CFUN (AM)

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**CFUN**

Broadcast area	Vancouver, BC
Branding	CFUN 1410
Slogan	Life Happens - We Talk About It
First air date	April 10, 1922
Frequency	1410 kHz (AM)
Format	Talk
ERP	50 kW
Former callsigns	CJCE (1922) CFCQ (1922-1928) CKMO (1928-1955) CKVN (1969-1973)
Owner	CHUM Limited
Website	CFUN 1410

CFUN is a Canadian radio station based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Operating on 1410 AM, it is owned by CHUM Limited and currently runs a talk radio format.

[edit] History

CFUN first signed on the air on April 10, 1922 as CJCE, co-owned by Sprott-Shaw Schools of Commerce & Wireless Telegraphy and Radio Specialties Ltd. and operating at 750 AM on 5 watts of power. Radio Specialties opened CFCQ ten days later, located on 450 meters with transmission power of 40 watts; the two stations were merged by Sprott-Shaw in 1924, with the unified operation assuming the CFCQ calls and increasing its power to 50 watts. CFCQ increased power again to 1000 watts in 1925 and moved to 730 AM to share time with CKCD and Nanaimo station CFDC before cutting power back to 50 watts the following year.

CFCQ changed its call letters to CKMO in 1928 and relocated its studios to the Bekins Building on 815 West Hastings Street in 1929, then switched frequencies to its present 1410 AM and moved to 812 Robson Street in 1933 before power returned to 1000 watts in 1941.

CKMO underwent major changes in 1955 when it was sold to Radio C-FUN Ltd., which changed the station's calls to CFUN on February 14 that year (the CKMO calls are now used by a Victoria college campus station known on-air as Village 900). In 1959, CFUN increased power to 10,000 watts and moved their studios to 1900 West 4th Avenue, then introduced a Top 40 music format in 1960 to challenge the supremacy of Vancouver rock-n-roll powerhouse CKWX (the former CFDC).

During much of the 1960s, CFUN's disc jockey crew, known on-air as the "Good Guys", became well-known to Vancouver radio listeners. These were some of the notable CFUN "Good Guys" during the station's Top 40 heyday:

Frosty Forst
Al Jordan
Ed Karl
Fred Latremouille
Tom Peacock
Red Robinson (joined from CKWX in 1962)

CFUN's early Top 40 era ended on September 18, 1967 when the format was dropped for easy listening music; on May 28, 1968, the station was sold to Montreal-based Radio Futura Ltd., and on July 1, 1969, the station changed its call letters to CKVN, adopted a primarily all-news format (with music continuing to air overnight) and increased transmission power to 50,000 watts.

CKVN dropped its news format and returned to a Top 40 format in March 1970; the station was sold to CHUM Western Ltd. (a division of CHUM Limited) on January 1, 1973, and regained the CFUN calls on September 30. In 1984, CHUM Western was merged into CHUM Limited, and CFUN dropped Top 40 again for an adult contemporary format on December 19 that year.

CFUN gained an FM sister station in 1990 when parent CHUM Limited bought CHQM-FM, whose format was changed from easy listening to adult contemporary (dubbed on-air as "Favorites of Yesterday and Today") in 1992; both stations moved to their present studios at 380 West 2nd Avenue early in 1993, and on March 27, 1996, CFUN switched to its present talk radio format. More stations joined CFUN and CHQM-FM under the CHUM banner when CKVU-TV was purchased in November 2001, followed by CKST (TEAM 1040) in 2003.

On July 12, 2006, it was announced that CHUM Limited would be purchased by Bell Globemedia, owner of CTV; the purchase includes all of CHUM's Vancouver stations (including CFUN) and its Victoria radio stations, while its Victoria TV station CIVI-TV (part of A-Channel) is to be sold.