CFUN (AM)

Infobox Radio Station
name=CFUN


airdate=April 10, 1922
frequency=1410 kHz (AM)
area=Vancouver, BC
format=talk
owner=CTVglobemedia
licensee = CHUM Radio
erp=50 kW
branding=Talk 1410
slogan=The Buzz of Vancouver
class=
former_callsigns=CJCE (1922)
CFCQ (1922-1928)
CKMO (1928-1955)
CKVN (1969-1973)
website= [http://www.cfun.com/ CFUN] |

CFUN is a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. On 1410 AM, it is owned by CTVglobemedia and currently has a talk radio format.

History

CFUN first signed on the air on April 10, 1922, as CJCE, co-owned by Sprott-Shaw Schools of Commerce & Wireless Telegraphy and Radio Specialties Ltd. and operating at 750 AM on 5 watts of power. Radio Specialties opened CFCQ ten days later, on 450 meters with transmission power of 40 watts; the two stations were merged by Sprott-Shaw in 1924, with the unified operation assuming the CFCQ calls and increasing its power to 50 watts. CFCQ increased power again to 1000 watts in 1925 and moved to 730 AM to share time with CKCD and Nanaimo station CFDC before cutting power back to 50 watts the following year.

CFCQ changed its call letters to CKMO in 1928 and moved to the Bekins Building, 815 West Hastings Street, in 1929, then switched frequencies to its present 1410 AM and moved to 812 Robson Street in 1933 before power returned to 1000 watts in 1941.

CKMO underwent major changes in 1955 when it was sold to Radio C-FUN Ltd., which changed the station's calls to CFUN on February 14 of that year (the CKMO calls are now used by a Victoria college campus station known as Village 900). In 1959, CFUN increased power to 10,000 watts and moved their studios to 1900 West 4th Avenue, then introduced a Top 40 music format in 1960 to challenge the supremacy of Vancouver rock-n-roll powerhouse CKWX (the former CFDC).

During much of the 1960s, CFUN's disc jockey crew, known on-air as the "Good Guys", became well-known to Vancouver radio listeners. These were some of them during the station's Top 40 heyday:

*Frosty Forst
*Al Jordan
*Ed Karl
*Fred Latremouille (a.k.a. Latrimo)
*John Tanner
*Peter Alpen
*Neil Soper
*Terry David Mulligan
*Tom Peacock
*Red Robinson (joined from CKWX in 1962)

CFUN's early Top 40 era ended on September 18, 1967, when the format was dropped for easy listening music. On May 28, 1968, the station was sold to Montreal-based Radio Futura Ltd., and on July 1, 1969, the station changed its call letters to CKVN, adopted a primarily all-news format (with music overnight) and increased transmission power to 50,000 watts.

CKVN dropped its news format and returned to a Top 40 format in March 1970. The station was sold to CHUM Western Ltd. (a division of CHUM Limited) on January 1, 1973, and regained the CFUN calls on September 30. In 1984, CHUM Western was merged into CHUM Limited, and CFUN dropped Top 40 again for an adult contemporary format on December 19 of that year.

CFUN gained an FM sister station in 1990 when parent CHUM Limited bought CHQM-FM, whose format was changed from easy listening to adult contemporary ("Favorites of Yesterday and Today") in 1992. Both stations moved to their present studios at 380 West 2nd Avenue early in 1993, and on March 27, 1996, CFUN switched to its present talk radio format. More stations joined CFUN and CHQM-FM under the CHUM banner when CKVU-TV was purchased in November 2001, followed by CKST (TEAM 1040) in 2003.

On July 12, 2006, it was announced that CHUM Limited would be purchased by CTVglobemedia, owner of CTV. The purchase includes CHUM's Vancouver radio stations (including CFUN) and all of its Victoria stations, while CKVU is to be sold to Rogers Communications (as part of the sale of the Citytv system, which was a condition of the CRTC's approval of the CTVglobemedia purchase of CHUM Limited). CTVglobemedia officially became the owner of CFUN and most other CHUM properties on June 22, 2007.

In late January, 2008, Shane Foxman left the CFUN Morning Show. Some say the future of CFUN is unstable, indicating a format change is imminent. The domain name "buzz1410.com" has been purchased, and many point to this becoming the station's new name (with a news format).

On August 14, 2008, licensee proposes to move the transmitter from its current location to a new site, owned by the licensee, approximately eight kilometres south-east. [ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2008/pb2008-71.htm#8 Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2008-71] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.cfun.com/ CFUN]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=62&historyID=24 CFUN history at Canadian Communications Foundation website]
* [http://www3.telus.net/vanradiomuseum/CFUNGallery.html CFUN history at Vancouver Radio Museum]
* [http://www.VancouverTop40Radio.com/Station%20Selection/CFUN/cfun_year.htm CFUN Top 40 surveys, 1959-1967] (includes audio jingles)
*RecnetCanada|CFUN