CJBQ (AM)
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CJBQ 800 AM is a country music radio station in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Quinte Broadcasting along with Mix 97 and Rock 107. CJBQ broadcasts with 10,000 watts from a site south of Belleville and Trenton in Prince Edward County. Famous broadcasters from this station include Peter Thompson, Milt Johnston, Phil Flagler, Steve Bohan, Tom Hookings, Steve McVicar, Jack Miller, Steve Marlin, Matt Mitchell, Rick Kevan and Jack Devine.
The station operated for many years as a mainly pop format with older songs mixed in until 1993 when CJBQ become "Big 8 Country". It has retained the country format since then with more emphasis on classic country music in the last few years.
Continuing a long-standing tradition of providing live election coverage, the news department covered the October 10, 2007 provincial election live from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The depth of the coverage is impressive with reporters dispatched across the listening region including weekend news anchor David Foot at the Northumberland Mall in Cobourg. The broadcast was anchored by veteran News Director Todd Smith along with long-time election night anchor and sportscaster Jack Miller. The duo was joined by sophomore talk show host Lorne Brooker who interjected random comments throughout the broadcast. Brooker's talk show from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.
Brooker's Open Line Program, airing weekdays from 9-11 a.m. recently suffered a serious blow when long-time regular contributor Scotty Anderson announced he would no longer be participating. Anderson had often been jokingly compared to former Iraqi propaganda minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf with regard to his insistence that there were no unexploded munitions on Bald Head Beach, a former bombing range used by the Canadian Armed forces. Disposal crews have since proven that there are large amounts of unexploded munitions on the site refuting Anderson's claims. There had also been plans in the works that would have seen Anderson host a program along with news reporter David Foot but there were concerns that exceptions would be needed to the municipal noise bylaw.
Brooker's show continues to be popular as it has started to feature material from the well-known Internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Brooker has read Wikipedia passages on air and these have been received very well by the listeners. Many regulars also enjoy the build-up of the seven second delay at the beginning of the program, when respected news anchor Bill Holland begins to warble during the 9:00 am news. This has caused problems for the station as some listeners have complained about Holland sounding intoxicated on the air.
The Belleville Bulls broadcasts continued to be very popular this past season with long-time Sports Director Jack Miller at the microphone.
Listeners were devastated on the weekend of May 10th, 2008 when Classic Country host Jim Wright announced he was taking the summer off. Wright has a huge following in the Quinte area, mainly among seniors who enjoy the old music and younger folk also, who find the Accusizer commercials particularly amusing. The John Spitters voiced ad where he describes an infirm lady who "split her head open" caused more than a few snickers around Quinte area breakfast tables. Staff at The Source in Quinte Mall would not confirm the rumour that the sale of cassette recorders skyrocketed as listeners waited to record the headsplitting ad. There has been some relief since Wright's announcement that the very popular and amiable Rick Kevan will host the Sunday show. The Saturday fill-ins will be current mid-day host Steve Marlin and perhaps the best announcer to not have a permanent show in Eastern Ontario, Mike Hill, formerly of Lite 107. There is some concern that without Wright's passion and hard work on each show the music played will be the usual daytime mix of country classics, such as "El Paso", "City Of New Orleans", "Crazy", "Pretty World Today" and something by Eddy Arnold, instead of the increasingly obscure and rarely heard songs that Wright has carefully chosen.
[edit] Timeline
- 1946 - CJBQ begins operation on AM 1230 with 250 watts.
- 1957 - CJBQ moves to AM 800 with 1,000 watts.
- 1962 - CJBQ-FM signs on.
- 1970 - CJBQ's AM signal increases to 10,000 watts.
- 1984 - CJBQ disaffiliates from the CBC Radio as CBCP-FM signs on.
- 1988 - CJBQ begins broadcasting in AM stereo.
- 1993 - Format changes from adult contemporary to country.
[edit] External links
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