CHLM-FM

CHLM-FM, Première Chaîne, Rouyn-Noranda

Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

StationYearFreq.PowerOwner/Info
CHLM-FM200490.716,000Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
CHLM-FM197996.551,000Radio Nord

1976

Radio Nord received approval for the operation of an FM station at Rouyn-Noranda. It would broadcast on a frequency of 96.5 MHz and have an effective radiated power of 51,000 watts. It would also have a rebroadcast transmitter at Lithium Mines, operating on 97.3 MHz with effective radiated power of 52,000 watts. The stations would provide Radio-Canada AM network service to the area until the CBC established its own station.

1979

CHLM-FM-1 Lithium Mines was authorized to change frequency from 97.3 MHz to 103.5 MHz and to increase effective radiated power from 52,000 watts to 55,300 watts.

Radio-Nord opened CHLM-FM.

1980

Re-broadcast transmitter CHLM-FM-1 Lithium Mines signed on.

1989

On September 7, the application by CHLM to operate a rebroadcast transmitter at Ville-Marie was denied. Radio Nord had proposed to operate the transmitter with ERP of 3,000 watts on 100.5 MHz. The licence for CHLM-FM and CHLM-FM-1 was renewed as was the request to disaffiliate from the Radio-Canada network.

2000

In February, CHLM-FM and CHLM-FM-1 became full-time re-broadcasters of the Radio-Canada network.

2002

On December 13, the Radio-Canada was given approval to operate a transmitter at Ville-Marie to rebroadcast CHLM-FM. The new transmitter would operate at 89.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 15,900 watts.

2004

On September 1, Radio-Canada was granted authority to acquire CHLM-FM Rouyn-Noranda and its transmitter CHLM-FM-1 Amos/Val d’Or from Radio Nord Communications inc. Radio-Canada would produce 27 hours, 30 minutes of local programming in each broadcast week. The remainder of the programming would originate with the La Première Chaîne network, received from CBF-FM Montréal. CHLM was the last privately owned affiliate of La Première Chaîne.

At this time, CHLM-FM was broadcasting on 90.7 MHz with effective radiated power of 16,000 watts. Antenna height was 204.2 metres. CHLM-FM-1 was operating on 91.5 MHz with ERP of 34,400 watts and antenna height of 151.1 metres.

2007

The CBC received approval on April 4 to add transmitters CBFZ-FM Témiscaming and CBFY-FM Ville-Marie to the licence of CHLM-FM (La Première Chaîne). CBFZ-FM and CBFY-FM were originally licensed to the CBC as radiocommunication distribution undertakings to broadcast the programming of CHLM-FM, which was licensed to Radio Nord Communications inc.  As the CBC was now the licensee of CHLM-FM, it no longer needed a separate licence for CBFZ-FM and CBFY-FM.

On the same date, CHLM was authorized to add a transmitter at La Sarre, operating on frequency 100.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 4,290 watts.

2010

On July 29, the CRTC approved an application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to amend the licences of CHLM-FM Rouyn-Noranda and CBF Montréal. The licensee proposed to add transmitters CBF-1 Senneterre, CBF-3 Lebel-sur-Quévillon and CBF-4 Matagami to CHLM-FM’s licence in order to rebroadcast its programming, and to remove these transmitters from CBF’s licence. All technical parameters remain unchanged. Only the source of programming would be amended. The licensee indicated that these amendments would allow it to better serve the population living in these three transmitters’ authorised contours by giving them access to CHLM-FM’s local and regional programming.

2015

On July 3, the CRTC approved the CBC’s application to change the authorized contours of CHLM-FM-1 Amos/Val-d’Or. The licensee proposed to relocate the transmitter to Malartic, to change the transmitter class from B to C1, to modify the polarization of the antenna from horizontal to elliptical (directional), to increase the average ERP from 34,400 to 44,980 watts (maximum ERP from 50,000 to 100,000 watts) and to increase the EHAAT from 150 to 189.1 metres.

2016

On September 30, the CRTC approved the CBC’s application to change the authorized contours of CHLM-FM by relocating its transmitter, changing from a directional to a non-directional antenna, and decreasing the average ERP from 16,000 to 11,422 watts (maximum ERP decreasing from 25,000 to 11,422 watts) and the EHAAT from 204.2 to 110.2 metres. The CBC stated that these changes would allow it to combine its FM services in Rouyn-Noranda and thus reduce its costs.

2017

On August 17, the CBC received CRTC approval to operate FM rebroadcast transmitters in Lebel-sur-Quévillon (94.9 MHz with ERP of 50 watts and EHAAT of 12.2 metres) and Senneterre (95.9 MHz with ERP of 115 watts and EHAAT of 3.8 metres). The new FM transmitters would replace the low-power AM transmitters CBF-3 Lebel-sur-Quévillon and CBF-1 Senneterre.

CBF-3 Lebel Sur Quevillon and CBF-1 Senneterre were shut down after moving to FM.

The story continues elsewhere…
Effective September 1st 2019, we will only be adding new material to these station histories in exceptional circumstances. Our intent to chronicle the early days of these radio and television stations has been achieved, and many new sources and technologies, from the CRTC website to Wikipedia, and others, are now regularly providing new information in these areas.

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