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Carlos Hathcock

2008-07-16T20:29:28Z

Dvandersluis: /* In fictional works */ fix link to point to Eraser (film) rather than Eraser

{{Cleanup|date=March 2008}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2007}}
{{Infobox Military Person
|name= Carlos Norman Hathcock II
|born= {{birth date|1942|5|20}}
|died= {{Death date and age|1999|2|23|1942|5|20}}
|placeofbirth= [[Little Rock, Arkansas]]
|placeofdeath= [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]]
|image= [[Image:Carlos Hathcock DM-SD-98-02324.JPG|200px]]
|caption= Carlos Hathcock in 1996
|nickname= Lông Trắng (White Feather)
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Marine Corps]]
|serviceyears= 1959-1979
|rank= [[Gunnery Sergeant]]
|commands=
|unit=
|battles=[[Vietnam War]]
|awards= [[Silver Star]]<br/>[[Purple Heart]]
|laterwork=
}}
Gunnery Sergeant '''Carlos Norman Hathcock II''' ([[May 20]], [[1942]] – [[February 23]], [[1999]]) was a [[United States Marine Corps]] [[sniper]] with a service record of 93 confirmed kills and more than 300 probable kills during the [[Vietnam War]].{{Verify source|date=March 2008}} Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. His fame as a sniper and his dedication to long distance shooting led him to become a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training program. He has, in recent years, also had the honor of having a rifle named after him, a variant of the [[M21 Sniper Weapon System|M21]] dubbed the Springfield Armory [[XM25 Sniper Rifle|M25 White Feather]].<ref>http://www.impactguns.com/store/706397035020.html</ref>

==Early life==
Carlos Norman Hathcock, II, was born in [[Geyer Springs, Arkansas]] on [[May 20]], [[1942]]. He grew up in rural Arkansas, living with his grandmother after his parents separated. He took to shooting and hunting at a young age, partly out of necessity to help feed his poor family. He would go into the woods with his dog and pretend to be an Army Ranger and hunt fake Nazis in his own little Germany. He would "hunt" at the young age with a rifle that his father had brought back from Europe during [[World War II]]. Hathcock dreamed of being a Marine throughout his childhood,<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.29. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref> and on [[May 20]], [[1959]], at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Hathcock married Jo Winstead on [[November 20]], [[1962]]. Jo gave birth to a son, Carlos Norman Hathcock, III. Carlos Hathcock III would later join the Marines.

==Marine Corps career==
{{Refimprovesect|date=March 2008}}
{{Original research|date=March 2008}}
Before deploying to [[Vietnam]], Hathcock had won many shooting championships.<ref name="sgtgrit"/> In 1966 Hathcock started his deployment in Vietnam as an [[Military Police|MP]] and later became a sniper after Captain [[Edward J. Land Jr.]] pushed the Marines into raising snipers in every platoon. Land later recruited Marines who had set their own records in sharpshooting; he quickly found Hathcock, who had won the [[Wimbledon Cup]], the most prestigious prize for long-range shooting, at [[Camp Perry]] in 1965.<ref name="sgtgrit">{{cite web |title=Marine Corps Sniper Carlos N. Hathcock II |author=Sgt. Grit |date=2006 |accessdate=2008-03-24 |url=http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/corps-stories/heroes/carloshathcock.asp}}</ref>

During the Vietnam War Hathcock was confirmed for killing 93 [[North Vietnamese Army]] and [[Viet-Cong]] personnel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Harold |title=Marine Corps Sets Sights On More Precise Shooting |publisher=National Defense Magazine |date=March 2003 |url=http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2003/Mar/Marine_Corps_Sets.htm |accessdate=2007-03-30 |quote=Founded in 1977, [[Marine Corps Base Quantico|the school’s]] first staff NCOIC was the famed sniper, Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock II, who was credited with 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam.}}</ref><ref name="sgtgrit"/> His actual total is believed to be well over 400, with at least an additional 300 being unconfirmed, which the official count does not reflect (during the Vietnam War, kills had to be confirmed by an acting third party; this was feasible on a battlefield, but snipers usually worked in pairs (shooter and spotter) and often did not have an acting third party present, which made confirmation difficult). He is third only to U.S. Marine Corps sniper [[Chuck Mawhinney]] and [[U.S. Army]] sniper [[Adelbert Waldron]] on the list of most confirmed kills for an American sniper

