In 2004, the CRTC licensed Sonic-FM (CHDI-FM) to Edmonton as Modern Rock, but it would be a full year before they actually hit the air, from a construction trailer. O.K. Radio was the owner. They had started in 1973 in Fort McMurray but had been running an Ethnic station (CKER) in Edmonton since 1980, first on AM (1480) then FM.
On that same day, the CRTC licensed The Bounce (CHBN-FM) in Edmonton. Contrary to popular misconception, CHUM only owned 51% of the original licensed company. The other 49% was owned by Milestone Media Broadcasting Ltd., who operate CFXJ-FM in Toronto.
Also on that day, the CRTC licensed Magic 99 (CHMC-FM) in Edmonton to Rawlco. It was more than a year and a half before they hit the air, surprising many who thought it would be a pure Smooth Jazz station. The station brought together a lot of well-known Edmonton radio names from day one, including Rob Christie, Duncan Paterson, Allison Bailer and Mike Sobel. All but Allison (stolen from Corus) had been off the air in Edmonton for some time, though Mike had been an Edmonton TV weather guy forever.
Rawlco and the Magic/Majic name have another association with this date. On this day in 1991, Rawlco received CRTC approval for 100.3MHz for Majic 100 CJMJ-FM, a station approved nearly a year and a half earlier, but without a frequency!
This truly is a "magic" day for Rawlco. In 2005, on this day, they received CRTC approval for a CKBI repeater in La Ronge (Sask.).
