Брамптон қаласындағы CFNY FM радиостансасы тарихы

Radio station in Brampton Toronto, Ontario

CFNY FM (102.1 the Edge) is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 MHz in the Greater Toronto Area, licensed to the suburb of Brampton. CFNY plays an alternative rock format. Owned by Corus Entertainment, its studios are in Downtown Toronto at Corus Quay on Toronto's Harbourfront, and its transmitter is located atop the CN Tower. The Edge is simulcast by satellite on Bell Satellite TV channel 955, and on Shaw Direct channel 866.

The station commenced operations on August 8, 1960, as an FM rebroadcast of an AM station, CHIC. On September 21, 1962, two brothers, Leslie and Harry Allen Jr., agreed to purchase all shares of CHIC Radio Ltd. from S. W. Caldwell, Frank M. Early, F. J. Shouldice, John Fox, W. S. Martin, Frank W. Richardson, Garth H. Ketemer, G. Clare Burt, J. R. Jenkins and Gordon F. Keeble. The sale occurred on October 15 later that year and was subject to government approval. They began playing album rock music in the evenings while simulcasting the AM programming during the day. The nearby Humber College provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections. Noted Canadian radio and television personality Vicki Gabereau was one of such employees. At this point in the station's existence, it operated under the call letters CHIC FM, broadcasting about 30 hours per week, with a transmitter power of 857 watts ERP mono. This was enough to just service the town of Brampton. Until approximately 1975, the AM control room operator spun LPs from the third turntable in AM master control. Nonstop full play of each side of the LP was the norm with just a break by the AM operator for ID and to flip the LP over. The music was picked by the AM operator prior to their shift. Some of those on air people were Dave Gordon, Mike Lynch, Steve Martak, Rich Elwood, Ted Woloshyn, Scott Cameron; any genre of music was open to airtime. The style of the station was well received by listeners. In 1976, a new FM studio was built just up the road from the old studio in Brampton on a very limited budget. Engineers Mike Hargrave Pawson and Steve Martak built the new studio and a new transmitter site in Georgetown to increase the coverage from 857 watts to 100 kW ERP, thus able to cover much of the Greater Toronto Area. In 1976, CHIC FM officially became CFNY FM. The phrases "Canada's First New Youth", "Canada Finds New Youth", and "Canada's Fresh New Youth" are often have been cited as backronyms for the call sign. Staff employed to that point were fired in favour of hiring a new team and David Pritchard joined the station as CFNY's first program director. He had previously been a DJ at CHUM FM, and under his guidance the station became more structured. It also began hosting specialty programs of reggae and blues music, and a popular, nationally syndicated Beatles show. David Marsden, who had started as an announcer at the station, was selected as Pritchard's successor in 1978.

During Marsden's tenure as program director, the style of the station evolved into a sound which has been described as a more professional sounding version of a campus radio station. At the time, alternative music was new and had not yet received wide exposure, but new wave and punk rock soon emerged as dominant forms of popular music—and so the station became known as one of the few commercial stations at the time which played alternative music. During this period, the station began using "The Spirit of Radio" as a promotional catchphrase. In turn, listeners of the station began to refer to CFNY as "The Spirit of Radio". Canadian band Rush was unable to obtain airplay on many radio stations other than CFNY early in their career, and in 1979 wrote the song "The Spirit of Radio" about the station. Unable to mention CFNY directly for fear of alienating airplay on other stations, the band instead ensured the catalogue number for their album Permanent Waves was 1021, a nod to the station's 102.1 FM frequency. While the fan base was loyal, the station struggled to grow its audience due to its small studio and low broadcasting power of only 679 watts. With only a small broadcast range, the station used unconventional promotional strategies in an attempt to grow the brand. CFNY would send DJs to host regular new wave dance parties, both to build a community amongst its fans and to supplement the station's limited advertising revenue through admission fees.

