CKLH-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.9 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. The station broadcasts an adult hits format branded as Bounce 102.9. The station is owned by Bell Media. CKLH's studios are located at 25 Main Street West in Downtown Hamilton, while its transmitter is located atop the Niagara Escarpment on King Road, near the city boundaries of Hamilton and Burlington.

CKLH-FM
Broadcast areaGreater Toronto and Hamilton Area
Waterloo Region
Niagara Region
Frequency102.9 MHz (FM)
BrandingBounce 102.9
Programming
FormatAdult hits
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1986
Call sign meaning
Canada Knows Les Horton or
C K-Lite Hamilton (former branding and broadcast area)
Technical information
ClassB
ERP40,300 watts
HAAT122 meters (400 ft)
Links
WebsiteBounce 102.9

History

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The station received CRTC approval on May 8, 1986,[1] and was launched on October 7, 1986, by Armadale Communications, the owner of CKOC. The "LH" in the call sign stood for Les Horton, CKOC's first broadcast engineer. The station aired an easy listening format as “K103 FM.” On June 1, 1992, CKLH flipped to adult contemporary, and rebranded as “102.9 K-Lite.”[2][3]

Armadale sold the stations to London Communications in 1993.[4] London Communications subsequently sold them to Telemedia in 1999,[5] and Telemedia was itself acquired by Standard Broadcasting in 2002.[6] In October 2007, Astral Media acquired Standard Broadcasting's terrestrial radio and television assets, including CKLH. Shortly after Astral acquired the station, CKLH adopted a more Adult Top 40 format; this ended in November 2009 when the station returned to its adult contemporary status after Boxing Day 2009, and regarding the flip from AC to adult hits at then-sister CJEZ in Toronto, which became CHBM after that.

With the merger of Astral Media and Bell Media, CKLH became a Bell Media owned station on July 5, 2013.

As part of a mass format reorganization by Bell Media, on May 18, 2021, CKLH flipped to adult hits under the Bounce branding.[7]

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 CKLH, which is to be sold to Whiteoaks Communications Group.[8] Hearings to consider the applications to purchase CKLH-FM will commence on October 8th, 2024. [9]

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2014-2021

Notes

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The 102.9 FM frequency in Hamilton was previously used by an unrelated radio station called CJSH-FM which was owned by The Hamilton Spectator that operated from 1948 until it shutdown in 1954. [10]

References

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  1. ^ Decision CRTC 86-434
  2. ^ Eric Kohanik, "K-Lite FM takes aim at office crowd," The Hamilton Spectator, May 30, 1992.
  3. ^ Eric Kohanik, "CHAM lassoos a new morning host," The Hamilton Spectator, December 23, 1992.
  4. ^ Decision CRTC 93-569
  5. ^ Decision CRTC 99-172
  6. ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2002-95
  7. ^ Bell Media Bounces 25 Stations Across Canada to New Variety Hits Brand
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-172". CRTC. 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ History of CJSH-FM radio - Canadian Communications Foundation
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43°20′12″N 79°52′06″W / 43.33667°N 79.86833°W / 43.33667; -79.86833