CIBK-FM is a
contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station based in Calgary, Alberta,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The
Astral MediaAstral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
outlet operates at 98.5 MHz FM with an
effective radiated powerIn radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 100 kW.
History
The station received approval by the CRTC in 2001.
When CIBK made its debut in 2002 as Vibe 98.5, they thought they would become the city's first R&B/
hip hopHip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
outlet, but they were beaten to the punch by
CKISCKIS-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 92.5 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded as KiSS 92.5...
(KISS 96.9) by about a month. This would spark a format war in Calgary, with both stations making potshots at one another. On April 1, 2003, CKIS would bail out and abruptly change to the
Jack FMJACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
format, leaving CIBK as the victor.
However CIBK would also go through an evolution of its own as they transitioned to a
rhythmic contemporaryRhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
direction by
2003The year 2003 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.-Debuts:*March...
, and to their current mainstream top 40 direction by
2004The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
. Virgin still plays R&B/hip hop product (although at a reduced rate), they also incorporate
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and
danceDance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
into the mix, in part due to its license with the CRTC that now requires the station to be programmed as a CHR outlet. Because CIBK was anticipated for years prior to its launch to be Calgary's long awaited urban station, it had faced much criticism for bailing out to a Top 40 format leaving many of the station's hip-hop/R&B fans disappointed and let down by Standard Broadcasting.
CIBK was part of the acquisition of most of the assets of
Standard BroadcastingSlaight Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. The company was first formed as Slaight Broadcasting in 1971, when owner J. Allan Slaight acquired CFGM in Richmond Hill...
by
Astral MediaAstral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
that was completed on October 29,
2007The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
. Under Astral Media, CIBK-FM dropped the rhythmic lean.
On April 1, 2010,
Astral MediaAstral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
registered the websites, VirginRadio985.com, Virgin985.com and VirginCalgary.com, which many speculated would be a branding change for CIBK-FM to become a part of the
Virgin Radio branding in Canada. This was confirmed on the Vibe Morning Show's June 23, 2010 broadcast, and the rebranding took place on June 30 at 12 PM MDT, but the station will stay top 40 as
CIGY-FMCHUP-FM is a radio station serving Calgary, Alberta. CHUP-FM began testing on February 19, 2008 as CIGY-FM. The station received approval in 2007 and launched on March 6, 2008 at 10:00am MST. The first song played was Who Says You Can't Go Home by Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles.- History :The...
and
CKCE-FMCKCE-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a hot adult contemporary/rhythmic adult contemporary format on 101.5 FM in Calgary, Alberta. The station is owned by Bell Media through its Bell Media Radio division.-History:...
serve as the hot adult contemporary stations in
CalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. It is the second
Virgin RadioAbsolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
station with a mainstream top 40 format after
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's
CKFM-FMCKFM-FM, branded as 99-9 Virgin Radio , is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 99.9 on the FM dial in Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned by Astral Media...
. The last song to be played on Vibe 98.5 was
Goodbye"Goodbye" is the debut single from American recording artist Kristinia DeBarge from her debut studio album Exposed. It was released digitally in the United States on April 7, 2009, to U.S. radio on April 28, 2009, and in the UK on August 10, 2009. The song contains a sample of Steam's "Na Na Hey...
by
Kristinia DeBargeKristinia DeBarge is an American singer-songwriter. She first appeared on national television in 2003 as a contestant on the American Idol spin-off, American Juniors. In 2009, DeBarge signed a contract with the Island Records department Sodapop, releasing her debut album Exposed in July of the...
and after that, the station aired a woman giving birth to a baby (which signifies the change to Virgin Radio 98-5). The first song to be played on Virgin Radio 98-5 was
California Gurls"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
by
Katy PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
. RadioStationWorld.com still lists the station under its old Vibe 98-5 branding. However, the station's playlist would have similarity towards its CKMP-FM rival, similar to how
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
would have similarly-sounding
contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
stations on
CHBN-FMCHBN-FM is a contemporary hit radio station based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The station, which is jointly owned by Rogers Radio, operates at 91.7 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW.-History:...
, and most recently, sister station
CFMG-FMCFMG-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at FM 104.9 in Edmonton, Alberta. Branded as '1049 Virgin Radio', the station plays a contemporary hit radio format....
(the third Virgin with a
contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). Even after rebranding, the station's playlist remained largely unchanged unlike other Virgins in Canada.
CIBK-FM is the longest-tentured
contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station in
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
still having the format today, only
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
's
CKNG-FMCKNG-FM, broadcasting at 92.5 FM, is a radio station in Edmonton, Alberta. The station plays an adult hits format branded as Joe FM. Since Corus's other adult hits station in Kitchener, Ontario flipped to mainstream rock, CKNG-FM was the only adult hits station owned by Corus until 2011, when...
(now
adult hitsAdult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
since
2004The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
) had the longest-tentured format from
1991The year 1991 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* January 18 - Brian Beirne became one of the few celebrities from radio to get a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
-
2003The year 2003 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.-Debuts:*March...
.
Virgin Morning Show
The
Virgin Morning Show runs on weekday mornings from 5:30am to 10:00am Mountain Time. It is hosted by Adam Wylde, Danaye Maier, and Fuzzy.
Former co-hosts were Jackie Bojakli (left in 2006), Kelsey Moore (left in late March 2007), Chad Martin (left February 23, 2009 but remains in contact with the hosts as "Boss Chad"), Marc Michaels, and Dani Rohs (both left in June 2011).
The morning show runs several contests where listeners phone in to participate and win prizes. It also runs several segments such as "Celebrity Sleaze".
Among the many parodies the Virgin Morning Show plays, they have parodied
In da Club"In Da Club" is a hip hop song performed by rapper 50 Cent from his commercial debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin. The song was produced by Dr. Dre with co-production from Mike Elizondo. 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Elizondo wrote the song...
to create the more popular "In da Dome" in 2004 (with revised versions for 2006, 2007, and 2009) when the
Calgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
were in their Stanley Cup runs (along with
She Bangs"She Bangs" is a song performed by Ricky Martin, from his 2000 album Sound Loaded. An up-tempo, salsa-influenced song with double entendres about the singer's infatuation with a woman, Martin's recording earned him continued crossover success around the world.The song was co-written by Desmond...
by
Ricky MartinEnrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
, parodied as
The Flames). They have also parodied
SexyBack"SexyBack" is a song by American recording artist Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on July 7, 2006, by Jive Records as the lead single from the album...
for the Flames' Stanley Cup run in 2007,
Low"Low" is the debut single by American rapper Flo Rida, featured on his debut album Mail On Sunday and also featured on the soundtrack to the 2008 film Step Up 2: The Streets. The song features T-Pain and was co-written with T-Pain. There is also a remix in which the hook is sung by Flo Rida rather...
in 2008, and
Right Round“Right Round” is a song performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring pop singer Kesha from R.O.O.T.S., his second studio album. It was released to radio as the album's lead single on January 27, 2009 and was digitally released on February 10 by Poe Boy Entertainment and Atlantic Records...
in 2009.
External links