CJCL

CJCL (590 AM) – branded Sportsnet 590 The Fan – is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Media since 2002, CJCL's studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor and Jarvis in downtown Toronto, while its transmitters are located near Grimsby atop the Niagara Escarpment. Programming on the station includes local sports talk radio shows during the day; CBS Sports Radio overnight; and live broadcasts of Toronto Blue Jays baseball, Toronto Raptors basketball, Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, Toronto FC soccer, Buffalo Bisons baseball and Buffalo Bills football.

CJCL
CityToronto, Ontario
Broadcast areaGreater Toronto Area
Frequency590 kHz
BrandingSportsnet 590 The Fan
SloganToronto's Sports Radio
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsToronto Blue Jays Radio Network
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Raptors
Buffalo Bills Radio Network
CBS Sports Radio
Sportsnet Ontario
Ownership
OwnerRogers Media
(Rogers Media, Inc.)
Sister stationsCFTR, CHFI-FM, CKIS-FM, CFMT, CITY, CJMT
History
First air dateFebruary 21, 1951 (1951-02-21)
Former call signsCKFH (1951-1981)
Former frequencies1400 kHz (1951-1960)
1430 kHz (1960-1995)
Technical information
ClassB
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates43°09′10″N 79°32′03″W
Repeater(s)92.5 CKIS-HD3 (Toronto)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitesportsnet.ca/590

Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, as well as its transmitter power and height, CJCL covers most of southern Ontario during the day. The station's signal is directional from north to south to protect various lower-powered radio stations east and west of the station. Despite not having clear-channel status, CJCL can be heard through a stretch of eastern Appalachia at night under ideal conditions. 590 The Fan is simulcast across Canada on Bell Satellite TV satellite channel 959.[1]

History

The station first aired on February 21, 1951 as CKFH; operating at 1400 kHz, it was a news and sports station owned by legendary Canadian broadcaster Foster Hewitt (the "FH" of the call sign).[2] The station moved to the 1430 AM frequency in 1960, increasing power first to 5,000, then 10,000 and finally 50,000 watts. CKFH would begin playing Top 40 music in 1966, then move to a country music format in 1975.

Fan 1430 logo (1992–1995)
Fan 590 logo (1995– January 2011)
Logo from January to October 2011

The station was subsequently sold to Telemedia in 1981 when it adopted its current CJCL call sign and switched to an adult contemporary format. In 1983, the station briefly adopted talk radio programming, but returned to its music format within a few months, with increased emphasis on oldies. CJCL was the flagship of the Telemedia network, and as such broadcast Toronto Blue Jays baseball games (with Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth calling the action) followed by hours of talk after the game. The station has been flagship radio station of the Blue Jays for most of their history since their inception in 1977 (with exception of a hiatus when CHUM (AM) was the flagship from 1998 to 2002). As the 1980s progressed and the winning Blue Jays became more popular, the sports features became CJCL's profit centre. Encouraged by the newfound success of sports radio in the United States, in 1992, the year the Blue Jays won their first World Series, CJCL would drop non-sports programming altogether on September 4, and became "The Fan 1430", the first all-sports station in Canada. The station's nickname may have been inspired by WFAN in New York City, the first sports radio station in the world that led to the creation of sports radio stations everywhere.

In 1994, Telemedia acquired CKYC from Rogers, and on February 6, 1995, at noon, the two stations switched frequencies, with "The Fan" moving to 590 AM (subsequently becoming "The Fan 590") and CKYC moving to 1430 AM (where it operates today as multilingual station CHKT). CJCL was itself acquired by Rogers Media in 2002.

In January 2011, CJCL became known as "Sportsnet Radio The Fan 590", the move coming as part of a co-branding initiative with its television counterpart Rogers Sportsnet,[3] amid indications that rival TSN was preparing to launch a competing sports radio station, TSN Radio 1050.[4] The station's on air identity was then changed to "Sportsnet 590 The Fan" in October 2011.

The station also supports sports news updates for all-news radio CFTR.

Live sports

The Fan 590 is the flagship station for the following teams' radio broadcasts:

♠-In case of conflicts with other sports broadcasts, one of the games will air on another station in the Toronto area. As Rogers owns the Blue Jays outright but only shares ownership (through Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) of the Raptors, Maple Leafs, and TFC, the Blue Jays games have first priority on CJCL. TSN Radio 1050 shares rights to the other three teams, including all games that are played at the same time as the Blue Jays. In contrast, because of an exclusive CFL-wide multimedia deal with TSN that ensures all Toronto Argonauts games air on TSN 1050, any Raptors, TFC or Maple Leaf games that conflict with the Argonauts will air on CJCL. The two stations split the broadcasts of games that do not conflict with each other.

Roughly 11 Buffalo Bisons games (as of 2018) air on evening dates between June and August that do not conflict with Blue Jays games. The Bisons are the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Blue Jays, and broadcasts originate from Buffalo-based WWKB.[5][6]

The Fan 590 also features live coverage of the following:

Previous live sports events on CJCL included:

Notable on-air staff

Current
Main article: Sportsnet § On-air staff

Former
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References
  2. "Only the best for CKFH (ad.)". The Globe and Mail. February 21, 1951. p. 5.
  3. "Change is the operative word in sports radio". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  4. "TSN Radio a reality". The Globe and Mail, January 21, 2011.
  5. "Sportsnet 590 To Air Eight Bisons Games". Sportsnet.ca. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  6. "Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo Bisons News". Milb.com. 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  7. "Rock games return to radio with The Fan 590 – Toronto Rock". Torontorock.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  8. "OHL News". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  9. "The Fan 590 turns 15 today". Slam.canoe.ca. 2007-09-04. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  10. "Spider Jones | Speaker | National Speakers Bureau". Nsb.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
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