In 1979, the station's original owners were involved in court action unrelated to CFNY and forced to sell the station. In spite of its problems, CFNY garnered praise from its listeners and other broadcasters alike. Referring to its free form format, the station was called "one of the last truly alternative radio stations in North America". When the new owners went bankrupt in 1979, the station received 6,200 letters and tens of thousands of names on a petition lobbying the Canadian Radio television and Telecommunications Commission to "save real radio." With the Canadian economy in recession and interest rates high, the station's owners sold the station to media conglomerate Selkirk Communications. Selkirk moved the station's transmitter to the CN Tower in Toronto, thereby greatly increasing the broadcasting power and range of the station. By 1985, the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners and becoming internationally famous for its music mix, due to its availability via satellite. By this time, the station's dance party tradition had evolved into a large video dance party, hosted by Martin Streek, who joined the station as a DJ and on air personality in 1984. This event regularly toured throughout southern Ontario and expanded the station's influence well beyond its actual broadcast range. Marsden moved to Vancouver, where he created and launched the variety series Pilot One for CBC Television and became program director of Coast 800. One notable broadcast was their worldwide period of silence for John Lennon, followed by "Remember" for the recently slain singer. More than 500 radio stations, including one in each Canadian province and American state, plus one in Sydney, Australia played this Dream Network tribute broadcast.

