CJEZ-FM

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CJEZ

Broadcast area	Toronto, Ontario
Branding	EZRock
Slogan	Toronto's Soft Rock Favourites/Toronto's Soft Rock with less talk
First air date	1987
Frequency	97.3 MHz (FM)
Format	adult contemporary
ERP	28.9 kW
Owner	Standard Broadcasting
Website	CJEZ

CJEZ is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 97.3 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station uses the on-air brand EZ Rock (pronounced "Easy Rock", not "E-Zed Rock".)

The station was launched in 1987 by Redmond Broadcasting as an easy listening station. It was acquired by Telemedia in 1995, and subsequently adopted its current format and branding. Several other Telemedia-owned stations broadcasting a similar format in other cities were later branded EZ Rock as well.

When Standard Broadcasting acquired Telemedia in 2002, CJEZ was one of the stations retained by Standard, although some of the other EZ Rock stations were sold to Rogers Communications.

CJEZ competes most closely with fellow adult contemporary station CHFI at 98.1. In the mid-2000s, it picked up veteran CHFI morning show host Erin Davis after that station cancelled her show with Bob Magee in favour of Mad-Dog and Billie, later known as Jay and Billie, younger morning hosts who had previously worked in contemporary hit and urban radio at KISS 92 FM. In 2005, CHFI rehired Davis for mornings, also hiring her co-host, longtime CJEZ morning personality Mike Cooper.

For its new morning show, CJEZ hired Stu Jeffries and Colleen Rusholme away from Country 95.3.

Heading into her 13th year in broadcasting, Colleen Rusholme is no stranger to radio and television. A native of Kitchener-Waterloo, Rusholme began her career as a news reporter in Toronto. Through the years, she found herself in various roles including being the only female air borne traffic reporter in Canada at the time. As an interviewer, Rusholme has come up close and personal with such stars as Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Celine Dion. She was a weekly on-air contributor to CMT's flagship show, CMT Central.

"My Music at Work", then a slogan for the station, inspired the title of The Tragically Hip's 2000 album Music At Work.

1 Personalities
- 1.1 Former personalities
2 EZ Rock
3 External link

[edit] Personalities

Stu Jeffries and Colleen Rusholme, weekday morning show from 2005
Darryl Henry, weekday middays
Kris James (as KJ), weekday afternoon drive time and Saturday 70s
Peter Kaye, weekends and swing shifts
Delilah, syndicated weekday evenings
John Tesh, syndicated overnight and Sunday afternoon show
Leeza Gibbons, syndicated Hollywood Confidential, Sunday mornings
- Leeza was also a spokeswoman for EZ Rock in their TV commercials in the early-2000s

[edit] Former personalities

Mike Cooper, former weekday morning co-host (with Cardoso) and (Davis); left October 2005 to join Erin Davis @ CHFI 98.1
Erin Davis, maternity leave substitute for Christine Cardoso as weekday morning co-host with (Cooper), 2004–2005 and returned to CHFI
Jay Nelson (Frank Coxe), late weekday morning co-host
Christine Cardoso, weekday morning co-host with (Cooper); left Summer 2005
Ron Young, weekends and swing shifts, and Studio 97 - now with Mix 99.9 FM
John Majhor - late weekday morning host

[edit] EZ Rock

Although the EZ Rock brand was originally named for CJEZ's call letters, it has since been adopted by several other Canadian radio stations broadcasting a similar musical format.

All of the EZ Rock stations were owned by Telemedia, the same company that owned CJEZ, at the time they adopted the branding. After Standard Broadcasting acquired the Telemedia stations, some were sold to Rogers Communications or Astral Media, although they continued to use the EZ Rock brand.