New Music Showdown/Night Show on Kiss-FM Calgary | 1996

From our Annonymous Donations file (yes, we had a contributor who wished to remain annonymous), comes this excellent aircheck of Kiss-FM Calgary. Unfortunately, there are few identifying marks to tell us what the call letters were, even the deejay didn’t say his name (but he SOUNDS similar to a guy named Doug Alling who used to grace the Boston airwaves on the old HitRadio 103 WHTT). So, once again, we’ll rely on visitor’s comments to identify this clip that we suspect was recorded in 1996.

Its the night show, and they are doing the New Music Showdown… a battle of the bands kind of thing. Lots of phone calls, high energy and all the old commercials are left in for identification. See if this brings back some memories to our Canadian visitors!!

Lisa Flairhe / Rhino, CKIK Calgary | August 22, 1996

We know very little about the Calgary market, and can only go by what the source tape says. Dated simply 8/22, we’re going to guess the year as 1996, assuming Cheryl Crow’s “Every Day Is A Winding Road” is a current song in rotation.

A few notables on this 10+ minute scope: Lisa Flairhe(sp) (pronounced Flair-hay) is heard towards the beginning, in just one break. She talks after the music stops, like an old AOR approach. After a commercial break, Rhino steps in with a live Top Hour Legal ID over a music bed, and is heard often, talking over the music in a more CHR approach. I’m not sure if this was typical of the format or a fluke. The imaging voice is a guy by the name of Zak. Don’t remember his last name but he voiced a lot of Alternative and Modern AC stations in the 90s.

The logo below is from the same general time period. Not sure if it was before or after this aircheck but I’m thinking before.

Our Canadian visitors are invited to comment especially if they are familiar with CKIK and the Calgary market.

Rob Vie on CJAY 92 Calgary | February 1985

Fourth in our series of airchecks from the Calgary market features yet another rock station. This one, however, has had great success since it’s sign on, June 1, 1977. It exists today as an Active Rock station, recently having celebrated it’s 30th anniversary! How many stations can claim that?

Like the CKIK aircheck, this one is fairly laid back and also boasts a fair variety of music, but does lean a bit more into the hard rock side, which may explain it’s staying power. Still, like any great rock station… no jingles, no overblown production and promos (at least for it’s time – this WAS 1985!), just a capable jock and his rock.

Click HERE to visit CJAY 92.1’s Official Website

A look at Calgary’s Rock, “Kick 107″ (CKIK) | February, 1985

So you’re a rocker and you’re in Calgary for some reason… and much to your surprise there is a really GOOD rock station on FM. Kick 107, isn’t the name of a Country station, at least not here. Its a really good Rock station. Not all hard rock, mind you, but a station that reminds you of the good old AOR days of the 70s. While this is scoped, listen to the variety of music CKIK is playing here. The presentation is pretty laid back, no loud production elements, no screaming promos, just a relaxed jock playing album cuts and Calgary’s Best Rock.

Glen Slingerland on CFCN “All Hit AM 106″ Calgary | February 1985

Not one, but TWO CHR stations on the AM band in the same city? But this is 1985? Yes, but this is also Canada, where hit music is still heard on AM, and man is this good! AM 1060, believe it or not, still exists with a Classic Country format under the call letters CKMX, but back in the good old days this was a ‘Full Service’ AM top 40 station with all the elements you’d find on an old AM AC but with hit music and shotgun jingles.

This features a full news department, ski reports, weather and traffic. Wow, wouldn’t it be nice to hear a top 40 station like this today?

Gary James on CKXL Calgary | February 1985

While by 1985, most top 40 music in the United States had migrated to FM, with very few exceptions, in Canada, the format survived – even thrived in many markets on AM, thanks in part to the policies of the CTRC, Canada’s radio regulatory body, their version of the FCC. In Canada its not just stations that are licensed, but FORMATS that are licensed to stations for each community, a concept that people in America would find somewhat absurd, but it works north of the border.

With that explanation, enter the decade of the mid 80s, where AM CHR is the norm, and talent is plentiful in Canada. CKXL is an amazing station, and could hold its own with the likes of any of the major US stations given a comparison. I like Gary James, and the entire air staff. The whole presentation is tight, the station is NOT overly produced (they wisely assume that the audience knows when the news is going to air and don’t need an in-your-face production piece to announce it), and have ALL the elements you’d find on a major market station, INCLUDING Accuweather(TM).

All good things do, eventually, come to an end… and so did CKXL. But it took until 1996, when Canada finally pushed music to FM for the end to come. Strangely enough, to get off topic for just a second, when many of Canada’s stations migrated to FM, the AM stations simply ceased transmitting. So unlike the US, where there are so many stations rebroadcasting the same syndicated junk today… cluttering up an already horribly noisy band, virtually useless except for the few main News or Sports formatted stations in the nation’s largest cities, but I digress. Methinks Canada did it right. How many of you would agree?