Frequency 93.1 MHz (FM) | Slogan Today's Best Mix First air date May 21, 1977 | |
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CHAY-FM is a Canadian radio station in Barrie, Ontario broadcasting at 93.1 FM. The station airs a hot adult contemporary format using its on-air brand name as 93.1 Fresh Radio. The station is owned by Corus Entertainment which also owns sister station CIQB-FM as well as other Corus radio stations across Canada.
History
CHAY-FM signed on the air originally with a hybrid easy listening/beautiful music format on May 21, 1977, but changed to more of an adult contemporary format the following decade with the decline of beautiful music on FM radio. The station was initially broadcast from a 1,000 foot tower just south of Barrie that it had shared with local television station CKVR-TV. On September 27 of that year, a small plane crashed into the tower, destroying the building and killing everyone on board. Toronto station CHIN-FM assisted CHAY in temporarily restoring its signal until the tower was replaced one year later.
In 1989, CHAY-FM moved from a traditional easy listening format to more of a mainstream adult contemporary format. Throughout the transition period, the station continued to attract an audience of a quarter million listeners per week.
On October 15, 2000, CHAY-FM flipped from adult contemporary to a hot adult contemporary/CHR format as "Energy 93.1" simulcasting some programming from its sister station CING-FM in Burlington, Ontario. In 2003, the station returned to its adult contemporary format as The New CHAY 93.1 FM. In 2008, the station was rebranded to FM93 "Barrie's Fresh Music Mix", but kept the same adult contemporary format.
On March 11, 2011, the station flipped to an adult hits format as "CHAY TODAY @ 93.1 FM"; by summer 2014, the station moved back to an upbeat mainstream adult contemporary format.
On May 15, 2015, CHAY-FM re-branded under Corus' Fresh Radio brand as "93.1 Fresh Radio" with a hot adult contemporary format. After the station's rebranding, CHAY-FM became the eighth Corus radio station to adopt the "Fresh Radio" branding.