Late in 1988, management at CFNY ordered a change in format. After nearly 13 years of success and popular acclaim as a freestyle rock and alternative radio station, CFNY switched to a primarily Top 40 format and began to identify on air as FM102. Alternative, which had supported the station for most of its history to that point, was relegated to weekends and late night programming. Certain radio analyst reports suggested that as many as 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change, but this masked the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In the summer of 1989, Selkirk was acquired by Maclean Hunter, which was committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old free form programming, however, Maclean Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional modern rock station. In the same year, "Humble" Howard Glassman and Fred Patterson launched the station's new morning show, Humble & Fred, which would go on to receive wide acclaim. In the early 1990s, the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with bands such as Barenaked Ladies, The Lowest of the Low, Rheostatics, and Sloan counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, alternative rock was the dominant commercial genre by this time, so CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it once had. Unfortunately it would also be some time before the changes were effective in resolving the staff morale problems born during the station's recent turbulent years. The most public manifestation of the station's morale woes came in 1992, when DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé live over the air. In June 1992, with the arrival of the new management team of Vince DiMaggio as general manager and Stewart Meyers as program director, sixteen staff were let go in one day. Those included Scot Turner, Don Berns, Kneale Mann (who would return three years later), Jim Duff, and others. But the 1990s were also a period of revival and sowing seeds of growth for the station. In addition to the growth of the Humble & Fred morning show, Jason Barr also joined the station at this time and would go on to become a significant contributor to CFNY. A creation of program director Stewart Meyers, on air personality Alan Cross launched a new feature on the station in 1993, The Ongoing History of New Music. The program chronicled all manner of history and trivia about the roots of rock music in a quasi documentary style. Over time the feature would come to be one of the most recognizable and long running shows on the station, being owned by the station until 2008 and continuing to air new segments up until May 2011, when Cross left the station for other opportunities; it was then revived in 2014 after he returned, and continues to air today. The mid 1990s were another era of transition for CFNY as station owner Maclean Hunter was acquired by Rogers Communications in 1994. CFNY was sold to competing telecommunications conglomerate Shaw Communications as a result of the acquisition. During this period, the station dropped its old branding and became 102.1 The Edge. For several years toward the end of the 1990s it was also referred to as Edge 102 before this was dropped in favour of the current usage. On May 1, 1996, the station finally moved from its old studio in Brampton to a new facility at Yonge Dundas Square along with a street level studio at 228 Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. broadcasting from 5:30 a. m. until 10 a. m., and was a significant driving force behind many of the station's contests and events. Shapiro was fired from the station on July 24, 2013. Josie Dye joined the station in 2003 as its new mid day host, on air from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. 2002 also saw Derek Welsman join the station as a commercial producer. Welsman was a member of the Dean Blundell morning show until the show was canceled. In June 2003, assistant program director, music director, and host Kneale Mann left the station to launch CJDV FM, a new Corus station in Kitchener Waterloo as program director. He left Corus two years later to launch CILV FM for Newcap (now Stingray) as program director in Ottawa. Mann left the station in December 2006 and created his own consulting firm MannLeadership, which he managed for 14 years. He then became a managing partner at Kenner Media, and is now an integrated marketing manager for Central Ontario Broadcasting. Alan Cross, host of The Ongoing History of New Music, as well as on air personality since 1986, departed the station in 2001 to pursue an opportunity as program director at Hamilton based radio station CJXY FM for several years. However, in 2004 he returned to the Edge as program director. His tenure as program director for the Edge garnered acclaim for both him and the station, as he was awarded Canadian Program Director of the Year three times—in 2005, 2006, and 2008. Cross returned to the station in 2014 as a programming consultant and to resurrect his popular syndicated show "The Ongoing History of New Music". For a number of years in the 2000s, it became rare that the station would announce its call letters. To most, it was simply 102.1 The Edge. Perhaps due to CRTC regulations requiring radio stations to announce their call letters, the station began in August 2005 to identify itself as both CFNY and the Edge during identification breaks. In 2006, however, the station fell afoul of the CRTC. The regulating body opted to give CFNY only a four year licence renewal, rather than the customary seven. The regulator's concerns reportedly involved the station failing once to meet its mandated Canadian content targets. Two months later, Streek took his own life on July 9. With the departure of Taylor and Streek, host Dave "Bookie" Bookman briefly took over the afternoon drive slot until the Edge hired "Fearless" Fred Kennedy, a host at Edmonton based CFBR FM to take over the position. Fred joined the Edge as afternoon drive host in August 2009, while Bookman moved to the weekday evenings time slot. Just a year later, in August 2010, Dean Blundell Show co host Jason Barr was released from his contract and left the station and formed the Biggs & Barr morning show at CHTZ FM with former Mix 99.9 announcer Chris Biggs. Derek Welsman, former commercial producer and show guest, returned to The Dean Blundell Show after a three year stint at Astral Media as permanent co host in November of that year. On September 13, 2010, the Edge left its longtime home studio at 228 Yonge Street for a new studio at the Corus Quay, at 25 Dockside Drive. The new location is adjacent to Sugar Beach, and across the street from the Kool Haus concert venue. On December 9, 2012, long time on air personality and staple Dave Bookman left the station to join the then upcoming indie station, CIND FM, making his on air debut in September 2013. Bookman died on May 21, 2019, after suffering an aneurysm. Indie 88 paid tribute to him with an entire day of programming devoted to their lost colleague.

