CFQM-FM

CFQM-FM

City	Moncton, New Brunswick
Branding	103.9 Max FM
Slogan	Moncton's Greatest Hits!
Frequency	103.9 MHz (FM)
First air date	March 1, 1977
Format	Classic hits
ERP	70,000 watts
Callsign meaning	Canada's Finest Quality Music
Owner	Maritime Broadcasting System
Sister stations	CKCW-FM, CHOY-FM
Website	www.1039maxfm.com

CFQM-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting from Moncton, New Brunswick at 103.9 FM owned by the Maritime Broadcasting System. The station currently airs a classic hits format and is branded on-air as MAX 103.9 FM. Since 1977, the station has had numerous music formats such as easy listening, middle of the road, country and adult contemporary. From 1979 to 1998, it had a successful country music format.

History

In 1976, Island Radio Broadcasting Co. received approval by the CRTC to operate a new FM radio station at 103.9 FM with an effective radiated power of 24,600 watts as it would be the first FM radio station in Moncton. The company had requested the 95.7 FM frequency for this station but the national public broadcaster CBC wanted that channel signal to be reserved for its future use in the Atlantic region.

Island Radio was a division of Eastern Broadcasting Co. Ltd, which became Maritime Broadcasting System (MBS radio) in the 1980s.^[1]

CFQM-FM first signed on the air on March 1, 1977, originally with an easy listening format.^[2] At the time, Moncton had three radio stations. Privately owned sister station CKCW-AM; CBA-AM, a 50,000-watt clear-channel CBC public network station outlet; and CBAF-AM, the French counterpart of the CBC/Radio-Canada network for Atlantic Canada.

In 1979, the Canadian Maritime provinces only had a handful FM terrestrial radio stations: CFBC-FM, CKWM-FM, CJCB-FM, CBC Stereo (CBH-FM), CHFX-FM, and C100-FM. Owing to the CRTC mandate, it prohibited the same genre of music to be heard full-time. Late evening and weekend blocks were set aside for specialty variety programs such as journals, classical and French music which abided by its licence requirements and agreements.

In January 1979, CFQM-FM switched to a country music format re-branding itself as “Country 104 FM CFQM” (representing its FM 104 dial position). Prior to the station's format switch to country music, sister station, CKCW-AM, fill in the gap with an afternoon country music block throughout the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s. Coincidentally its call sign stands for Canada Knows Country and Western (during CKCW's days as a country music station).

Other slogans of CFQM in the 1980s were Country Stereo 104 FM and FM-104 CFQM. Subsequently during the 1990s new country slogans would be introduced to the station until its format change in 1998.

MBS Radio in Moncton, which currently operates three terrestrial radio stations, are located at 1000 St George Boulevard. From 1977 to 1981, They operated at 780 Main Street in the city hall building. Besides CFQM, sister station CKCW-AM was in the lobby of the Assumption place complex in which the city hall building was part of. Notably, the two stations shared the same newsman/journalist. Both CKCW & CFQM's studios were visible from the Assumption place main entrance. Subsequently after CKCW left its downtown location in July 1981, a private French radio station, CHLR-AM, began broadcasting from the former studios in October of that same year.^[3]
On June 7, 1988, CFQM was granted an application to increase their power from 24,300 to 70,000 watts.^[1] In 1987, Moncton had received a new FM license which would brought competition to the Moncton radio market, respectively.

Current format (1998–present)

CFQM-FM's country music format moved to its AM sister station CKCW in 1998 when the station became Magic 104 FM with an adult contemporary format. In 2001 CKCW moved from its AM dial to 94.5 FM and became known as K94.5. On July 31, 2009, the station flipped from adult contemporary as Magic 104, to its current classic hits format as 103.9 Max FM. The station recently added 90s and current tracks to its playlist, this was the first time since July 2009 when the station changed its format that any music later than the 1980s was played on this station. As of 2015, the station's classic hits format now primarily consists of 70s 80s and 90s music.

As of 2014, CFQM's current on-air personalities include: Terry Parker for morning drive, a former on-air staff from 1984 to 1989; Troy Michaels for midday programming; Mark Roberts for afternoon drive and Mitch, a veteran radio broadcaster who is well known (for various things) in the Moncton area since January 1988, is on weekend mornings on CKNI-FM.

References

External links

• 103.9 Max FM
• CFQM-FM history - Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CFQM-FM

Coordinates: 45°51′06″N 64°48′44″W / 45.85167°N 64.81222°W / 45.85167; -64.81222