CHWE-FM (106.1 FM, "Energy 106") is a radio station in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Owned by

Evanov Communications Evanov Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. It is also the sole owner of Dufferin Communications Inc., 80% owner of Halifax Broadcasting Ltd. and Ottawa Media Inc. The group of Evanov companies owns and operates a number of ra ...

, it broadcasts a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

format. CHWE-FM's studios and offices are located behind

Polo Park Polo Park (corporately styled as CF Polo Park) is a shopping centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is situated on the former Polo Park Racetrack near the junction of Portage Avenue and St. James Street. Its grounds also includes a Scotiaba ...

at 202-1440 Jack Blick Avenue in Winnipeg, with sister stations CKJS-FM and

CFJL-FM CFJL-FM (100.5 FM broadcasting, FM, ''Hot 100.5'') is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Owned by Evanov Communications, it broadcasts a classic hits radio format focusing on pop music, pop, rhythmic contemporary, ...

. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is located at Duff Roblin Provincial Park.

History

On May 8, 2009,

Evanov Radio Group Evanov Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. It is also the sole owner of Dufferin Communications Inc., 80% owner of Halifax Broadcasting Ltd. and Ottawa Media Inc. The group of Evanov companies owns and operates a number of ra ...

was granted approval by the

CRTC The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

to launch a new Winnipeg radio station on the 106.1 FM frequency. At first it was rumored that the company was going to launch another "Jewel" radio station, similar to

CKDX-FM CKDX-FM (88.5 MHz, ''Hot Country 88.5'') is a radio station licensed to Newmarket, Ontario, Canada and serving the Greater Toronto Area. Owned by Evanov Communications (but with a 30% stake held by outside investors under numbered companies), ...

and various other stations around Ontario, as the Winnipeg station was registered as CFJL-FM. On June 8, 2011, the station began testing its signal. On July 29, 2011, CJFL launched as

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

''Energy 106''. On October 14, the station added live shows from local

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

on Friday and Saturday nights, and launched its full-time airstaff on October 19. On November 26, 2011, CFJL changed its

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

to CHWE-FM, to match the "Energy" moniker. The CFJL call sign would move to its

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

. The new station's

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-leaning playlist paid off in the Numeris ratings, where in its first book it took a 6.9% share of the audience. The station has since moved to a more mainstream Top 40 direction, although it continues to carry a DJ mixshow on weekdays during afternoon drive, and on Saturday nights. In August 2020, Dave Wheeler, formerly of

CITI-FM CITI-FM (92.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station broadcasting in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Owned by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media, the station broadcasts a mainstream rock format branded as ''92.1 CITI''. Its studios are lo ...

, was announced as the station's new morning host beginning August 31. The hiring proved controversial, as he had originally been fired from CITI in 2018 after making

transphobic Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social ...

comments on his morning show. The station's program director defended the hiring, stating that Wheeler had "changed to fit us". Wheeler stated that "I have done a lot of work on me. It's profoundly personal when you take a deep look inside. I have put it all in the rear-view."

References

External links

*
CHWE-FM
at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the

Canadian Communications Foundation The Canadian Communications Foundation (CCF) was a Canadian nonprofit organization which documented the history of broadcasting in Canada, particularly radio and television networks, programs and broadcasters. The organization was established in ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chwe-Fm Hwe Hwe Hwe Radio stations established in 2011 2011 establishments in Manitoba