CISL (AM)

CISL

City of license	Richmond, British Columbia
Broadcast area	Metro Vancouver
Branding	AM 650
Slogan	All Time Favourites
Frequency	650 kHz (AM)
First air date	May 1, 1980
Format	Soft Oldies/adult standards
Power	10,000 watts (day) 9,000 watts (night)
Class	B
Transmitter coordinates	49°08′39″N 123°03′37″W / 49.144261°N 123.060318°W / 49.144261; -123.060318 (CISL Tower)Coordinates: 49°08′39″N 123°03′37″W / 49.144261°N 123.060318°W / 49.144261; -123.060318 (CISL Tower)
Callsign meaning	C ISL (reference to Lulu Island)
Former frequencies	940 kHz (1980-1985)
Owner	Bell Media under blind trust pending sale to Newcap Radio (Astral Media Radio G.P.)
Sister stations	CHHR-FM, CKZZ-FM
Webcast	Listen live
Website	AM 650

CISL is a Canadian soft Oldies/adult standards radio station, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts on the AM band at 650 kilohertz. It is one of Canada's few remaining successful music stations on the AM dial. The calls in its moniker are generally pronounced "C-Isle".

History

CISL originally signed on on May 1, 1980, at a frequency of 940 kHz and a power of 2500 watts. The licence was granted to South Fraser Broadcasting, a group controlled by Michael Dickinson,^[1] whose previous broadcast experience included a stint at Vancouver radio stations CHQM AM/FM. While the original music content was primarily contemporary easy listening, overall content placed an emphasis on the community of Richmond (the ISLand in CISL).

About 1985, the frequency was changed to 650 kHz (CFML's former frequency) and the daytime power increased to 10,000 watts, still at the same Richmond transmitter site (the antenna array was changed from four to three towers).^[2][3] About the same time, the musical format morphed into oldies, and CISL 650 became a major player in the Vancouver radio scene. The original Richmond community programming expanded to include all of the lower mainland. CISL enjoyed its greatest ratings and sales success from 1986 to 1989. In 1990, South Fraser Broadcasting was issued an FM license which went on the air as CKZZ-FM the following year. CISL and CKZZ were sold by South Fraser Broadcasting to Standard Broadcasting in May 1996.

Today CISL broadcasts out of Richmond, British Columbia and its program director is Gerry O'Day. The station billed itself as one of Canada’s few remaining adult standards radio stations.

In September 2007, CISL stopped using the "Oldies 650 CISL" name and became "SuperHits 650 CISL". The format remained very similar.

On October 29, 2007, CISL along with the rest of the Standard Broadcasting stations were sold to Astral Media.

On November 10, 2008, CISL flipped from oldies to adult standards. The classic hits/oldies format moved to Rogers-owned CFUN-FM in September. However, in August 2011, that station has since moved to a contemporary hit radio format. The move was a result of Jim Pattison Group flipping CKBD from its adult standards format to an adult album alternative format and switching to FM on November 13.

On December 23, 2009, CISL filed an application with the CRTC, requesting permission to broadcast up to 20% of its programming in Russian during the 2010 Winter Olympics,^[4] which is to be supplied by Moscow radio station AvtoRadio.^[5] This application received approval on January 26, 2010.^[6]

In March 2013, the Competition Bureau approved a proposal by Bell Media to acquire Astral Media, under the condition that it divest itself of several television services and radio stations. Following the closure of the merger in July 2013, CSL was placed in a blind trust pending its eventual sale.^[7][8][9]

On August 26, 2013, Newcap Radio announced it would acquire CISL along with four other former Astral Media radio stations held under blind trust by Bell Media for $112 million. The deal is subject to CRTC approval.^[10]

Logos

–2007	2007–2008	2008–present

References

External links

• AM 650
• CISL history - Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CISL