CHYC-FM

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CHYC-FM
Image:chycsudbury.gif
Broadcast area Sudbury, Ontario
Branding "CHYC"
Slogan Toujours plus de musique.
Frequency 98.9 MHz (FM)
First air date 1957
Format francophone hot adult contemporary
ERP 1.4 kW
Callsign meaning an available callsign that could be pronounced like the French word chic
Former callsigns CFBR (1957-1990)
Owner HBG
Website chycfm.com

CHYC-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at FM 98.9 in Sudbury, Ontario. It broadcasts a francophone hot adult contemporary format for the city's franco-ontarian community.

CHYC and its sister station CHYK in Timmins are the only francophone commercial stations programmed entirely in Ontario. Apart from commercials, the two stations in fact simulcast the same programming at almost all times, although both stations produce a portion of the shared broadcast schedule. All other Ontario francophones are served by non-profit community stations such as CHOQ, Radio-Canada affiliates of La Première Chaîne and Espace Musique, or stations originating in Quebec. (One commercial station in Hawkesbury, CHPR, produces 15 hours per week of community programming, but simulcasts a commercial station from Lachute, Quebec the rest of the time.)

The station first aired in 1957 as AM 550 CFBR, a sister station to CHNO and a private affiliate of Radio-Canada. CHNO had previously been a bilingual station; when CFBR went to air, CHNO became full-time English. The FBR in the station's callsign stood for F. Baxter Ricard, the stations' owner. In 1969, CFBR and CHNO swapped frequencies. CHNO took over the 550 AM signal, and CFBR moved to 900. CFBR remained a Radio-Canada affiliate until the launch of CBON in 1978, and adopted a pop standards format thereafter.

In 1985, Ricard sold CFBR, CHNO and CJMX to Mid-Canada Radio.

The station adopted its current call sign and format in 1990, after the three stations were acquired by Pelmorex Radio Network. Pelmorex sold the stations in 1998, when Telemedia acquired CJMX, and 1999, when Haliburton Broadcasting Group acquired CHYC and CHNO. Haliburton subsequently converted both stations to FM. In 2000, the stations first aired on FM and discontinued their old AM signals. CHYC moved to 98.9 FM in early 2000 and simulcast on AM 900, until it left the air on March 31 of that year.

Haliburton subsequently sold CHNO to Newcap Broadcasting in 2001. CHYC is still currently owned by Haliburton Broadcasting.

(The former CFBR callsign is now currently used at a radio station out in Edmonton, Alberta. Also, CHYC was formerly the callsign of a radio station out of Montreal, Quebec in the 1920s).


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