Editing CJRQ-FM

{{short description|Radio station in Sudbury, Ontario}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name               = CJRQ-FM
| logo               = 
| logo_size          = 
| city               = [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury, Ontario]]
| area               = [[Greater Sudbury]]
| branding           = Q92
| airdate            = [[1935 in radio|1935]] (as '''CKSO''')<br>[[1990 in radio|1990]] (as '''CJRQ-FM''')
| frequency          = 92.7 [[Hertz|MHz]]
| format             = [[Mainstream rock]]
| erp                = 100,000 [[watt]]s
| haat               = {{convert|285|meters}}
| class              = C
| owner              = [[Rogers Radio]]
| licensee           = Rogers Media, Inc.
| sister_stations    = [[CJMX-FM]]
| website            = [https://www.q92sudbury.com/ www.q92sudbury.com]
| callsign_meaning   = '''CJ R'''ock '''Q''' (current branding)
| former_frequencies = 780 [[Hertz|kHz]] ([[AM broadcasting|AM]]) (1935–1941)<br>790 kHz (1941–1990)
}}

'''CJRQ-FM''' (92.7 [[Hertz|MHz]]) is a Canadian [[radio station]], which broadcasts in [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury, Ontario]]. The station uses the on-air brand ''Q92''. The station airs a [[mainstream rock]] format and is owned by [[Rogers Radio]], a division of [[Rogers Sports & Media]].

The station first aired as '''CJRQ-FM''' in 1990. From 1935 to 1990, it was an [[AM broadcasting|AM]] station, airing under the call letters '''CKSO'''.

==History==
===CKSO===
The station was launched in 1935 under the ownership of W. E. Mason, the owner and publisher of the ''[[Sudbury Star]]''.<ref name=railtown>C.M. Wallace and Ashley Thomson, ''Sudbury: Rail Town to Regional Capital''. [[Dundurn Press]], 1993. {{ISBN|1-55002-170-2}}.</ref> CKSO's original frequency was at 780&nbsp;kHz, until it moved to 790&nbsp;kHz in 1941. For much of its history, the station was an affiliate of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s [[Trans-Canada Network]].<ref name=sudburyliving>[http://www.sudburylivingmagazine.com/2013/07/23/sudbury-radio-history-highlights.html "Sudbury Radio History Highlights"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009172725/http://www.sudburylivingmagazine.com/2013/07/23/sudbury-radio-history-highlights.html |date=2016-10-09 }}. ''[[Laurentian Media Group|Sudbury Living]]'', July 23, 2013.</ref> CKSO was the first commercial radio station in northern Ontario.

Following Mason's death in 1948, ownership was passed to a charitable foundation set up by his estate, with the [[Health Sciences North|Sudbury Memorial Hospital]] as the primary beneficiary.<ref name=unopposed>"Sudbury Star Sale Unopposed; Reserve Decision". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', February 2, 1951.</ref> The station was acquired by Sudbury businessmen George Miller, [[James Cooper (Ontario politician)|Jim Cooper]] and Bill Plaunt in 1950;<ref name=unopposed/> the same trio subsequently launched [[CICI-TV|CKSO-TV]], the city's first television station, in 1953.<ref name=unopposed/>

In 1976, 790 CKSO received approval to increase their power from 10,000 watts day and 5,000 watts night to 50,000 watts full-time. Following the power increase, the station's AM signal could be heard as far away as [[Europe]] and some areas of the [[United States]] during the nighttime hours.

CKSO disaffiliated from [[CBC Radio One|CBC Radio]] in 1978 after [[CBCS-FM]] signed on.

CKSO and sister station [[CIGM]] were by this time owned by Cambrian Broadcasting, who sold them to United Broadcasting in 1979 as part of the corporate restructuring that created [[Mid-Canada Communications]] as the new holder of the CKSO-TV license.<ref name=sudburyliving/>

In 1986, United sold CKSO and CIGM to [[Telemedia]].<ref name=telemedia>"Telemedia Takes Over: New Owners for Sudbury Radio Stations". ''[[Northern Ontario Business]]'', December 1986.</ref>

In the 1980s, the station aired an [[adult contemporary]] format, distinguishing itself from competitor [[CHNO-FM|CHNO]]'s more youth-oriented [[Contemporary hit radio|Top 40/CHR]] format.<ref name=telemedia/> During this era, the station used brandings such as ''Radio 79 CKSO'', ''Music Radio CKSO'' and ''Favourite Hits AM 790''.

===Conversion to CJRQ-FM===
On March 16, 1990, the CRTC approved Telemedia Communications Ontario Inc.'s application to amend the Promise of Performance for CIGM-FM by changing the music format from Group III (Country and Country-Oriented) to Group IV (40% Pop and Rock-Softer; 60% Pop and Rock-Harder).<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1990/DB90-246.HTM Decision CRTC 90-246], Promise of Performance for CIGM-FM Sudbury, ''CRTC'', March 16, 1990</ref> Two months later on May 18, 1990, CKSO and CIGM swapped frequencies. CIGM moved to CKSO's 790 slot on the AM band, and CKSO took on the new call letters CJRQ and CIGM's 92.7 FM frequency. The new [[rock music|rock]] format signed on as ''Q92''.

After the 1990 swap, the CKSO call sign no longer existed in the Sudbury area until [[CKSO-FM]], a [[Christian music]] station which had no ownership affiliation with CJRQ, signed on in 2003.

