Bob FM

Bob FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in Canada and the United States. The Bob FM format features a mix of classic 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles.

BOB FM stations in Canada are (with the exception of London, Ontario's Bob FM station, CHST-FM) all owned by Bell Media. Those in the United States are owned by a variety of companies. Bob FM stations are officially classified as variety hits or adult hits by radio research companies.

It was originally named for the "Best of the Best", and subsequently associated with an everyday character named Bob, and it proved extremely successful in its first implementation on Winnipeg, Manitoba's CFWM. It inspired Rogers Communications to license the Jack FM format at many of its stations, Corus Entertainment's subsequent Joe FM and Dave FM brands, and comparable moves at other stations. Currently a syndicated version of the format is offered by Waitt Radio Networks.

The format was largely conceived by Howard Kroeger, a former executive at CHUM, after attending a friend's 40th birthday party. He took the "Bob" moniker from a country music station (then WBOB, today KTLK-FM) that had broadcast in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market of Minnesota to the south several years earlier.

CFWM-FM

CFWM-FM is an adult hits radio station branded as 99.9 BOB FM. The station broadcasts from 1445 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, Manitoba with sister stations Virgin Radio 103.1 and TSN Radio 1290.

History

The station was originally launched in 1928 as AM 800 CJRC. As with most early AM radio stations, it changed frequencies several times (see NARBA), permanently settling at 630 AM in 1935 and adopting the callsign CKRC in 1943.

In 1996, the station moved to the FM band and adopted its current callsign, CFWM-FM. It was branded as Magic 99.9 with an adult contemporary format and was owned by Standard Radio. Due to Standard Radio later acquiring CKMM-FM and CFQX-FM from Craig Media (CKMM is now owned by Bell Media, while CFQX is now owned by the Jim Pattison Group), CFWM had to be sold as the CRTC would not let each market own more than two AM or FM stations. CFWM was sold to CHUM Limited in 2001 in exchange for CHOM-FM/Montreal. CFWM became the first in Canada ever to adopt an adult hits format and gave birth to the BOB FM brand (which has been credited as one of the inspirations behind the more famous Jack FM branding).

BOB fm (Hertfordshire)

BOB fm Hertfordshire and Home Counties is a radio station broadcasting to 106.7 MHz and 106.9 MHz on FM in Knebworth, Hertford, Ware, Hatfield, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden City, Watton-at-Stone in the United Kingdom and to the Home Counties on DAB digital radio broadcasting on Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire multiplex and streaming at www.bobfm.co.uk. Programming originates from studios at the Old Pump House in Knebworth Park.

History

Early Years : Radio Hertford and HertBeat

In October 1998, following seven years of lobbying of the Radio Authority Radio Hertford was granted a Restricted Service Licence to broadcast for a two week period to Hertford and surrounding areas.

In 1999 the Radio Authority invited applications to apply for a long-term Hertford licence. The Radio Hertford consortium submitted a bid to broadcast as Hertbeat FM competing with a rival entrant, Stag FM, backed by The Daily Mail Radio Group. Citing Radio Hertford's lobbying of the Radio Authority, trial broadcast and emphasis on local content, the HertBeat FM bid was awarded licence in February 2000: "an imaginative, music-led service, targeted at discerning 25 to 54 year olds, with intelligent speech that emphasises local news and information."