CHOZ-FM

CHOZ-FM is a Canadian radio station based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Its main St. John's transmitter broadcasts on FM at 94.7 MHz, but additional transmitters are located throughout the province. The station, known as "OZ FM", is one of the various media properties of Geoff Stirling; this includes local television station CJON-DT.

History

The station launched on June 15, 1977, at 93.9 FM soon after Stirling sold his interest in what is now CJYQ. It was originally a full-time rock station known as "Radio OZ"; it is perhaps intended to be the Newfoundland equivalent of other stations then owned by Stirling such as CHOM-FM Montreal. It eventually transitioned to a combination contemporary hit radio/classic rock format under the "OZ FM" brand; nonetheless it kept the slogan "The Rock of the Rock".

In 1984, CHOZ was granted to change frequencies from 93.9 FM to 94.7 FM.^[1]

During most of the 1990s it was the most popular FM radio station, both in the province and in the core St. John's market. The channel's success was driven largely by the strength of its eclectic morning show, The Dawn Patrol.

Yet by the early 2000s its newly strengthened competitor Newcap Broadcasting had begun to cause a significant effect, particularly in St. John's. Already the owner of the city's dominant radio station, AM station VOCM, Newcap effectively split CHOZ's market by converting VOCM-FM (and several other stations across the province) to classic rock, and soon after CKIX-FM to contemporary hits. Another strong contender, Coast Broadcasting's adult contemporary station CKSJ-FM, launched in 2004.

But since CKSJ and CKIX only operated in the St. John's area, OZ FM was now in the problematic situation of competing primarily with female-skewing FM stations in its largest market, and with a single male-skewing FM competitor in the rest of the province.

CHOZ can still boast having the largest audience of any FM radio station in the province, largely because it is the only station with a province-wide network of transmitters, all carrying identical programming, which can therefore be accumulated for ratings purposes as a single station. In contrast, other provincial radio services - such as CBC Radio One, VOCM/CFCB, and K-Rock - are made up of separate local stations with some unique programming, while several stations operate only in the immediate St. John's area.

In 2003, Randy Snow left the OZFM Dawn Patrol to join rival station CKIX to host his own morning show. His replacement was Brian O'Connell, who left the VOCM Morning Show to join OZFM. In April 2007, O'Connell took over as station manager for the OZFM Network and host of the daily Electric Lunch program. Then, Brian left OZFM and now works for Newcap Broadcasting hosting The VOCM Irish Newfoundland Show and The VOCM Morning Show (VOCM). OZFM staff announcer Paul Kinsman was named as O'Connell's on air replacement, joining long time Dawn Patrol veterans Deborah Birmingham and Larry Jay.

On August 17, 2009, OZ changed its format to active rock.

Suddenly on January 2, 2012, OZ FM stopped playing their active rock format without notice. OZ FM started playing a contemporary hit radio format, with a new slogan "Today's Best Music". This ended the use of their long-time slogan "The Rock of the Rock", despite the fact that that slogan was still used the previous time that the station played a contemporary hit format. The station also resurrected the longtime heart-rainbow logo, that the station used prior to 2008.

Controversy

In January 2011, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council admonished CHOZ-FM for playing the unedited version of Dire Straits' Money for Nothing, following a complaint from a listener that stated that the song contained the word "faggot", a slur for a homosexual person. Even though the song has won numerous awards and has been played countless times on Canadian radio, the CBSC felt that the unedited version has become unacceptable for airplay, as the term "faggot", which was once an acceptable term, has since become an unacceptable slur.^[2][3] In response to the ruling, at least two stations, CIRK-FM in Edmonton^[4] and CFRQ-FM in Halifax,^[5] played the unedited version of Money for Nothing repeatedly for one hour out of protest. On January 21, 2011, the CRTC asked the CBSC for a review on the ban, in response to the public outcry against the CBSC's actions; the regulator requested the CBSC to appoint a nationwide panel to review the case, as the decision on the ban was reviewed by a regional panel for the Maritimes and Newfoundland.^[6]

On August 31, the CBSC found the slur to be inappropriate; however, due to considerations in regard to its use in context, the CBSC has left it up to the stations to decide whether or not to censor the song. Most of the CBSC panelists thought the slur was inappropriate, but it was used only in a satirical, non-hateful manner.^[7]

Transmitters

CJMY and CKMY were previously known as CKCV and CHOS respectively, up to at least 2002.^[8] The changes were apparently made to reserve appropriate call signs for "My FM", Newfoundland Broadcasting's proposal for a second FM service, which went before the CRTC later that same year.^[9] (The licence in question eventually went to a different company as Coast 101.1.)

In 1997, CHOZ added a rebroadcaster at Stockholm, Saskatchewan with the callsign CFZY-FM; the low-powered repeater is locally owned by Jody Herperger.^[10][11]

In 1998, CHOZ added a rebroadcaster at Kuujjuaq, Quebec with the callsign VF2321, owned by Société Kuujjuamiut.^[12][13]

OZ FM is also available across Canada on Bell TV on channel 951.

References

External links

• OZ FM
• CHOZ history at Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CHOZ-FM