CBX (AM)

CBX

City	Edmonton, Alberta
Broadcast area	Northern Alberta
Branding	CBC Radio One
Frequency	740 kHz (AM)
First air date	1948
Format	public broadcasting
Power	50,000 watts
Class	B
Transmitter coordinates	53°19′10″N 113°26′43″W / 53.31944°N 113.44528°W / 53.31944; -113.44528
Owner	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Sister stations	CBX-FM, CHFA, CBCX-FM, CBXT-DT, CBXFT-DT
Website	CBC Edmonton

CBX is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 740 AM in Edmonton, Alberta. It broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network. CBX is a Class B station broadcasting on a Canadian clear-channel frequency; the dominant station on 740 AM is CFZM in Toronto, Ontario. CBX's studios are located at Edmonton City Centre on 102nd Avenue Northwest in downtown Edmonton, while its transmitters are located near Beaumont.

It is the second most listened-to radio station in the Edmonton market according to the Fall 2014 PPM ratings.^[1]

History

The station was originally launched in 1948 on AM 1010. It served the southern two-thirds of Alberta, including Edmonton and Calgary, from a single 50,000-watt transmitter site at Lacombe, near Red Deer--roughly halfway between Edmonton and Calgary. Prior to its launch, CBC Radio programming aired in Edmonton on private affiliate CFRN 1260. In 1953, with signal reception in the city deteriorating, the rebroadcaster CBXA was launched on 740.

In 1964, the CBC launched separate radio services in Edmonton and Calgary. CBX was reoriented to be Edmonton's CBC station, and its transmitter was relocated to Beaumont on CBXA's frequency of 740. CBR signed on as Calgary's CBC outlet, using CBX's old frequency of AM 1010.

In 2004, CBC Edmonton operations moved into a new digital broadcast facility downtown, bringing all operations of Radio and TV, under one roof. The old TV facility on 75th Street had 70,000 square feet (6,500 m²), while the Radio building on 51st Ave. had 48,000 square feet (4,500 m²). The new combined facility has 38,700 total square feet. It is located at the Edmonton City Centre, on Winston Churchill Square.

On March 16, 2006, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the station's application to add a "nested" FM transmitter at 93.9 MHz in Edmonton to simulcast the AM programming.^[2] This relay, CBX-2-FM, officially began April 20, 2007.

Local programming

Local programs produced by CBC Edmonton and aired on CBX include Edmonton AM, and Radio Active. CBX also produces half-hourly news bulletins between 5:30 AM and 6:00 PM each weekday. Provincial or national news bulletins air on CBX outside of those hours. World Report and The World This Hour also airs at the top of each hour during Edmonton AM and Radio Active, respectively.

CBC Edmonton also produces two music shows for the entire CBC radio networks: Saturday Night Blues and Canada Live air nationally on CBC Radio One/Sirius 137, and CBC Radio 2, respectively.

The last few BBM radio ratings measurements have shown CBX steadily climbing in audience share in Edmonton. As of the spring 2009 BBM measurement, CBX is the second-most listened to radio-station in Edmonton, behind news-talk radio station CHED. Edmonton AM also ranks second in the morning, while Radio Active ranks fourth amongst the afternoon radio drive-time shows.^[3]

Transmitters

On September 10, 2012, the CBC applied to move the following CBC low-power AM transmitters to the FM band. The CBC received approval on January 31, 2013 to convert the remaining AM transmitters to the FM band and the new FM transmitters will operate on these following frequencies: ^[4]

• Edson – CBXD 1540 – to 95.3 with 50 watts
• Fort Vermilion – CBKC 1460 – to 105.1 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXF)
• Grande Cache – CBWI 1450 – to 92.3 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXC)
• High Level – CBKD 1560 – to 99.5 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXL) (originally approved to move to 88.1 in 1986)^[5]
• Rainbow Lake – CBXX 1240 – to 101.5 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXW-FM)

On October 25, 2013, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to delete the following low-power AM transmitter, CBXH John D'Or Prairie. An FM transmitter operates at 102.5 FM as CBXH-FM. ^[6]

The AM transmitters were deleted once the new FM transmitters commenced operation.

• (Further information: List of defunct CBC radio transmitters in Canada)

References

External links

• CBC Edmonton
• CBX history - Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CBX