Branding Roundhouse Radio Frequency 98.3 MHz (FM) Format Urban Talk w/ music | Slogan Our City, Your Voice First air date October 15, 2015 | |
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City Vancouver, British Columbia | ||
CIRH-FM (98.3 FM) is an English-language radio station licensed by the CRTC in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is an urban talk/music radio station owned by, and doing business as, Roundhouse Radio.
Contents
History
The idea for the station came in 2012. Don Shafer, his partner Yvonne and a few friends were discussing what they would do if they owned a radio station and wrote the ideas on the back of a napkin from the Alibi Room. The idea was to create a radio station that was local and inclusive, different than traditional talk radio stations and more like CBC, NPR and the BBC.
CIRH was licensed on August 6, 2014 by the CRTC which described the station format as “niche spoken word” targeting adults aged 25 to 64 in Vancouver. It was one of only two licenses granted in 2014, with the CRTC turning down nine others. Control of the station is exercised by Pushor Family Holding Corp., Okanagan Valley Business Consulting Ltd., Daudrich 2007 Family Trust and Craig and Candace Cameron, Don Shafer and Yvonne Evans, collectively Roundhouse Radio. The station broadcasts on FM 98.3, a low-power station covering the city of Vancouver. It was originally assigned the call letters CIRH-FM which previously broadcast at 107.7 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of the Information Radio system call letters.
The building for studios and offices is located in Railtown, a neighbourhood within Vancouver on the Downtown Eastside. This location was chosen due to the station having street access.
Roundhouse Radio began broadcasting live on October 15, 2015.
Programming
CIRH broadcasts 20 percent music with the remaining 80 percent on talk. Its programming includes news, weather, sports, local event promotion, public affairs, documentaries, radio plays and dramas, slam poetry, programs of public debate such as talk shows. In addition to broadcasting in FM, the station streams live from its website where archived content can also be downloaded.
CIRH programming begins with an evening show hosted by Kirk LaPointe, former CBC ombudsman and former mayoral candidate. Other programs include IMPACT with Don Shafer, focusing on community and non-profit organizations, Sense of Place with Minelle Mahtani, Live from Railtown with Cory Price, a weekly blues music show hosted by Jim Byrnes, a daily afternoon drive magazine series hosted by Janice Ungaro and Cory Ashworth, a food and wine show hosted by Terry David Mulligan and weekday mornings with Martin Strong.
The station's news and content director is Marcella Bernardo and also includes former Vancouver radio host Kerry Marshall. The station's former director of programming, Tracey Friesen was formerly with the National Film Board.