CBX (AM)

CBX is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 740 kHz (AM) in Edmonton, Alberta. It broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network. CBX is a Class B station broadcasting on a Canadian clear-channel frequency; the dominant station on 740 AM is CFZM in Toronto, Ontario. CBX's studios are located at Edmonton City Centre on 102nd Avenue Northwest in downtown Edmonton, while its transmitters are located near Beaumont.

CBX

Edmonton, Alberta
Broadcast area	Northern Alberta
Frequency	740 kHz (AM)
Branding	CBC Radio One
Programming
Format	News/Talk
Ownership
Owner	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Sister stations	CBX-FM, CHFA-FM, CBXT-DT, CBXFT-DT
History
First air date	September 8, 1948; 76 years ago (1948-09-08)
Former frequencies	1010 kHz (1948–1964)
Call sign meaning	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation X
Technical information
Class	B
Power	50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates	53°19′10″N 113°26′43″W
Links
Website	CBC Edmonton

As of Feb 28, 2021, CBX is the 3rd-most-listened-to radio station in the Edmonton market according to a PPM data report released by Numeris.^[1]

History

CBX started broadcasting September 8, 1948 on a frequency of 1010 kHz.^[2] It was the third of three 50,000-watt Trans-Canada Network AM radio stations to sign on in the Prairie Provinces (the others being CBK in Saskatchewan and CBW in Manitoba). Prior to CBX's launch, Trans-Canada Network programming aired on commercial radio stations in Edmonton, namely CJCA, which continued to air CBC programming on a secondary basis after CBX signed on.^[3]

Although CBX's initial studios were located inside the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton, the station's transmitter was located near Lacombe,^[4] roughly halfway between Edmonton and Calgary, in an attempt to serve the southern two-thirds of Alberta from a single transmitter.^[5]

From the start, the CBX signal did not adequately cover either Edmonton or Calgary. To rectify this problem within Edmonton, a 250-watt rebroadcaster operating on 740 kHz was launched in the city in 1953. This rebroadcaster had the call sign CBXA.

Meanwhile, reception continued to be poor in Calgary.^[6] In order to provide a long-term solution to the station's reception issues, in 1964, the CBC launched separate radio stations for Calgary and Edmonton while also decommissioning the original CBX transmitter.^[7] Under the new setup, CBX was reoriented to be Edmonton's CBC station and took over CBXA's frequency of 740 kHz from a newly-constructed 50,000-watt transmitting site near Beaumont. At the same time, CBR signed on as Calgary's CBC outlet, using CBX's old frequency of 1010 kHz.^[8]

In 2004, CBC Edmonton operations moved into a new digital broadcast facility downtown, bringing all operations of Radio and TV under one roof. The old TV facility on 75th Street had 70,000 square feet (6,500 m²), while the Radio building on 51st Ave. had 48,000 square feet (4,500 m²). The new combined facility has 38,700 total square feet. It is located at the Edmonton City Centre, on Winston Churchill Square.

On March 16, 2006, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the station's application to add a nested FM transmitter at 93.9 MHz in Edmonton to simulcast the AM programming.^[9] This relay, CBX-2-FM, officially began April 20, 2007.

Local programming

Local programs produced by CBX include Edmonton AM, and Radio Active. CBX also produces half-hourly news bulletins between 5:30 AM and 6:00 PM each weekday. Provincial or national news bulletins air on CBX outside of those hours.

CBX also produces two music shows for the entire CBC radio networks: Saturday Night Blues and Canada Live air nationally on CBC Radio One/Sirius 137 and CBC Music, respectively.

The last few BBM radio ratings measurements have shown CBX steadily climbing in audience share in Edmonton. As of the spring 2009 BBM measurement, CBX is the second-most listened to radio-station in Edmonton, behind news-talk radio station CHED. Edmonton AM also ranks second in the morning, while Radio Active ranks fourth amongst the afternoon radio drive-time shows.^[10]

Transmitters

Rebroadcasters of CBX

City of license	Identifier	Frequency	Power	RECNet
Bonnyville	CBX-1-FM	92.9 FM	55,500 watts	Query
Chateh	CBXA-FM	103.5 FM	983 watts	Query
Edmonton	CBX-2-FM	93.9 FM	3,931 watts	Query
Edson	CBXD-FM	95.3 FM	50 watts	Query
Fort McMurray	CBXN-FM	99.3 FM	20,000 watts	Query
Fort Vermilion	CBXF-FM	105.1 FM	50 watts	Query
Fox Creek	CBXV-FM	91.3 FM	38 watts	Query
Fox Lake	CBXK-FM	96.9 FM	425 watts	Query
Grande Cache	CBXC-FM	92.3 FM	50 watts	Query
Grande Prairie	CBXP-FM	102.5 FM	100,000 watts	Query
High Level	CBXL-FM	99.5 FM	50 watts	Query
Hinton	CBXI-FM	88.1 FM	3,000 watts	Query
Jasper	CBXJ-FM	98.1 FM	259 watts	Query
John D'Or Prairie	CBXH-FM	102.5 FM	230 watts	Query
Manning	CBXM-FM	100.5 FM	13,500 watts	Query
Peace River	CBXG-FM	93.9 FM	822 watts	Query
Rainbow Lake	CBXW-FM	101.5 FM	50 watts	Query
Swan Hills	CBXS-FM	91.5 FM	88 watts	Query

On September 10, 2012, the CBC applied to move the following CBC low-power AM transmitters to FM. The CBC received approval on January 31, 2013 to convert the remaining AM transmitters to FM and the new transmitters will operate on these following frequencies:^[11]

• CBXD 1540 to 99.3 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXN-FM)
• CBKC 1460 to 105.1 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXF-FM)
• CBWI 1450 to 92.3 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXC-FM)
• CBKD 1560 to 99.5 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXL-FM, originally approved to move to 88.1 in 1986)^[12]
• CBXX 1240 to 101.5 with 50 watts (new callsign CBXW-FM)

On October 25, 2013, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to delete the following low-power AM transmitter, CBXH John D'Or Prairie. An FM transmitter operates at 102.5 as CBXH-FM.^[13]

The AM transmitters were deleted once the new FM transmitters commenced operation.