CIGM

Infobox Radio Station
name = CIGM


area = Sudbury, Ontario
branding = 790 CIGM
slogan = Sudbury's news leader.
airdate = 1965 (FM)
1990 (AM)
frequency = 790 kHz (AM)
format = news/sports/country music
erp = 50 kW
class =
owner = Rogers Communications "(sale pending to Newcap)"
website = [http://www.790cigm.com/ 790 CIGM]
callsign_meaning =

CIGM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts in Sudbury, Ontario. The station broadcasts country music, news and sports, at 790 on the AM dial.

The station first aired at FM 92.7 in 1965, with the call letters CKSO-FM. It adopted the CIGM calls in 1977. CIGM and sister station CKSO-AM were owned by Cambrian Broadcasting, who sold them to United Broadcasting in 1979. In 1986, United sold CKSO and CIGM to Telemedia.

In 1990, CKSO and CIGM swapped frequencies. CIGM moved to CKSO's 790 slot on the AM dial, and CKSO took on the new call letters CJRQ and CIGM's 92.7 FM frequency. After the 1990 swap, the CKSO call sign no longer existed in the Sudbury area until a Christian music station began test transmissions in late 2002.

In 2002, Telemedia was purchased by Standard Broadcasting. Shortly afterward, Standard sold CJRQ, CIGM and CJMX to Rogers Communications.

In fall 2005, CIGM and sister station CKAT in North Bay underwent a format change, with country music cut back — although not entirely eliminated — in favour of increased news and sports programming.

ale

In July 2008, Rogers announced it would trade CIGM to Newcap Broadcasting in exchange for Halifax AM station CFDR (the transaction is pending CRTC approval). Both stations are the sole remaining AM stations in their respective markets, and in both cases the current owner already has the maximum permitted number of FM stations in the applicable market, whereas the acquirer only has a single FM station. Both companies will be applying to move the stations to FM as part of the trade. [ [http://www.northernlife.ca/News/LocalNews/2008/07-24-08-radio.asp?NLStory=07-24-08-radio "Local country station will be converted to FM"] , "Northern Life", July 24, 2008. ] [ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Hearings/2008/n2008-10.htm#14 Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2008-10] ] Newcap has applied to convert CIGM to 93.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts. [ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Hearings/2008/n2008-10.htm#16 Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2008-10] ]

If approved, the purchase will make CIGM a sister station to Newcap's CHNO-FM. With the concurrent launch of a new FM country music station, CICS-FM, by Larche Communications in the city, an FM conversion for CIGM may also presage a future format change for the station. Although the conversion application indicates that the station will maintain its current format at the present time, Newcap had applied for a contemporary hit radio station in the round of CRTC hearings which resulted in the license for CICS.

References

External links

* [http://www.790cigm.com/ 790 CIGM]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php?id=287&historyID=93 History of CIGM-AM from the Canadian Communications Foundation page]
* [http://www.ckso.com/ Historical information on CKSO Radio and Television in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada]
*RecnetCanada|CIGM