CIDC-FM

Infobox Radio Station


name = CIDC-FM
airdate = 1987
frequency = 103.5 (MHz)
city = Orangeville, Ontario
area = Greater Toronto Area
format = contemporary hit radio
owner = Evanov Communications
erp = 30,700 kW
branding = "Zee 103-dot-5"
slogan = "Today's Hit Music!"
class = C
website = [http://www.z1035.com/ http://www.z1035.com/]
callsign_meaning = CI Dufferin Communications (Former owners)

CIDC-FM (Z103.5) is a Rhythmic/Dance Top 40 radio station that serves Central Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Although the station is licensed to Orangeville, and still has a transmitter there, its studios are located in Toronto. The station is owned by Evanov Communications. It fills the market's Top 40 niche and includes a certain degree of dance music in its playlists, similar to CKOI-FM in Montreal. The station can be heard as far south as St. Catharines and north to Georgian Bay.

History

The Orangeville area was struck by a tornado on May 31, 1985, and the community felt it did not receive adequate warning. As such, an application was made to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a radio station to serve Orangeville. CRTC approval was given for the station on September 10, 1986. [ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/1986/DB86-864.HTM Decision CRTC 86-864] ] The station's frequency allocation was moved from Guelph to Orangeville to allow for the service. CIDC was launched on May 1, 1987 on 103.5 FM with an ERP of 50,000 watts from a site located northwest of the town. The height of the hill (527.3 m/1,730 ft) and tower (98.1 m/322 ft) made the station antenna (0.6 m/2 ft) higher above sea level than the CN Tower.

On September 28, 1994, the CRTC approved the ownership transfer of Dufferin Communications from its shareholders to CKMW Radio Ltd., operator of Brampton multicultural station CIAO (AM). The station was branded "Hot 103 point 5" in 1995, (later calling it hot 103 dot 5) playing only dance music. The station then began adding more R&B and pop tracks to its Top 40/dance playlist in February 1998, and was renamed "Hits 103.5".

On July 28, 2000, approval was given to relocate the transmitter site from 6 km west of Orangeville town hall to 11 km east of Orangeville town hall and decrease the stations power from 50,000 watts to 30,700 watts.

On January 1, 2001, the station was renamed in imitation of New York station Z100 and became known as "Z103.5" (pronounced "zee"), though the CIDC call letters were retained.

Until the summer of 2006, Z103.5 was the only radio station in Canada that played dance music since Energy 108 changed formats. It should be noted that it was the only Top 40 station left in Toronto after Kiss 92 became Jack FM in 2003. For a brief period in 2001, CKDX-FM also played dance music but poor ratings led it to switch to an oldies format.

In the summer of 2006, Evanov launched a new station in Halifax, Nova Scotia patterned after CIDC. It uses the Z103.5 moniker but features a different logo and slogan. This is the first station of its kind in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Programming

The station aired the syndicated Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 and American Top 40 on the weekends, but has since removed those shows out of their time slots (Saturdays 9am-1pm and Sundays 5pm-10pm respectively) for newcomer Peter Kash.

From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays, Z103.5 broadcasts the "Scott Fox & The Z103.5 Morning Show". Half an hour before the morning show, a pre-show is aired.

Despite the decrease in dance music, the station's highest rated program continues to be "The Drive @ 5 Street Mix" with DJ Danny D. The show is mixed live with vinyl records and Compact Discs. A similar show, "The Power Mix" with DJ Spence Diamonds, used to air three nights a week. The show, which featured urban music, was cut in fall of 2007.

Z103.5 also had a weekly show on Sundays called the "Freestyle Frenzy", hosted by Z103.5 veteran Tony Monaco. It was solely a show of freestyle music and mixes. It aired from June 4 1995 to January 2004 , then Evanov Communications, who owns the station, cancelled it and made the time slot available for regular programming, which would become Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 countdown, and later (as mentioned above), the time slot for Peter Kash.

On-air hosts

* Scott Fox, Dave Blezard, Ashley Greco - Mornings (Weekdays 5 a.m.-9 a.m.)
* Chris Evans - Midday (Weekdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m.)
* Matt 'The Hammer' Wreggitt - Afternoon Drive (Weekdays 2 p.m.-6 p.m.)
* Tony Monaco - Evenings (Weekdays 6 p.m.-11 p.m.)
* Peter Kash - Late Nights (Weekdays 11 p.m.-4 a.m.), Saturdays (9 a.m.-1 p.m.), Sundays (6 p.m.-10 p.m.)
* Richard Correll - Saturdays (1 p.m.-6 p.m.), Sundays (2 p.m.-6 p.m.)
* Ron Young - Saturdays (6 p.m.-10 p.m.), Sundays (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)
* Rick Sargent - Afternoon News Announcer
* Stacey Englehart - Morning News Announcer

Concerts and live-to-air programs

The station annually hosts a number of live concert events. Past and present concerts include the Hot Rush (created in 1993, now Summer Rush), Euro-Freestyle Invasion (now Euro Invasion), and Partymania. Most of the concerts are sold-out because they are mostly filled with performances by dance artists that usually don't get much publicity. Interestingly, its sister station in Halifax also started holding a similar Summer Rush concert in 2007, usually around the same time as its Toronto sibling.

The station also hosts live-to-airs from various Toronto-area nightclubs three or four nights per week. Wednesdays have been wayback playbacks from Club Menage since 2002 (hence the term Wayback Wednesdays), while on Fridays, a second live-to-air from the same club is broadcast (with the theme called Fired-Up Fridays) from 10pm and 1am. Thursdays are live from Sugar Daddy's in Mississauga, playing the best R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Reggaeton. Saturday nights broadcast live from The Guvernment, after a more than decade-long run at club Paparazzi came to an end in 2003, and short-lived live-to-airs at Distrikt and Runway 224. Recently, a Sunday night party has been added, broadcasting live from Embassy nightclub.

References

External links

* [http://www.z1035.com Official Z103.5 website]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=390&historyID=172 CIDC history at Canadian Communications Foundation]
*RecnetCanada|CIDC-FM