The North Vietnamese Army even put a bounty of $30,000 on his life for killing so many of their men. Rewards put on U.S. snipers by the N.V.A. typically amounted to only $8.<ref>{{cite web |quote=During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army placed bounties from $8 to $2,000 on the heads of Marine snipers. Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock, with 93 confirmed kills, actually held the record bounty of $30,000 and killed every Vietnamese marksman who sought it. |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/sniper.htm |title=Sniper Rifles |publisher=[[GlobalSecurity]] |accessdate=2008-03-24}}</ref><ref name="sgtgrit"/> The Viet Cong and N.V.A. called Hathcock ''Lông Trắng'', translated as "White Feather", because of the white feather he kept in a band on his bush hat.<ref> Charles Henderson, ''Marine Sniper''</ref> After a platoon of trained Vietnamese snipers were sent to hunt down "White Feather", many Marines in the same area donned white feathers to deceive the enemy. These Marines were aware of the impact Hathcock's death would have, and took it upon themselves to make themselves targets in order to preserve the life of the true "White Feather".{{Fact|date=March 2008}}

One of Hathcock's most famous accomplishments was shooting an enemy sniper through his [[rifle scope|scope]], hitting him in the eye and killing him.<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.29. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref> Hathcock and John Burke, his spotter, were stalking the enemy sniper in the jungle near [[Hill 55]], the [[firebase]] Hathcock was operating from. The sniper had already killed several Marines, and was believed to have been sent specifically to kill Hathcock. When Hathcock saw a flash of light (light reflecting off the enemy sniper's scope) in the bushes,<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.29. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref> he fired at it, shooting through the scope and killing the sniper.<ref name="sgtgrit"/> Surveying the situation, Hathcock concluded that the only feasible way he could have put the bullet straight down the enemy's scope and through his eye would have been if both snipers were zeroing in on each other at the same time, and Hathcock fired first, which gave him only a few seconds to act. Given the flight time of rounds at long ranges, both snipers could easily have killed one another. The enemy rifle was recovered and the incident is documented by a photograph.

Hathcock only once removed the white feather from his bush hat while deployed in Vietnam. During a volunteer mission on his first deployment, he crawled over a thousand meters of field to shoot a commanding NVA general. He wasn't informed of the details of the mission until he was en route to his insertion point aboard a helicopter. This effort took four days and three nights, without sleep, of constant inch-by-inch crawling. In Carlos's words, one enemy soldier (or "hamburger" as Carlos called them), "shortly after sunset", almost stepped on him as he lay camouflaged with grass and vegetation in a meadow '',<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.29. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref>. At one point he was nearly bitten by a [[Trimeresurus stejnegeri|bamboo viper]] but had the presence of mind to not move and give up his position.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sasser, Charles and Craig Roberts |title=One Shot, One Kill |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |date=1990 |pages=208 |isbn=0-671-68219-9}}</ref> As the general was stretching in the morning, Carlos fired a single shot which struck him in the chest and killed him. He had to crawl back instead of run when soldiers started searching.<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.29. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref>

After the arduous mission of killing the general, Hathcock returned to the United States in 1967. However, he missed being away from the Marine Corps and returned to Vietnam in 1969, where he took command of a platoon of snipers.

Hathcock generally used the standard sniper rifle: The [[Winchester Model 70]] .30-06 caliber rifle with the standard Unertl scope. On some occasions, however, he used a different weapon: the .50-caliber [[M2 Browning Machine Gun]], on which he mounted the Unertl scope, using a bracket of his own design.{{Verify source|date=March 2008}} This weapon was accurate to 2500 yards when fired one round at a time. At one point, he took careful aim at a courier carrying a load of assault rifles and ammunition on a bicycle. He had second thoughts when he saw a 12-year-old boy in his sights, but after considering the intended use of those weapons, he fired, hitting the bicycle frame. The boy tumbled over the handlebars and grabbed a gun, so Hathcock killed him. (Source ''Marine Sniper,'' Chapter 1.)