While CKSO had been a perennial second in the radio ratings against CHNO, CJRQ quickly became the most-listened to radio station in [[Northern Ontario]], and retained that status until the late 1990s, when [[CJMX-FM|CJMX]]'s [[adult contemporary]] format overtook CJRQ in the ratings.<ref name=competitive>"FM dial a competitive place to be in Sudbury". ''[[Sudbury Star]]'', December 16, 2000.</ref> The station took its biggest ratings hit after CHNO converted to the FM band in 2000, dropping to 22.9 per cent of the radio audience in 2000 from 30.9 per cent in 1999.<ref name=competitive />

In 1997, the station was censured by the [[Canadian Broadcast Standards Council]] over a 1995 broadcast.<ref name=cbsc>"Radio station censured over sexist poll". ''[[Vancouver Sun]]'', May 9, 1997.</ref> The station aired a daily programming feature in which it asked a daily [[Opinion poll|poll]] question on an issue in the news, and subsequently broadcast a selection of listener comments; the CBSC complaint pertained to a question about whether the [[Ontario Health Insurance Plan]] should cover [[sex-reassignment surgery]] for [[transgender]] residents of the province, and one listener comment that was broadcast was singled out as especially [[homophobia|homophobic]] and [[transphobia|transphobic]].<ref name=cbsc />

In 1999, Telemedia acquired [[CJMX-FM|CJMX]] from the [[Pelmorex Radio Network]] as well. In 2002, Telemedia was purchased by [[Slaight Communications|Standard Broadcasting]]. Shortly afterward, Standard sold CJRQ, CIGM and CJMX to [[Rogers Communications]].

In 2009, CJRQ's longtime sister station AM 790 CIGM was sold to [[Newcap Broadcasting]] and moved to the FM dial in August that same year.

On June 7, 2016, Q92 was rebranded as ''92.7 Rock'' retaining the slogan and [[rock music|rock]] format. This was the first time CJRQ rebranded since the station signed on as "Q92" on May 18, 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesudburystar.com/category/entertainment/music|title=(no title)|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref>

The station uses the same general format as, and shares some programming with, [[CKFX-FM]] in [[North Bay, Ontario|North Bay]] and [[CJQQ-FM]] in [[Timmins]]. The stations currently air a mixture of locally hosted dayparts with syndicated programming, including the ''Brock & Dalby'' morning show from [[CIKR-FM]] Kingston,<ref>[https://ygknews.ca/2020/12/16/rogers-media-faces-backlash-over-mass-layoffs/ "Rogers Media faces backlash over mass layoffs"]. ''YGK News'', December 16, 2020.</ref> and the internationally syndicated ''[[Greg Beharrell|Greg Beharrell Show]]'' in the evenings.<ref>Jeff McKay, [https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/222209/the-greg-beharrell-show-added-to-11-canadian-marke "The Greg Beharrell Show Added To 11 Canadian Markets"]. ''All Access'', October 7, 2022.</ref>

On June 28, 2024, Rogers dropped the ''92.7 Rock'' branding and resurrected the original 1990s ''Q92'' branding. Rogers had also resurrected the original 1990s brandings for [[CJQQ-FM]] Timmins (as ''Q92'') and [[CKFX-FM]] North Bay (as ''101.9 The Fox'').<ref>[https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/927-rock-goes-back-to-its-roots-with-q92-rebranding-9156479 92.7 ROCK goes back to its roots with ‘Q92’ rebranding], ''Sudbury.com'', June 30, 2024</ref><ref>[https://facebook.com/share/v/CdVwkQuN2gw68APk/?mibextid=oFDknk Q92…Established in 1990. Resurrected in 2024], ''Q92 Sudbury - Facebook'', June 28, 2024</ref>

==Former logos==
<gallery perrow="4">
Image:Q92 Sudbury.png|Q92 logo from 1990's-2016
Image:927Rock.jpg|92.7 Rock logo 2016–2024
</gallery>

==Notes==

C.K.S.O. Road near McFarlane Lake off Highway 69, was named after the radio station, CKSO, as the station's transmitter was formerly located on that road.

In 2004, Doug McCann a former broadcaster at CKSO created a website, and later a Facebook page to keep in touch with the people he worked with at CKSO and providing historical information on the station. In 2021, McCann also published a book about The Story of the Birth of Broadcasting in Sudbury.<ref>[https://www.sudbury.com/then-and-now/then-now-new-book-details-the-rich-and-convoluted-story-of-broadcasting-in-the-nickel-city-4822081 Then & Now: New book details the rich (and convoluted) story of broadcasting in the Nickel City], ''Sudbury.com'', December 21, 2021</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.q92sudbury.com/ Q92 - Sudbury's Rock Station] - Official website 
*[https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-northern/CJRQ-FM CJRQ-FM] at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the [[Canadian Communications Foundation]] ''(See also [https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-northern/cigm-fm/ CIGM-FM])''
*[http://www.ckso.com/ Historical information on CKSO Radio and Television in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada]
*{{RecnetCanada|CJRQ-FM}}

{{Sudbury Radio}}
{{Rogers Communications}}

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[[Category:Radio stations in Greater Sudbury|JRQ]]
[[Category:Rogers Communications radio stations|JRQ]]
[[Category:Active rock radio stations in Canada|JRQ]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1935]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in Ontario]]