CHRE-FM

CHRE-FM
St. Catharines, Ontario;
Broadcast area	Niagara Region
Frequency	105.7 MHz (FM)
Branding	Move 105.7
Programming
Format	Adult contemporary
Affiliations	Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner	Bell Media (sale to Whiteoaks Communications Group pending approval); (Bell Media Radio);
Sister stations	CKTB, CHTZ-FM
History
First air date	March 20, 1967
Former call signs	CHSC-FM (1967–1979)
Call sign meaning	CH REdmond (former owner) or; St. CatHaRinEs (broadcast area)
Technical information
Class	B
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	119.5 meters (392 ft)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	iheartradio.ca/move/niagara

CHRE-FM (105.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, serving Niagara Region. It is owned by Bell Media and is branded as Move 105.7. CHRE broadcasts an adult contemporary format. CHRE shares studios with its sister stations, CKTB and CHTZ-FM, in "Oak Hill Mansion", the former home of William Hamilton Merritt, at 12 Yates Street in downtown St. Catharines.

CHRE-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts. The transmitter is on Cataract Road in Thorold, sharing its tower with CHTZ-FM.^[1]

History

On March 20, 1967, the station signed on the air. Its owner was Radio Station CHSC Ltd., along with CHSC AM 1220 (now CFAJ). At first, CHSC-AM-FM simulcast much of their programming.

By 1970, the two stations were doing their own programming with CHSC-FM adopting a "Beautiful Music" format. During this time the station had a number of popular specialty programs. "A Starlight Concert" heard weeknights from 10 to 11pm features light classical music introduced by Francis Kirton who became the station's fine arts director. Kirton also hosted the Sunday morning programs "Variety Theatre" featuring condensations of popular operettas recorded by the Reader's Digest Association, "Concert in the Park" featuring marches and brass band music, "Waltz Time", a half-hour of familiar music in 3/4 time and "At the Console" showcasing the world's great theatre organs.

Other specialty programs included "Ray Wickens' Broadway" hosted by British theatre aficionado Ray Wickens and featuring full original cast recordings; and "The Golden Age of Comedy" hosted by Armand Romagnoli and Mark Lawrence presenting classic comedy routines and old-time radio comedies. For a time in the late 1970s the station also carried the syndicated version of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre". The station's most popular program was "Howard Cable Presents" hosted by Howard Cable who was, at the time, the music director for the Imperial Room at the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto. The program showcased many of the performers appearing at the Imperial Room as well as popular songs from shows and movies, Big Band favorites and Classical music.

On July 1, 1979, the callsign was changed to CHRE-FM for station owner R.E. (Robert) Redmond. By 1985, Redmond determined that the "beautiful music" audience was rapidly aging and opted to switch to a soft rock/adult contemporary format geared to a younger audience. At this time, all of the specialty programs were dropped.

The parent company became known as Redmond Communications in 1985 and was granted a license to open CJEZ-FM (now CHBM-FM) in Toronto. The station was subsequently sold to Affinity Radio Group in 1999.

Affinity was acquired by Telemedia the following year, and Telemedia was itself bought out by Standard Broadcasting in 2002.

In October 2007, Astral Media acquired Standard Broadcasting's terrestrial radio and television assets, including CHRE.

On July 5, 2013, Bell Media officially took ownership of Astral Media, and as a result, CHRE became a part of Bell Media's radio station group.

In January 2015, CHRE-FM's first home, the former CHSC studios at 36 Queenston Street in St. Catharines, was demolished; its land will be used for a four-storey apartment building.^[2]

On December 27, 2020, as part of a mass format reorganization by Bell Media, CHRE rebranded as Move 105.7. While the station would run jockless for the first week of the format, on-air staff would return on January 4, 2021.^[3] CHRE was the last radio station in Ontario under the "EZ Rock" branding, which continued to exist on a chain of Bell Media radio stations in British Columbia, before they were flipped to the adult hits "Bounce" brand in May 2021.

