CHAS-FM

Infobox Radio Station
name = CHAS-FM


city = Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
area =
branding = 100.5 EZ Rock
slogan = Sault Ste. Marie's Music @ Work
airdate = 1964
frequency = 100.5 MHz (FM)
format = adult contemporary
power = 33 kW
erp =
class =
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = CJIC-FM
owner = Rogers Communications
sister_stations = CJQM-FM
webcast = [http://www.ezrocksoo.com/mediaplayer/mediaPlayer.jsp For Windows]
website = [http://www.ezrocksoo.com ezrocksoo.com]
affiliations =

CHAS is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 100.5 FM in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The station, owned by Rogers Communications, uses the on-air brand EZ Rock. Prior to using the "EZ Rock" name, the station was known on the air as "Mix 100" and "Lite 100.5".

History

The station was originally launched by Highland Broadcasting on May 15, 1964 as CJIC-FM, a sister station to CJIC and CJIC-TV. In 1976, the stations briefly became the property of Huron Broadcasting, retained the television station but sold the radio stations to Gilder Broadcasting under concentration of media ownership rules. With the TV and radio stations no longer having common ownership, the radio stations adopted the new callsigns and signed on as CFYN (for the AM station) and CHAS on February 1, 1977.

The original on air schedule of CHAS included Berg Neuman 6:00 - 10:00 a.m., Morningside (CBC) 10:00 a.m. - Noon, Brian W. Martin Noon - 2:00 p.m., Fred Edwards 2:00 - 6:00 p.m., Tony Marziale 6:00 - 10:00 p.m., The World at Ten / Mostly Music 10:00 p.m. - Midnight and "The Incredible Rod Wayne" Midnight - 6:00 a.m..

In 1985, CFYN and CHAS were sold to Telemedia. Telemedia refined the "Beautiful Music" format of CHAS, incorporating elements of the "Music of Your Life" format to create a hybrid that was targeted mainly at the 45 plus listener.

As the influence of Sault, Michigan FM Top-40 radio (namely WYSS) attracted more of the Sault, Ontario audience, pressure to follow suit grew. CHAS evolved to a younger sound, moving the format from beautiful music to adult-contemporary and adopting "Lite 100.5" as the station's branding.

However, economic circumstances in the Sault Ste. Marie market and diminishing audiences on both Canadian AM stations resulting from competition from stations in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan severely curtailed the profitability of the Sault, Ontario operations. Telemedia entered into a local management agreement with Pelmorex, retaining ownership of the station but giving Pelmorex the management rights. The station subsequently moved into shared studio facilities with CJQM.

Three members of the CHAS staff were offered positions in the new operation. The rest of the staff was laid off. Marlene Yanni moved to the new operation as a sales representative, Gino Cavallo was offered the position of news and sports director of CHAS and James Warner-Smith became the program director of the new station. Gino Cavallo declined, accepting instead the public relations and play-by-play position with the Sault Greyhounds hockey club.

As of August 31, 1992, several members of the staff of the defunct CKCY (Power 92) assumed new on air positions with Mix 100, including Frank Raven, Scott Turnbull, John Campbell, John Murtha, Mitch Drolet and Dan Bonk.

CHAS continued to broadcast for the next seven years as Mix 100. Among the benchmarks of that time for the station, were reaching a weekly audience of 30,000 listeners and negotiating the broadcast rights for all Sault Greyhounds home and away games away from the Sault Michigan based Talk Radio 1400.

Telemedia bought CJQM from Pelmorex in 1999 and assumed control of the Sault Ste. Marie operation. At this point CHAS, along with other Telemedia stations in Northeastern Ontario adopted the "EZ Rock" format patterned after Standard Broadcasting's 97.3 EZ Rock in Toronto.

In 2002, a number of Telemedia radio stations, including the two in Sault Ste. Marie were acquired by Standard Broadcasting. Standard sold both CHAS and CJQM to Rogers Broadcasting almost immediately.

External links

* [http://www.ezrocksoo.com EZ ROCK SOO]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=281&historyID=304 CHAS history at Canadian Communications Foundation]
*RecnetCanada|CHAS-FM