page_title: CHUM-FM
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: CHUM-FM / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Broadcast area map for Toronto radio station CHUM FM.
context_page_description: CHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned by Bell Media, the station broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format. CHUM's studios are located at 250 Richmond Street West in the Entertainment District, while its transmitter is located atop the CN Tower. The station also broadcasts nationwide on Shaw Direct channel 872, Bell Satellite TV channel 990, Bell Fibe TV channel 978, and locally on Rogers Cable channel 925, and is also available through live stream on iHeartRadio.ca and the iHeartRadio app.
  CHUM-FM is consistently one of Toronto's most popular stations according to Numeris' radio ratings, and is currently the third most listened-to private station in the market after Rogers Media-owned Adult Contemporary station CHFI-FM, and Newcap Radio's CHBM-FM.
context_section_description: CHUM-FM started broadcasting on September 1, 1963 with an ERP of 18,000 watts and a transmitter and studio at 1331 Yonge Street. It aired a classical music format, the first station in Canada to do so. On March 21, 1966, their ERP was increased to 54,000 watts. In 1968, CHUM-FM received approval for a change in its transmitter location and increase in power to 100,000 watts. The transmitter was to be moved to the top of the Manufacturer's Life Building at 250 Bloor Street East.
  At Midnight on July 1, 1968, CHUM-FM changed formats to progressive rock, a forerunner to the present-day adult album alternative format, by playing a wide range of music ranging from world music and jazz to classical and folk. The station also aired public affairs programming, such as In Toronto. The station featured many famous Canadian radio personalities such as Larry Green, Walter Michaels, Steve Harris, Pete and Geets, Larry Wilson, David Marsden, David Pritchard and actor Rick Moranis.
  On December 14, 1973, the station was authorized, along with other Toronto radio and TV stations, to move their transmitter to the top of the CN Tower. The new transmitter was turned on on May 31, 1976 with a reduced ERP of 40,000 watts.
  In 1978, CHUM-FM created a Top 30 Album Chart to complement sister station CHUM's Singles Chart. A television version of the countdown was later broadcast on Citytv, featuring music videos for most of the songs in the countdown; the TV version was discontinued in January 2008, following Rogers Communications' acquisition of Citytv.
  In June 1984, the station started evolving towards adult contemporary, with the shift completed by that September, though the station would retain a rock lean through the remainder of the decade. Longtime morning show host Roger Ashby would join the station from CHUM-AM on September 2, 1985, and would be paired with Rick Hodge (who had been doing sports updates on the FM's morning show since 1974). Marilyn Denis would join the show in July 1986, with the show becoming an instant success, making them some of the best known broadcasters in Toronto radio. Throughout the next two decades, CHUM-FM would usually be the highest rated station in the Toronto market, though it would occasionally alternate with CHFI, who was usually ranked a very close second, and would occasionally dip to third place behind CFRB.
  The station evolved towards its current Hot Adult Contemporary format in 1990.
  On May 26, 1998, CHUM-FM was granted a license to broadcast in Digital audio broadcasting using the Eureka-147 system. The transmitter was installed on the CN Tower and broadcast at 1456.304 MHz with an ERP of 5,084 watts.
  Since the mid-1990s, CHUM-FM's playlist has been noticeably more open to periodic, carefully selected rhythmic crossover songs, including R&B, reggae, hip hop, and dance music, while keeping some 1980s, 1990s and 2000s songs, as well as standard pop/rock material that forms the Hot AC format. The reason for this was to balance younger and older audiences. Many hot adult contemporary stations in Canada have followed this pattern and resulted in audience growth nationwide, making Hot AC the country's most listened-to format. The closest local competition musically within the format came from CKFM-FM, which leaned mostly younger.
  CHUM-FM also carried American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest from 2004 to 2006. In February 2017, the American Top 40 returned to CHUM-FM along with On Air With Ryan Seacrest airing weekdays 10PM-1AM.
  At the 25th Anniversary Canadian Music Industry Awards, held March 8, 2007, CHUM-FM was honoured as Station of the Year, Program Director of the year for CHUM-FM PD Rob Farina, and air talent of the year for Roger, Rick & Marilyn. Former CHUM President Jim Waters was inducted into the Music Industry Hall of Fame that same evening.
  VP Programming Rob Farina moved to Astral Media as EVP of Content in 2009. David Corey, ex-APD at Kiss 108 in Boston, took over as program director that same year.
  On June 22, 2007, CTVglobemedia purchased CHUM-FM and most of the other assets of CHUM Limited, th
caption: CHUM-FM broadcast area map.
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