Hathcock's career as a sniper came to a sudden end outside [[Khe Sanh]] in 1969, when an [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious amtrack]] he was riding on struck an [[anti-tank mine]].<ref name="sgtgrit"/> Hathcock pulled seven Marines off the flame-engulfed vehicle before jumping to safety. He was told he would be recommended for the [[Silver Star]], but he stated that he had only done what anyone there would have if they were awake, so he rejected any commendation for his bravery. Nearly 30 years later, he was awarded the Silver Star, the third most prestigious award in U.S. military.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}

Hathcock said in a book written about his career as a sniper: "I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It's my job. If I don't get those bastards, then they're gonna kill a lot of these kids we got dressed up like Marines. That's just the way I see it."<ref>[http://www.snipercentral.com/wpost.htm Washington Post Obituary February 27, 1999, quoted in SniperCentral]</ref>

==After Vietnam==
After returning to active duty, Hathcock helped establish a scout and sniper school at the Marine base in [[Marine Corps Base Quantico|Quantico, Virginia]]. Due to his extreme injuries suffered in Vietnam, he was in nearly constant pain, but he continued to dedicate himself to teaching snipers. In 1975 Hathcock's health began to deteriorate and he was diagnosed with [[multiple sclerosis]] — an incurable, degenerative nerve disorder. He stayed in the Corps but his health continued to decline and was forced to retire just 55 days short of the 20 years that would have made him eligible for full retirement pay. Being medically retired, he received 100% disability. He fell into a state of depression when he was forced out of the Marines because he felt as if the service kicked him out. During this depression his wife Jo almost left him, but she finally decided to stay. Hathcock eventually picked up the hobby of shark fishing with the locals, which is accredited to helping his depression.<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. p.306. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref> Hathcock often paid visits to the sniper training facility at Quantico, where he was welcomed by students and instructors alike as being "bigger than life" due to his status in shooting circles.

Hathcock once said that he survived in his work because of an ability to "get in the bubble," to put himself into a state of "[[Flow (psychology)|utter, complete, absolute concentration]]," first with his equipment, then his environment, in which every breeze and every leaf meant something, and finally on his quarry.<ref name=”NRA” </ref>{{cite web
|last = Lantz
|first = Gary
|authorlink =
|coauthors =
|title = White Feather
|work = America's 1st Freedom
|publisher = National Rifle Association
|date =
|url = http://www.nrapublications.org/first%20freedom/Whitefeather.asp
|format =
|doi =
|accessdate = 2007-04-17}}</ref>

After the war, a friend showed Hathcock a passage written by [[Ernest Hemingway]]: "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." He copied Hemingway's words on a piece of paper. "He got that right," Hathcock said. "It was the hunt, not the killing."{{Fact|date=March 2007}}

Hathcock died on [[February 23]], [[1999]], in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], after a long struggle with [[multiple sclerosis]].<ref name="sgtgrit"/>

==Decorations==
*[[Image:Silver Star BAR.svg|60px]]  [[Silver Star]]

Hathcock was awarded a [[Silver Star]] in [[1996]], ironically not for his sniping, but for saving the lives of seven fellow Marines after the [[armored personnel carrier]] (APV) in which they were riding struck a mine. Hathcock was knocked unconscious, but awoke in time to race back through the flames to reach his comrades. <ref>[http://www.snipercentral.com/wpost.htm Washington Post Obituary February 27, 1999, quoted in SniperCentral]</ref>
*[[Image:Purple Heart BAR.svg|60px]]  [[Purple Heart]]

==Legacy==
Hathcock remains a legend within the U.S. Marines. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is presented annually to the Marine who does the most to promote [[marksmanship]] training.<ref>[http://www.usmc.mil/maradmins/maradmin2000.nsf/0872a7ac9a4c08a6852569b9000bc3f1/1f2e49b79ed0cb3e8525713f005a346b?OpenDocument MARADMIN 148/06 - 2006 CAPITAL MARINE USMC AND USN ENLISTED AWARDS], United States Marine Corps, 3/28/2006.</ref> A sniper range is also named for Hathcock at [[Camp Lejeune]], [[North Carolina]].

