Last day at 1331 Yonge

[Howaboutthat]

I could be wrong on this, but hasn't Global BC/BCTV/CHAN been at the same location, Enterprise in Burnaby, since 1961?

[radiofan]

CHAN may have started off in a temporary studio in town, but yes, they have been in Lake City for almost 50 years.

The building was almost new when Pluto would go down with his bagfulls of Old Dutch labels to try and win prizes on Old Dutch Windmill. And of course, it was the home of Peter Rolston and George and Cindy, Bob Hutton's Planet Pals, Fred Asher Wrassling with Ron Morier, Russ Simpson and Royalite Windfall, Buddy Clyde's Dance Party which became Fred Latremouille's Dance Party .. (and who could forget, the best lunch place in all of Burnaby!)

A lot of history in that building.

[Steve Sanderson]

CHAN may have started off in a temporary studio in town, but yes, they have been in Lake City for almost 50 years.

The building was almost new when Pluto would go down with his bagfulls of Old Dutch labels to try and win prizes on Old Dutch Windmill. And of course, it was the home of Peter Rolston and George and Cindy, Bob Hutton's Planet Pals, Fred Asher Wrassling with Ron Morier, Russ Simpson and Royalite Windfall, Buddy Clyde's Dance Party which became Fred Latremouille's Dance Party .. (and who could forget, the best lunch place in all of Burnaby!)

A lot of history in that building.

radiofan....You mean the cafeteria at Global/BCTV has great food??
And...you didn't come up with eating there last Monday??

[cart_machine]

The building was almost new when Pluto would go down with his bagfulls of Old Dutch labels to try and win prizes on Old Dutch Windmill.

I'd ask if that's how he won Mrs. Pluto, but I won't because I get the feeling I wouldn't want to rile her.

cArtie.

[mightymouth]

CHAN may have started off in a temporary studio in town, but yes, they have been in Lake City for almost 50 years.

it was the home of Peter Rolston and George and Cindy, Bob Hutton's Planet Pals, Fred Asher Wrassling with Ron Morier, Russ Simpson and Royalite Windfall, Buddy Clyde's Dance Party which became Fred Latremouille's Dance Party ..

Did Fred Latremouille host both Dance Party and Let's Go on CBC??

[radiofan]

He did .. at different times.

[Promotions Guy]

Jon I think in the 60's CRFN started downtown in the CPR Building then moved to Broadcast House. When I worked there, late 70s through 90s, the FM station (CFRN FM, CKXM, CKJE) lived in the log cabin across the parking lot from the main building. My office used to be part of (as I was told) the original engineer's kitchen when the building served as a transmitter shack and home. Much of our library, and almost all the archives from Jockey G were stored in the basement which was nothing more than a dug out. WHen Dr. Rice sold to Eletrohome much talk about renovating the main building and donating the log cabin to Fort Edmonton Park. However in their wisdom the people at the Fort said no the building didn't fit. Imagine it was the oldest and only radio station operating in a log cabin circa 1930. The plan was to move the building and all the equipment to Fort Edmonton and use it on weekends and for special events. Chalk another great one up to the City of Edmonton. So the bulldozers were brought in and CKXM (NOW THE BEAR), was bulldozed equipment and all. At least as staff we all got out first!

Maybe one day someone will save some of the history that paved the way for all of us.

[jon]

Promotions Guy is correct. It wasn't until 1964 that CFRN-AM moved (its studios) from the CPR Building downtown to the famous log cabin along what was then the highway to Jasper, and well outside Edmonton City Limits. CFRN had been in the CPR Building since 1935, when CFRN moved out of the Birks Building to make way for CJCA, as part of the change in ownership of CFRN, including a call letter change from CFTP, from Taylor & Pearson, when T&P won the contract to manage the Edmonton Journal-owned CJCA.

The log cabin site was first used as the CFRN-AM transmitter site in 1947. Both CFRN-FM (1951) and CFRN-TV (1954) originally signed on from transmitters on that site. CFRN-TV also had studios there from the start.

CFRN-AM's transmitter site was moved South and slightly West in 1959 when power was increased from 5,000 to 10,000 watts. I'm assuming that a directional pattern was required at night beginning in 1959, to protect KYA San Francisco, but it certainly was in 1961 when CFRN went to 50,000 watts.

The 1964 date for moving the CFRN-AM studios to the log cabin coincides with the move to separate programming, rather than simulcast, on CFRN-FM, making it seem likely that additional space was either not available and/or too expensive in the CPR Building.

[Craig]

Hey guys, I had a question - what music formats did CFRN-AM have during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s? In the 80s, I remember John Short had a sports show in the evening and CFRN had live broadcasts of Edmonton Oilers hockey games but I can't remember what type of music they played. I think they had an soft rock/easy listening format but I'm but 100% sure.

I know CFRN had an oldies format back in the early 1990s - Wes Montgomery was the morning DJ and I remember Alan Mitchell, Cynthia Charles and Steve Moore as DJs. In 1996 or 1997, CFRN switched to an Adult Standards format (I believe they shared programming with 1060 CKMX in Calgary). Bob Arnold came out of retirement to become the station's new morning DJ, but he was only there for a short time - he was later replaced by Chuck Chandler. A few year later, CFRN switched back to oldies and they were simulcasting music and programming from 650 CISL in Vancouver. In 2002, CFRN switched to an all sports format which it remains to this day.

[jon]

I couldn't find much in CCF's broadcasting-history.ca that will help, but here is what I remember:

• mid-1960s, 1966 would be my best guess - CFRN, presumably feeling the heat from CHQT's signon a couple of years earlier, switches from what was called Background Music to Top 40, allowing the elevator music to continue on CFRN-FM
• 1997 is almost certainly the date for the beginning of CFRN's short-lived Adult Standards format, as that is when Chuck Chandler came back to the station, doing PM Drive. Almost like their pre-1966 format, except heavily into vocals like Nat King Cole. What little I heard, and the Edmonton Journal article that interviewed Chuck Chandler shortly after the launch, do not support any connection of the Calgary station, but maybe it was just overnights.
• 1998 - CFRN switched to Oldies, independent of CISL Vancouver. I even remember live local announcers on weekends.
• in or before November 1998- CFRN continued with Oldies, but simulcast with CISL Vancouver. The breaks were local: jingles, commercials, PSA's and promotions. The only exceptions to simulcasting were 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays, and during CISL's play-by-play Sports broadcasts; CFRN had none of their own. Chuck Chandler did 6-9am and 9-10am was jockless. PD Steve Moore usually voice tracked the replacement programming during CISL's live Sports.
• June 3, 2002 is the day that comes to mind as the day that Team 1260 signed on.

As for the formats between 1966 and 1997, after a long run as Top 40, there were periods of Soft Rock and Oldies, but it was a very tough market, with stations like CHED, CKRA-FM (K-Lite and Mix-96), CHQT (Familiar Favourites where, at one time, they played more Motown than any other station in town) and all incarnations (1070, 1200 and then to FM) of the station that became Easy Rock. Not to mention their own FM, CKXM/CJKE.