CFMI-FM

CFMI-FM

City of license	New Westminster, British Columbia
Broadcast area	Metro Vancouver
Branding	Classic Rock 101
Slogan	Vancouver's Classic Rock
Frequency	101.1 MHz (FM)
First air date	March 22, 1970
Format	Classic rock
ERP	75 kilowatts
HAAT	686 metres
Class	C
Transmitter coordinates	49°21′27″N 122°57′14″W / 49.357365°N 122.953776°W / 49.357365; -122.953776 (CFMI-FM Tower)Coordinates: 49°21′27″N 122°57′14″W / 49.357365°N 122.953776°W / 49.357365; -122.953776 (CFMI-FM Tower)
Callsign meaning	C FM I (Roman numeral, reference to former on-air branding FM One)
Owner	Corus Entertainment (Corus Premium Television Ltd.)
Webcast	Listen live
Website	Classic Rock 101

CFMI-FM (identified on air and in print as Classic Rock 101) is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 101.1 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver. Owned by Corus Entertainment, the studios are located in Downtown Vancouver, in the TD Tower. The station has a classic rock format.

History

CFMI dates back to 1947 which never made it on the air until the late 1960s. Over the years, the station added FM transmitters in most of British Columbia. On July 26, 2011, CFMI-FM received Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval by increasing New Westminister's transmitter to the average effective radiated power (ERP) from 37,000 to 53,000 watts (maximum ERP from 75,000 to 100,000 watts), by decreasing the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 686 to 386.4 meters and by relocating its transmitter. ^[1]

Overview

The station signed on with a very-short-lived country music format. This was followed by a light-popular music format ("pop for adults"). CFMI was distinguished in its earlier years by being a technical innovator of early automation systems. Stereo automation systems of the day relied heavily on reel-to-reel tape machines for music. CFMI's automation had no reel machines, but relied totally on cartridge carousels, which allowed greater programming flexibility ("random access"), but no broadcast cartridges of the day could reproduce quality stereo. The response of CFMI's engineers was to invent a new cartridge that could: the Aristocart. Parent company Western International Communications went on to develop a manufacturing division, exporting these improved cartridges to broadcasters around the world. Today's broadcasters use computer systems with large hard drives to reproduce music digitally, and have no need of tape systems. But in its heyday (circa 1975-1990), the Aristocart was an improvement to a technical problem shared by all commercial stereo broadcasters.

Among CFMI's programming innovations was Discumentary, a one-hour musical documentary of programming featuring a particular artist or a particular theme. This was developed in response to the CRTC's requirement for foreground programming. The Discumentary programs were written and voiced by Dave McCormick, and syndicated throughout Canada. Later, CRTC regulations phased out the need for foreground programming, and CFMI phased out Discumentary.

Rebroadcasters

CFMI also operates on a number of low-power FM transmitters and cable channels.

Alberta

• VF2213 96.5 FM - Luscar ^[2]

British Columbia

• CFMI-FM-1 90.7 FM - Whistler ^[3]
• VF2000 95.1 FM - Donald Station ^[4]
• VF2004 101.1 FM - Granisle ^[5]
• VF2006 92.9 FM - Boston Bar ^[6]
• VF2051 101.1 FM - Tumbler Ridge ^[7]
• VF2062 99.9 FM - Atlin ^[8]
• VF2100 99.9 FM - Fort St. James ^[9]
• VF2104 100.5 FM - Chetwynd ^[10]
• VF2122 91.1 FM - Valemount ^[11]
• VF2151 101.1 FM - McBride ^[12]
• VF2194 104.5 FM - Riley Creek ^[13]
• VF2209 103.5 FM - Kemano ^[14]
• VF2223 100.1 FM - Dease Lake ^[15]
• VF2287 92.7 FM - Hagensborg ^[16]
• VF2296 90.5 FM - Burton ^[17]
• VF2316 92.1 FM - Avola ^[18]
• VF2318 93.9 FM - Blue River ^[19]
• VF2327 101.1 FM - Bralorne ^[20]
• VF2378 104.7 FM - Campbell River
• VF2380 104.7 FM - Tofino ^[21]
• VF2381 104.9 FM - Ucluelet ^[22]
• VF2473 92.1 FM - Fraser Lake

Newfoundland and Labrador

• VF2076 92.3 FM - Burgeo ^[23]

Saskatchewan

• VF2212 101.1 FM - Carrot River ^[24]
• VF2376 101.1 FM - La Ronge ^[25]

Washington State

• CFMI-FM 101.1 - Northwestern interior of the state. Can be heard in areas of Kitsap & Mason counties, depending if you have a high enough altitude.
• Comcast Cable Channel 979 - Puget Sound area of Western Washington.

References

1. ^ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-440.htm
2. ^ Decision CRTC 93-278
3. ^ Decision CRTC 2000-207
4. ^ Decision CRTC 96-6
5. ^ Decision CRTC 96-37
6. ^ Decision CRTC 86-270
7. ^ Decision CRTC 92-736
8. ^ Decision CRTC 88-860
9. ^ Decision CRTC 90-373
10. ^ Decision CRTC 94-123
11. ^ Decision CRTC 90-1042
12. ^ Decision CRTC 91-871
13. ^ Décision CRTC 99-44
14. ^ Decision CRTC 93-66
15. ^ Decision CRTC 93-708
16. ^ Decision CRTC 95-55
17. ^ Decision CRTC 95-792
18. ^ Decision CRTC 98-145
19. ^ Decision CRTC 98-144
20. ^ Decision CRTC 96-640
21. ^ Decision CRTC 2001-392
22. ^ Decision CRTC 2001-393
23. ^ Decision CRTC 89-423
24. ^ Decision CRTC 2001-7
25. ^ Decision CRTC 99-517

External links

• Classic Rock 101
• CFMI-FM history at Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CFMI-FM