 81.01472°W /46.42472; -81.01472