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CHED (AM)

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Coordinates: 53°29′26″N 113°26′55″W / 53.49056°N 113.44861°W / 53.49056; -113.44861 (AM 630)
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CHED
Broadcast areaEdmonton Metropolitan Region
Frequency880 kHz
Branding880 CHED
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/talk
AffiliationsCBS News Radio
Edmonton Elks
Edmonton Oilers
Ownership
Owner
CISN-FM, CKNG-FM, CITV-DT
History
First air date
March 3, 1954; 70 years ago (March 3, 1954)
Former frequencies
1080 kHz (1954–1963),
630 kHz (1963—2024)
Call sign meaning
CH EDmonton (broadcast area)
Technical information
ClassB
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
53°29′26″N 113°26′55″W / 53.49056°N 113.44861°W / 53.49056; -113.44861 (AM 630)
Links
Websiteglobalnews.ca/radio/630ched

CHED (880 kHz) is a radio station licensed to Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by Corus Entertainment, it broadcasts a news/talk format, and first signed on in 1954. Its studios are located on 84th Street and Roper Road in Edmonton, while its transmitters are located southeast of Edmonton.

The station originally began broadcasting on March 3, 1954, on the frequency of 1080 kHz, and moved to 630 kHz on May 14, 1963. On June 24, 2024, as part of cuts by the company, Corus disbanded CHED's all-news sister station CHQT, and began migrating CHED's programming to its 880 kHz frequency. After several months of simulcasting, CHED permanently moved to CHQT's signal on October 9, 2024.

CHED broadcasts at 50,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna in the daytime. As AM 880 is a clear channel frequency, CHED must use a directional antenna at night. The station can be heard in AM stereo using the C-QUAM system.

History

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Originally owned by Hugh Sibbald, Lloyd Moffat, and E. A. Rawlinson, the station first signed on to 1080 kHz at 8:00 p.m. on March 3, 1954, from studios on the corner of 107 Street and 100 Avenue in Downtown Edmonton. On May 14, 1963, at 6:30 am, CHED switched to 630 kHz. Beginning in 1959, CHED aired a Top 40/CHR format.[1]

Jerry Forbes ran the first 630 CHED Santas Anonymous in 1955. The charity provided 600 toys to children in its first year and is still run annually as of 2020. In the latest edition, the toy drive provided toys to over 20,000 children.[2]

In 1970, Bob Layton joined the station as a writer for Frank Robertson. The following year after Frank left the station, Bob went on the air as his replacement, beginning a near 50-year career in broadcasting. He would go on to win several national awards for his radio editorials.[3]

According to the 1976 BBM Weekly Reach survey, CHED was the most-listened-to radio station in Edmonton.[4] This marked a period in which the Top-40 format lead CHED to become "the" radio station in the region. This continued until FM frequencies began pulling listeners away and on December 1, 1993, the station relaunched with a news/talk format.[5]

On July 6, 2000, Corus Entertainment acquired the broadcast license for CHED from Western International Communications.[6]

Throughout the 2010s, CHED was consistently in the top 3 of the most-listened-to radio stations in the Edmonton market, with a listener share reaching as high as 11.5 in 2016.[7]

As of February 28, 2021, CHED is the 4th-most-listened-to radio station in the Edmonton market according to a PPM data report released by Numeris.[8]

On June 26, 2024, CHED's programming began to be simulcast on 880 AM CHQT.[9] Corus stated at the time that the simulcast was an interim measure and that the company would ultimately only operate one news-talk AM station in Edmonton, but did not specify its plans for the signal.[10]

Logo before 2020 branding
Logo before 2024 frequency change.

On August 28, 2024, Corus announced that the CHED intellectual unit, including its call letters and format, would move permanently to 880 AM, effective October 9, citing that facility's improved coverage. While both stations operated at a power of 50 kilowatts, the 880 AM transmitter is non-directional during the day whereas 630 is directional at all times.[11] Corus intends to then return the 630 AM licence to the CRTC for cancellation, and sell the land on which that transmitter facility currently sits.[12]

Programming

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Current

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CHED has been operating a news/talk/sports format since 1993.[13] The station's current morning show is hosted by Stacey Brotzel and Daryl McIntyre.[14] Former morning hosts have included Ryan Jespersen, who was fired in September 2020 after comments he made regarding a city councillor's staff,[15] and Shaye Ganam, who began hosting a 9 a.m. show simulcast with Calgary sister station CHQR on April 12, 2021.[16] Its afternoon lineup features Courtney Theriault, followed by Bryn Griffiths on afternoon drive.[17]

CHED has been the flagship station of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League since 1995;[18] its contract with the Oilers was most recently renewed through the 2026–27 season.[19][20] The station also broadcasts Oilers Now, a daily talk show hosted by the team's radio colour analyst Bob Stauffer.[20]

The talk show Charles Adler Tonight was syndicated on CHED every weeknight from 2016 to 2021.[21][22]

During off peak time and on weekends, the station features several local and syndicated programs. These include The Garden Show,[23] Money Talks,[24] The Shift,[25] and Couch Potatoes.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "CHED-AM | History of Canadian Broadcasting". www.broadcasting-history.ca. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Our History". www.santasanonymous.ca. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "Edmonton radio legend Bob Layton announces retirement". 630CHED. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Kens Radio Scrapbook – BBM Survey of Radio Stations in Edmonton Alberta 1975 – 630 CHED 1976–1978". www.discoverthepeacecountry.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "630 CHED celebrates 25 years as Edmonton's news and conversation station". 630CHED. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) (July 6, 2000). "ARCHIVED – Decision CRTC 2000-222, Sale of WIC Premium Corporation approved, conditional upon the subsequent divestiture of that company's 50% voting interest in The Family Channel Inc". crtc.gc.ca. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "RadioWest.ca • View topic – Edmonton PPM August 28, 2017 – November 26, 2017". www.radiowest.ca. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Winter 2021 PPM Data". Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "Vancouver traffic radio station quietly goes off the air | News". dailyhive.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Thiessen, Connie (June 26, 2024). "Corus pulls plug on AM formats in Vancouver, Edmonton". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "CHED to Move to 880". RadioInsight. August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Madeline (August 28, 2024). "Corus Entertainment's 630 CHED moving up the AM dial". CBC News. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "630 CHED celebrates 25 years as Edmonton's news and conversation station". 630CHED. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Dialogue, Broadcast (September 28, 2023). "Revolving Door". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "Morning show host Ryan Jespersen fired by 630 CHED". edmontonjournal. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "Shaye Ganam to host Alberta-wide talk show on 630 CHED and 770 CHQR | Globalnews.ca". 630CHED. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Thiessen, Connie (August 28, 2024). "Edmonton's 630 CHED moving up the dial". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "RELEASE: Oilers, 630 CHED celebrate 25-year partnership". NHL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Edmonton Oilers, 630 CHED renew broadcast partnership for 3 more years - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Matheson, Jim. "New Oilers play-by-play man earned spurs toiling in minors". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Charles Adler Tonight". Global News. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Weekly Briefing". Broadcast Dialogue. August 26, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "The Garden Show". Global News. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "Money Talks". Global News. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "The Shift". Global News. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "Couch Potatoes". Global News. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
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