On February 8, 2024, Bell announced a restructuring that included the sale of 45 of its 103 radio stations to seven buyers, subject to approval by the CRTC, including CHRE, which is to be sold to Whiteoaks Communications Group.^[4]

References

^ FCCdata.org/CHRE-FM
^ CHSC's fortunes face final crumble Archived 2015-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, St. Catharines Standard, January 14, 2015
^ Bell Media Moves Ten Stations to New Branding
^ Hudes, Sammy (8 February 2024). "'Not a viable business anymore': Bell Media selling 45 radio stations amid layoffs". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

External links

Move 105.7
CHRE-FM at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
CHRE-FM in the REC Canadian station database

43°09′14″N 79°14′49″W / 43.15395°N 79.24698°W / 43.15395; -79.24698

[1] FCCdata.org/CHRE-FM

[2] CHSC's fortunes face final crumble Archived 2015-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, St. Catharines Standard, January 14, 2015

[3] Bell Media Moves Ten Stations to New Branding

[4] Hudes, Sammy (8 February 2024). "'Not a viable business anymore': Bell Media selling 45 radio stations amid layoffs". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

[1]

v t e Radio stations in Hamilton–Niagara, Ontario
By AM frequency	CKTB 610 CHAM 820 CKOC 1150 CFAJ 1220
By FM frequency	CKLK-FM 88.5 CKYY-FM 89.1 CIXL-FM 91.7 CHTG-FM 92.9 CFMU-FM 93.3 CHKX-FM 94.7 CING-FM 95.3 CHTZ-FM 97.7 CFLZ-FM 101.1 CIOI-FM 101.5 CKLH-FM 102.9 CFBU-FM 103.7 CJED-FM 105.1 CHRE-FM 105.7 CJXY-FM 107.9
Digital HD Radio	CHKX-FM 94.7 HD1 HD2 HD3 CING-FM 95.3 HD1 HD2 HD3
Internet radio stations	CRNC Wave.FM
Defunct	CJRN 710 CHML 900
Nearby regions – Canada Kitchener-Waterloo London Midwestern Ontario Toronto U.S. Buffalo See also List of radio stations in Ontario

v t e Adult contemporary radio stations in the Province of Ontario
Anglophone stations	CFBG-FM – Bracebridge CFBK-FM – Huntsville CFGX-FM – Sarnia CFHK-FM – St. Thomas CFJR-FM – Brockville CFLG-FM – Cornwall CFLY-FM – Kingston CFNO-FM – Marathon CFSF-FM – Sturgeon Falls CHAS-FM – Sault Ste. Marie CHCD-FM – Simcoe CHFI-FM – Toronto CHGK-FM – Stratford CHMS-FM – Bancroft CHRE-FM – St. Catharines CHUM-FM – Toronto CHUR-FM – North Bay CHYM-FM – Kitchener CHYR-FM – Leamington CICW-FM - Fergus CIGL-FM – Belleville CIHR-FM – Woodstock CIMA-FM – Alliston CIMJ-FM – Guelph CING-FM – Hamilton CISS-FM – Ottawa CIXK-FM – Owen Sound CJED-FM – Niagara Falls CJJM-FM – Espanola CJKL-FM – Kirkland Lake CJMI-FM – Strathroy CJMJ-FM – Ottawa CJML-FM – Milton CJMX-FM – Sudbury CJRL-FM – Kenora CJTT-FM – Temiskaming Shores CKAP-FM – Kapuskasing CKCB-FM – Collingwood CKDR-FM – Dryden CKGB-FM – Timmins CKMB-FM – Barrie CKMO-FM – Orangeville CKNR-FM – Elliot Lake CKNX-FM – Wingham CKOT-FM – Tillsonburg CKPR-FM – Thunder Bay CKPT-FM – Peterborough CKRU-FM – Peterborough CKSG-FM – Cobourg CKSY-FM – Chatham-Kent CKWS-FM – Kingston CKXM-FM – Exeter
Francophone stations	CHYC-FM – Sudbury CHYK-FM – Timmins CHYQ-FM – West Nipissing
See also List of radio stations in Ontario CHR/Top 40 stations in Ontario