CKTG-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 105.3
FM in
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, owned by
Acadia Broadcasting
Acadia Broadcasting Limited is a Canadian radio broadcasting Broadcast network, network that operates 5 FM broadcasting, FM radio Radio broadcasting, stations in Northwestern Ontario and 10 in the Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Canadian provinces of New ...
. The station broadcasts a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
format using the on-air brand name as ''Country 105''.
History
The station was launched in 1944 as CFPA at 1230 kHz, an
AM Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
's
Dominion Network
The Dominion Network was the second English-language radio network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from January 1, 1944 to 1962.
It consisted of the CBC-owned CJBC (AM), CJBC radio station in Toronto and a series of 34 privately owned ...
station owned by local businessman Ralph Parker. When the Dominion Network dissolved in 1962, CFPA transferred its affiliation to the main
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
network. It ceased airing CBC programming in 1972, adopting a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
format.
In 1980, the station was purchased by Leader Broadcasting and adopted the call sign CJLB. In 1988, the station was acquired by
Newcap Broadcasting. On July 27, 1984, CJLB became an affiliate of ''
American Top 40
''American Top 40'' (abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally radio syndication, syndicated, independent song countdown radio programming, radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs (broadcaster), Ron Jaco ...
'' with
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40'', as well as the weekly syndicated televi ...
.
On December 13, 1984, the CRTC approved a number of applications for a number of AM radio stations across Ontario including CJLB Thunder Bay to increase their nighttime power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts.
In 1986, CJLB received CRTC approval to add a
low-power FM transmitter in
Nipigon
Nipigon () is a township in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located along the west side of the Nipigon River and south of the small Helen Lake running between Lake Nipigon and Lake Superior. Lake Nipigon is located approxima ...
/
Red Rock on 96.3 MHz to rebroadcast the programs of CJLB Thunder Bay. CJLB applied to move Nipigon's frequency to 96.1 MHz, and it is uncertain if this was ever implemented.
In 1995, Newcap entered a
local marketing agreement
In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...
with
Dougall Media, giving Dougall the right to manage the station. On November 2, 1994, CJLB was given approval by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
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 ...
(CRTC) to convert to FM. In 1996, the station moved to 105.3 MHz.
In 2002, CJLB adopted a
hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
/
CHR format as ''Hot 105''. In 2004, Dougall terminated the LMA when Newcap applied to purchase
CJUK. Newcap changed CJLB's callsign to its current CKTG calls and adopted its current
classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
format as ''105.3 The Giant'' in early 2005. In mid-2005,
CFQK-FM in
Kaministiquia, Ontario
Kaministiquia () is a community in the Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Thunder Bay District on Highway 102 (Ontario), Highway 102 approximately 30 kilometres west of Thunder Bay. A designated p ...
, located near Thunder Bay which had no affiliation with CKTG dropped their "Larry FM"
variety hits format for
Hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
/
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
as ''HOT FM''.
On March 16, 2009, CKTG became the first radio station in Canada to carry ''
The Bob & Tom Show
''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Pre ...
'', a syndicated radio show from the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
On July 14, 2009, Newcap announced it would be selling CKTG and sister station
CJUK-FM to
Acadia Broadcasting
Acadia Broadcasting Limited is a Canadian radio broadcasting Broadcast network, network that operates 5 FM broadcasting, FM radio Radio broadcasting, stations in Northwestern Ontario and 10 in the Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Canadian provinces of New ...
for $4.5 million
CAD plus working capital. The sale received CRTC approval on December 2, 2009.
Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-461
/ref>
In early October 2010, CKTG-FM changed its format again, to adult hits, playing a variety of music "From the '60s, 70's, 80's and beyond", and re-branded as ''The New Giant FM''.
In March 2014, CKTG made the change to its format, switching to country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
re-branded as ''Country 105''.
When atmospheric conditions are right, CKTG can be heard across Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...
in Munising and Marquette, Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
.
References
External links
Country 105
CKTG-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 ...
*
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Radio stations established in 1944
1944 establishments in Ontario
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