In 1967 Hathcock set the record for the 20th century's longest combat kill with a [[M2 Browning machine gun|Browning M2]] [[.50 BMG]] machine gun mounting a telescopic sight. The distance was 2,286 meters or 1.42 miles. Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the Browning M2 machine gun in the sniping role. This success led to the adoption of the [[.50 BMG]] cartridge as a viable anti-personnel and anti-equipment sniper round. Sniper rifles have since been designed around and chambered in this caliber.

The record stood until the 21st century, when in 2002 it was broken during [[Operation Anaconda]] in [[Afganistan]] by a [[Canada|Canadian]] three-man sniper team led by [[Master Corporal]] [[Graham Ragsdale]] from the [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]] (PPCLI). The record itself was set by Corporal [[Rob Furlong]] with a shot of 2,430 meters from a [[McMillan TAC-50]] Long-Range Sniper Weapon on a [[Taliban]] fighter.

On [[March 9]], [[2007]] the rifle and pistol complex at [[Marine Corps Air Station Miramar]] was officially renamed the '''Carlos Hathcock Range Complex'''.<ref name="USMC Hist">{{cite web |title=Range complex named after famous Vietnam sniper |work=Marine Corps News |publisher=United States Marine Corps |url=http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/64C488909A38F5AA852572AD005CF25C?opendocument |accessdate=2008-03-24}}</ref>

Hathcock was the subject of four books:
* ''One Shot, One Kill'' by Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts tells the stories of several snipers, including Hathcock.
* ''White Feather: Carlos Hathcock, USMC Scout Sniper--an Authorized Biographical Memoir'' by Roy F. and Norman A. Chandler.
* ''Silent Warrior'' by Charles W. Henderson.
* ''Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills'' by Charles W. Henderson

===MythBusters===
In an episode of the fourth season of the television show ''[[MythBusters]]'' ([[MythBusters (season 4)#Firearms Folklore|29 November 2006, Episode 67]]), hosts [[Adam Savage]] and [[Jamie Hyneman]] attempted to test the feasibility of shooting through the scope of another rifle, citing the confirmed Hathcock incident of shooting a North Vietnamese sniper through the sniper's scope. They were unable to replicate the results in the story using the modern equipment they had on hand, so they declared the myth "busted." However, they did not replicate the exact conditions of Hathcock's combat incident. The MythBusters did not take into consideration powder loads, bullet weight, muzzle velocity, angle, or variations in air pressure and density. On the show, they conceded that they were not shooting at the same scope that Hathcock shot at and stated that under the exactly ideal conditions and with extreme luck, the shot may have been possible. In the episode aired on [[March 21]], [[2007]], the MythBusters revisited this myth and confirmed that it was possible, however they had to use armor-piercing rounds to fully penetrate the scope. They used a vintage scope this time, which was smaller than modern scopes, and Hyneman successfully fired a bullet through the scope. The bullet penetrated the ballistic gel dummy's face to a depth of two inches, which would be lethal to a human. However, it should be noted that on the [[March 21]], [[2007]] episode, Hyneman used an [[M1 Garand]] chambered in .30-06 Springfield, whereas Hathcock used a [[Winchester Model 70]] chambered in .30-06 Springfield. Additionally, Hyneman was only able to complete the shot successfully when he fired an [[armor-piercing round]], while Hathcock stated in interviews that he would normally use only standard [[full metal jacket bullet|military ball]] ammunition. Because of these caveats, and the lack of solid evidence either way on this specific incident, they declared that the retest showed the myth to only be "plausible" rather than "confirmed."

