CBQT-FM

CBQT-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Thunder Bay, Ontario, broadcasting at 88.3 FM, and serves all of Northwestern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.

History

The station was launched in 1973 on the AM band as CBQ 800. The 800 frequency had been vacated earlier that year by the defunct CJLX. CBQ Radio's inaugural morning broadcast in December 1973 made it the second city in Ontario to get a regional broadcast centre. The call sign CBQ was a last minute choice by station managers since CBL (for Lakehead) or CBT (for Thunder Bay) were taken by the CBC stations in Toronto and Grand Falls, respectively. Instead the letter Q was chosen for Quetico Provincial Park near Atikokan, which is west of Thunder Bay.

Prior to CBQ's launch, CBC Radio programming aired on private affiliate CFPA 1230.

CBQ moved to the FM band as CBQT-FM in 1990. The CBQ-FM call sign was already in use by the CBC Stereo sister station on 101.7 FM. Some of the relay transmitters for CBQT previously rebroadcast CBL in Toronto.