 | |
| Broadcast area | Southern and SoutheasternNewfoundland |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 640kHz (AM) |
| Branding | CBC Radio One |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| CBN-FM,CBNT-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | November 14,1932[1] |
Former call signs | VONF (1932–1949) |
Former frequencies | 1195 kHz (1932–1939) |
Call sign meaning | CanadianBroadcasting CorporationNewfoundland |
| Technical information | |
| Class | A (clear-channel) |
| Power | 10,000watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 47°34′8″N52°48′45″W / 47.56889°N 52.81250°W /47.56889; -52.81250 |
| Repeater(s) | see main article |
| Links | |
| Website | CBC Newfoundland and Labrador |
CBN (640kHz) is apublicAMradio station inSt. John's,Newfoundland and Labrador,Canada. It carries anews,talk and informationformat and is the localRadio One station of theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation.
CBN transmits 10,000 watts, and is aClass A station broadcasting on aclear-channel frequency, shared withKFI inLos Angeles, the dominant station on 640 AM. CBN uses anon-directional antenna located off Thorburn Road near Exit 44 of the Outer Ring Road on theTrans-Canada Highway.[2] With its non-directional signal and low dial frequency, CBN can be heard by day around most of SoutheasternNewfoundland. At night, it can be picked up across much of the eastern half of North America with a good radio, but is strongest inAtlantic Canada andEastern Quebec.
CBN programming is also heard in St. John's onCBN-1-FM on 88.5MHz.[3] For listeners who have trouble picking up CBN 640's signal clearly in the downtown area, this "nested rebroadcaster" provides an alternative. CBN-1-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 3,162 watts.[4] This station is not to be confused withCBN-FM on 106.9 MHz, which carries theCBC Music network, or its rebroadcasterCBN-FM-1 on 90.7 MHz inGrand Falls-Windsor.
The station began broadcasting at 8 p.m. on November 14, 1932 asVONF (VoiceOfNewFoundland), broadcasting on 1195 kHz, and was owned and operated by the Dominion Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of theAvalon Telephone Company (a predecessor ofBell Aliant).[1][5] In 1934, it merged with a former competitor,VOGY 840, which had also launched in 1932. The VONF call sign was retained.
On March 13, 1939, the Dominion Broadcasting Company was absorbed by theBroadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, the pre-Confederationpublic broadcaster, as its first radio station. The frequency was eventually changed to its current 640 AM.
BCN was absorbed by the CBC on March 31, 1949 when Newfoundland joined Canada.[1] The call sign was then changed toCBN.[1]
CBN used to operate 10,000-watt rebroadcasterCBNM inMarystown on 740 AM (previously 570); however, this station converted to 90.3 FM in the 1980s.
CBN is currently the largest Radio One station in eastern Canada that is still located on the AM band, along withCBY inCorner Brook, which also operates at 10,000 watts and has clear channel designation.
Until April 27, 2007, CBN's operations were located on 342 Duckworth Street. Those operations are currently located on 95 University Avenue, where thetelevision operations are also based.
The station'slocal shows includeThe St. John's Morning Show,The Signal with Adam Walsh,On The Go with Krissy Holmes,The Broadcast with Paula Gale, andWeekend AM with Heather Barrett.
The province's other five Radio One stations (CBGGander,CBT-FMGrand Falls-Windsor,CBYCorner Brook,CFGB-FMHappy Valley-Goose Bay andCBDQ-FMLabrador City)simulcast most of CBN's local programming during Radio One's local programming blocks. However, some of these Newfoundland and Labrador CBC stations have their own morning show or share one with another station.
One of VONF's most popular shows in the 1930s and 1940s wasThe Barrelman, hosted by future PremierJoey Smallwood.
Beginning in 1939, VONF operated ashortwave relay for remote areas of Newfoundland using the call signVONG and operating on a frequency of 9.47 MHz (later 9.48, both in the 31-meter band). A second frequency of 5.98 MHz (later 5.97, both in the 49-meter band) was launched using the call signVONH.
Eventually, VONG left the air and only VONH remained. The call sign changed toCBNX in 1949 when the AM station became CBN. The frequency was changed to 6.16 MHz in 1963. In 1965, the call sign was changed toCKZN, recognizing that, technically, the CB call sign prefix was assigned toChile on an international basis.
In 1989, the shortwave relay began to rebroadcastCFGB-FM inHappy Valley-Goose Bay, part-time as well as CBN. Eventually, in 1994, the station no longer relayed CBN, and became a full-time rebroadcaster of CFGB-FM. Most of Newfoundland had reliable AM or FM reception by that time, so the relay's main use was now limited to the remote areas of Labrador.[6]
CBN has the following rebroadcasters:
| City of license | Identifier | Frequency | RECNet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarenville[7] | CBNL-FM | 93.7 FM | Query |
| Marystown | CBNM-FM | 90.3 FM | Query |
| Swift Current | CBNO-FM | 104.3 FM | Query |
| Ramea | CBNR-FM | 95.5 FM | Query |
| St. Alban's | CBNS-FM | 99.1 FM | Query |
| Trepassey | CBNQ-FM | 95.3 FM | Query |
| Fermeuse[8] | CBNU-FM | 104.3 FM | Query |
| Placentia[9] | CBNV-FM | 94.1 FM | Query |
| St. Vincent's[10] | CBNX-FM | 92.1 FM | Query |
| Burgeo | CIBB-FM | 89.3 FM | Query |
| St. John's | CBN-1-FM | 88.5 FM | Query |
CBND was used by a former low-power AM rebroadcasting transmitter inFlower's Cove, which had operated at 790 kHz in 1972 to rebroadcast the programming of CBN.[11] In 1968, CBND was approved to move from 600 to 920 kHz according to the Canadian Communications Foundation's CBN website. Its unknown when CBND signed on and when it left the air, however, there's aCBND-FM currently operating at 105.1 MHz inPostville which rebroadcastsCFGB-FMHappy Valley-Goose Bay.
CIBB-FM rebroadcasts programming of CBN, although it is owned by the Burgeo Broadcasting System.[12]
In March 2016, The CBC made the decision to put a nested rebroadcaster in St. John's. It would broadcast at 88.5 MHz with an ERP of 3,612 Watts. On July 5 of the same year, the station went on-air for testing. On August 1, 2016, the CRTC approved the decision to put a nested rebroadcaster in St. John's.[13]CBN-1-FM began broadcasting on October 28, 2016.