| City of license | Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Branding | Newstalk 1010 |
| Frequency | 1010 kHz (AM) 6.07 MHz (Shortwave) |
| First air date | February 19, 1927 |
| Format | News, Talk |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | Canada's First Rogers Batteryless |
| Owner | Astral Media |
| Sister stations | CHBM-FM, CKFM-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | Newstalk 1010 |
CFRB, Newstalk 1010, is an AM radio clear-channel station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting on 1010 kHz, with a shortwave radio simulcast by CFRX-SW on 6.070 MHz. The station broadcasts a mix of talk and news throughout the day from its transmitter located in the community of Clarkson, in the city of Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto. The main offices for CFRB are located in midtown Toronto at 2 St. Clair Avenue West on the corner of Yonge Street.
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Founded in 1927, CFRB is Toronto's oldest broadcaster still operating with its original call letters. (Toronto station CHKT dates back to 1925, but has changed call letters on numerous occasions.) CFRB station was founded by the Rogers Vacuum Tube Company (the precursor of Rogers Communications) to promote Edward S. Rogers, Sr.'s invention of a batteryless radio receiver that could be operated using alternating current and therefore did not need the cumbersome battery that had previously been required. The station itself was a demonstration of Rogers' application of his invention to radio transmitters as well as receivers, a development that allowed for a signal that reproduced voices and music more clearly. The new type of transmitter also made CFRB the world's first all-electric radio station.[1] The letters "RB" in the station's callsign stand for "Rogers' Batteryless" (the letters "CF" form one of Canada's ITU prefixes). The station began transmitting on an experimental basis in January 1927 as 9RB until March when it began functioning as commercial radio station CFRB with the transmission of a live symphony orchestra concert conducted by Jack Arthur.[2]
CFRB leased time for several hours a day to "phantom station" CNRX, carrying programming of the Canadian National Railway radio network, Canada's first radio network, until 1932 when the network disbanded. From 1930 until 1935 CFRB also leased time to phantom station CPRY of the rival Canadian Pacific Railway radio service.[3]
CFRB's first studios were in a mansion on Jarvis Street north of Wellesley built by the Massey family. In 1929 the station became an affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System.[3]
In the 1930s, CFRB began airing what became Hockey Night in Canada and continued to air the program for decades even though it was also aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's CBL for most of that time.[3]
From the 1930s to 1950s, CFRB was the radio broadcaster for the Toronto Santa Claus Parade.
CFRB has been broadcast at 1010 kHz on AM radio since 1947. Since 1937, the station has been simulcast on shortwave on CFRX at 6070 kHz.[3]
Following the death of Edward S. Rogers, Sr., Rogers Majestic Corporation Limited was sold in 1941 and became Standard Radio Limited.[3]
Wally Crouter joined the station in 1946 eventually becoming its morning man, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1996. Also in 1946, Standard Radio Limited was purchased by Argus Corporation.[3]
Another long-lasting show was Calling All Britons featuring news, sports scores and music from Britain. It was hosted by Ray Sonin from 1965 until his death in 1991. In 1965, CFRB moved its studios from 37 Bloor Street West, where they had been since 1929, to its current location at St. Clair Avenue and Yonge Street.[3]
In 1978, Argus Corporation was acquired by Conrad Black and his brother, thus also giving them ownership of Standard Broadcasting which they sold to Allan Slaight in 1985.[3] In November 2007, Standard Broadcasting was sold to Astral Media.[4]
CFRB was the number one station in the Toronto market for many decades according to the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement's ratings. However, it has declined in recent years and in 2006 was rated fifth.[5]
Ted Rogers, the communications mogul and son of CFRB's founder, had vowed to re-acquire the station that his family had lost after his father's death, and considered his failure to do so his greatest disappointment. Reports indicate he was continuing to pressure Astral, CFRB's current owner, to sell the station right up until his death in 2008.[6] (It is not clear how this would have occurred under current CRTC regulations, as Rogers already owns two AM stations in Toronto, CFTR and CJCL, the maximum permitted in a single market.)
The transmitter for CFRB 1010 is a prominent landmark along Toronto's waterfront and is visible from over 100 km away. It is also used for navigation by pilots, on approach to Toronto Pearson International Airport, or to Toronto Island Airport. It consists of 4 vertical masts, of 550 feet. The CFRX broadcasting at 6070 kHz is operated on the north end of the same site beside the main building. A transmitter is located at the coordinates .
CFRB was one of few to broadcast in AM Stereo, starting in 1984. However, since AM stereo never achieved wide acceptance, the station has recently deactivated its stereo broadcasting system.
The transmitter is located on Royal Windsor Drive, formerly King's Highway 122, 200 meters west of the intersection of Lakeshore Road West (former King's Highway 2) and Southdown Road, in the Clarkson area of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Note: West of this intersection Lakeshore Road West becomes Royal Windsor Drive.
In early 2007, CFRB reported an increase in ratings since programming changes such as Bill Carroll's assumption of morning show duties from Ted Woloshyn.
However, CFRB's morning show has trailed CBC Radio One's Metro Morning with Andy Barrie, a former CFRB host and commentator, in the ratings since 2003.[8][9]
In August 2009, CFRB announced it was laying off a number of its well known personalities including Michael Coren, Paul and Carol Mott, Jacqui Delaney and newscaster Kris McCusker as part of a move to open a "new chapter" at the station.[10]
The second phase of the shake up was announced in the fall with John Moore moving from afternoon drive to morning man replacing Bill Carroll who moves to the 9 am to 1 pm slot. Jim Richards takes over the 1pm to 4pm slot formerly held by The Motts and Michael Coren and former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory takes over the late afternoon slot vacated by Moore.[11] In 2010, Carroll left CFRB to take a job in Los Angeles and was replaced by Jerry Agar.
Prior to July 2010, CFRB's talk schedule was unlike most private talk radio stations in Canada, in that even in overnights and weekends, it was entirely Canadian, and had no American syndicated programming on its schedule at all. That changed when CFRB added the American-based comedy-talk show The Phil Hendrie Show for overnights.
On the weekend of October 2–3, 2010, a new weekend schedule was revealed which included The Morning Show with Ben Mercer, Saturdays with Ted Woloshyn, Sports Talk with Mike Toth and Sundays with John Downs. As a result many long running shows were cut, Tech Talk with Marc Saltzman, "Car Talk" with Alan Gelman, The Dr. Joe Show, The Spider Jones Show, The Dr. Micky Lester Show and The Morning Show with John Donabie.
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