In August, 2010 cohost Jason Barr left The Dean Blundell Show and CFNY. On July 24, 2013, it was announced that Todd Shapiro would not be returning to The Dean Blundell Show. The exact reasons have not been made public. In November 2013, the station faced criticism when Dean Blundell Show cohost Derek Welsman made on air comments about a criminal trial on which he had been the jury foreman, resulting in allegations both of homophobia—the case involved allegations of sexual assault against a client of a gay bathhouse—and of potentially causing a mistrial by publicly discussing aspects of the jury deliberations. The station announced the show's suspension on December 12, 2013, and the show was ultimately cancelled on January 6, 2014. until March 18, 2014, when former CILQ FM evening show host Dominik Diamond was announced as the morning show's new host. On March 31, 2014, the station debuted a new weekday schedule. Midday and evening hosts Josie Dye and Greg Beharrell would move to mornings to co host alongside newcomer Diamond, past host and music programmer Carlos Benevides was re hired to take over middays, while Fearless Fred returned to the afternoon drive slot joined by weekend host Melani Mariani. Longtime swing host Adam was also granted a permanent timeslot, as evening host. This lineup, however, would prove short lived. The departure of both Beharrell to KITS in San Francisco and Benevides back to mornings at CKBT FM in Kitchener was followed by the apparent dismissal of Diamond, forcing the station to rearrange its broadcast schedule for the third time in less than a year. In September 2014, Alan Cross rejoined the station as music consultant and host, relaunching The Ongoing History of New Music and a new weekday programming feature called Adventures in Vinyl. "Spirit of Radio" era personality Scot Turner, also program director for CJDV FM and CKBT FM, rejoined the station as host of Spirit of Radio Sunday, a program which focused on classic alternative rock tracks from the "Spirit of Radio" era in the 1980s. The return of Cross and Turner was intended to draw in younger listeners, as well as older audiences from the "Spirit of Radio" era who were alienated by station's "harder edged" atmosphere. Spirit of Radio Sunday became the station's highest rated program, but was discontinued following its February 1, 2015, edition because it was not sufficiently popular among the station's core 18–34 demographic. Around this time, the station retired its previous slogan ("Toronto's Alternative") and adopted its current one: "Modern Music". In February 2016, the station announced that former MuchMusic VJ and current ET Canada correspondent Rick Campanelli will join the station as cohost with Fred and Mel of the morning show, beginning June 27. In November 2018, Kolter Bouchard (ex CILQ FM) and Meredith Geddes (ex CFOX FM) were announced as the new afternoon drive show, effective immediately. After Geddes left in April 2023 to return to Vancouver and accept a position at CJAX FM, she was succeeded by Casey Jo Loos from Vancouver's CFOX FM as co host of the afternoon drive show, now called "Kolter & Casey Jo". Bouchard left the station at the end of March 2024 to become a full time online content creator

In January 2020, Ruby and Alex were released and replaced in February 2020 by the morning show team of Shawna, Chris Z and Jay Brody (known collectively as "The B Team") from Hamilton sister station CJXY FM.

Prior to 1996, CFNY studios were located in Brampton. The first location was a house at 2 Ellen Street, then to another house 340 Main Street North and finally to a strip plaza at 83 Kennedy Road South. After 1996 the studio moved to downtown Toronto with two locations on Yonge Street before its current location at Corus Quay.

102.1 The Edge has long been an international station, as its signal is strong enough that, like many other Toronto radio stations, it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the CN Tower throughout the Buffalo Niagara Falls New York market, in addition to Toronto. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened to radio stations in the world—the station ranked tenth in a 2002 Arbitron survey of the world's most listened to Internet radio streams.

CFNY launched the annual U Knows awards in 1981, to recognize Canadian musicians. Following a listener contest in 1986, they were renamed the CASBY Awards an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You (originally, Chosen As Selected By You). The event is held every summer, where awards are presented to Canadian musicians who have won the most votes from listeners.

Began in 1987 and founded by CFNY FM staffers Kneale Mann, Earl Veale, and Phil Evans as a thank you gesture to the listeners and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday and Canada Day. Since then, it has spanned 30 years, more than 300 bands, over 500,000 attendees, and five locations; Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario, the Ontario Place Forum, the Molson Amphitheatre, Downsview Park, and most recently at TD Echo Beach. It was the longest running rock festival in Canada.

Edge Free Money, originally known as Free Money Month, is a call in contest run by the station. Every day for a given period of time, a band is selected as the Edge Artist of the Day. The first time that this artist is played on air, listeners may begin calling in. The 102nd caller to get through wins $1000 from the station. In 2011, Free Money Month actually spanned three months: September, October, and November.

Since 1998, the Edge has run an annual concert series in December of each year. From 1998 to 2008, it was known as the Edge Electric Christmas. Starting in 2009, it began to be billed as Jingle Bell Rock. It is a series of several concerts which are generally in smaller concert venues, although playing in large venues is not unheard of. A percentage of proceeds from ticket sales are donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank.