CIDC-FM
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| Broadcast area | Toronto, Ontario |
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| Branding | "Z103.5" |
| Slogan | Today's Hit Music! |
| First air date | 1995 |
| Frequency | 103.5 (MHz) |
| Format | Rhythmic/Dance Top 40 |
| ERP | 30,700 watts |
| Class | C |
| Callsign meaning | CI DouglasC |
| Owner | Evanov Radio Group |
| Website | http://www.z1035.com/ |
CIDC (Z103.5) is a Rhythmic/Dance Top 40 radio station that serves Central Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Although they are licensed to Orangeville, and still have a transmitter there, the station's studios are located in Toronto. The station is owned by the Evanov Radio Group. It fills the market's Top 40 niche and includes a certain degree of dance music in its playlists. The station can be heard as far south as St. Catharines.
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[edit] History
CIDC started as Hot 103 in 1995, playing only dance music. The station then began adding more R&B and pop tracks to its Top 40/dance playlist in February, 1998, and was rebranded Hits 103.5.
On January 1, 2001, the station was rebranded in imitation of New York station Z100 and became known as Z103.5, though they retained their CIDC call letters.
Until the summer of 2006, Z103.5 was the only radio station in Canada that played dance music since Energy 108 changed formats. It should be noted that it was the only Top 40 station left in Toronto after Kiss 92 became Jack FM in 2003. For a brief period in 2001 Foxy 88.5 also played dance music but poor ratings led it to switch to an oldies format.
In the summer of 2006, Evanov launched a new station in Halifax, Nova Scotia patterned after CIDC. It uses the Z103.5 moniker but features a different logo and slogan. In Halifax, this is the first station of its kind.
[edit] Programming
The station airs the syndicated Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 and American Top 40 on the weekends.
From 5am - 9am weekdays, Z103.5 has Scott Fox & The Z103.5 Morning Show.
Despite the decrease in dance music, the station's highest rated program continues to be The Drive @ 5 Street Mix with DJ Danny D. The show is mixed live entirely with vinyl. A similar show, The Power Mix with DJ Spence Diamonds, used to air three nights a week. The show, which features urban music, was cut back to one night in the fall of 2005.
Z103.5 also had a weekly show on Sundays called the Freestyle Frenzy, hosted by Z103.5 veteran Tony Monaco. It was solely a show of freestyle music and mixes. It aired for many years, but in January 2004 the Evanov Radio Group who owns the station cancelled it and made the time slot available for regular programming, and soon to be part of Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 countdown.
[edit] DJs
- Chris Biggs
- Dave Blezard
- Richard Correll
- Mike "The Party Dog" Devine
- Scott Fox
- Ashley Greco
- Norman Long
- Tony Monaco
- John Woodlock
- Matt 'The Hammer' Wreggitt
[edit] Concerts and Live To Air programs
The station annually hosts a number of live concert events. Past and present concerts include the Hot Rush (now Summer Rush), Euro-Freestyle Invasion (now Euro Invasion), and Partymania. Most of the concerts are sold-out because they are mostly filled with performances by dance artists that usually don't get much publicity.
The station also hosts live-to-airs from various Toronto-area nightclubs three or four nights per week. Wednesdays have been from Club Menage since 2002. Thursdays and Fridays have been hosted by various clubs as the station looks to find new live club locations for those nights since Berlin and Plastique closed down in 2003 after many years of anchoring those nights. Saturday nights has stabilized lately at Distrikt, after a more than decade-long run at club Paparazzi came to an end, also in 2003.