==In fictional works==
* There is a nod to Hathcock in the movie, ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]''. Steven Spielberg stated, "the idea of a sniper putting a bullet through another sniper's scope came from the true story of Carlos Hathcock, who killed a Vietcong sniper who was stalking him by putting a bullet through the sniper's scope". Similarly, Pvt. Jackson shot a German sniper in the eye through the German's scope.
* James S. Thayer, a popular action/adventure novelist, wrote a novel titled White Star, about an ex-Marine sniper named Owen Gray, nicknamed White Star by the Vietnamese, whose exploits closely match those of Hathcock. His nemesis in the book is a fictional son of the equivalent of Vassily Zaitsev.
* There is a reference to Hathcock in the television show [[NCIS (TV series)|''NCIS'']] during the episode "One Shot One Kill", when a small white feather is found at the crime scenes of a sniper's victims.
* The protagonist of [[Stephen Hunter]]'s ''[[Bob Lee Swagger]] Trilogy'' (consisting of the novels ''[[Point of Impact]]'', ''[[Black Light (Novel)|Black Light]]'', and ''[[Time to Hunt]]'') is loosely based on Carlos Hathcock. The film ''[[Shooter (2007 film)|Shooter]]'' is based on Stephen Hunter's work.
* The movie ''[[Sniper (film)|Sniper]]'' (1993) <ref>{{imdb title|title=Sniper|id=0108171}}</ref> features actor [[Tom Berenger]] shooting the enemy sniper through his own scope. This is probably based on Hathcock's story as well (Berenger's character was loosely based on Hathcock).
* The character of Vassili Zaitsev in the 2001 movie [[Enemy at the Gates|''Enemy at the Gates'']] comes across a dead sniper that has been shot in the head through the scope.
* In the episode 14 of the anime ''[[Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG|Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG]]'', Section 9 member [[Saito (Ghost in the Shell)|Saito]] is shot through the scope of his Seburo SR50 bolt-action sniper rifle during his freelancer days in the Central/South American campaign, a tactic by [[Motoko Kusanagi]] similar to that used by Hathcock.
* The movie ''[[RoboCop 2]]'' contains a segment where the camera is from the point of view of the sniper scope. The sniper is looking at RoboCop, who turns around and shoots the enemy, the bullet going through the sniper scope.
* In [[Frank Miller (comics)|Frank Miller]]'s graphic novel, ''[[Sin City]]'', episode "[[To Hell and Back]]", protagonist Wallace shoots a sniper in the head, the bullet entering through the sniper's rifle scope.
* In [[John Ringo]]'s book, ''[[Unto the Breach]]'' (of the ''[[Paladin of Shadows]]'' series), it is stated about the sniper Lasko "He was going to beat Hathcock's record, probably within the next fifteen minutes. And that was the killer app in the sniper world."
* In The 'Nam #52: The Punisher Invades The 'Nam #1,<ref>[Salick, Roger (w), Harris, Mike (p), Palmiotti, James (i).] "The Long Sticks: Part One." The 'Nam v1 #52: The Punisher Invades The 'Nam #1 (January 1991), Marvel Comics.</ref> Frank Castle is using an M2 Browning Machine-gun mounted with a scope during a shooting contest out to 2500 yards and hits the dummy. Later he is called out to kill an enemy sniper called "The Monkey." He is dropped off in the brush and crawls "one inch at a time" for 1000 yards to approach the camp to avoid detection by the enemy N.V.A. he calls "hamburgers." On his way he encounters an N.V.A. patrol which he eliminates and a "bamboo viper" which almost bites him before slithering away. He then kills a soldier whom he presumes is the Monkey but is caught on the way out by the real Monkey. In the end of The 'Nam #53: The Punisher Invades The 'Nam #2, it is only Castle versus The Monkey and one more N.V.A soldier. The soldier is sent out to force Castle into firing so the Monkey will know his position. Castle kills the soldier but tricks the Monkey into firing at the lenses of Castle's binoculars which threw off the muzzle flash. Using the flash from the Monkey's shot, Castle then shoots the Monkey through the scope of his rifle.<ref>[Salick, Roger (w), Harris, Mike (p), Palmiotti, James (i).] "The Long Sticks: Part Two." The 'Nam v1 #53: The Punisher Invades The 'Nam #2 (February 1991), Marvel Comics.</ref>
*In the film [[Eraser (film)|Eraser]] (1996), starring Arnold Schwartzenegger, a sniper fires a shot through the scope of a Rail-gun, killing the man using it.

==See also==
{{portal|United States Marine Corps|USMC_logo.svg}}
*[[Jack Coughlin]], a retired Marine sniper with over 60 confirmed kills whose service includes Iraq and Somalia
*[[Simo Häyhä]], a Finnish [[World War II]] sniper holds the world record of 505 confirmed kills
*[[List of historically important U.S. Marines]]
*[[M40 sniper rifle]], the Marine Corps sniper rifle used by Hathcock
*[[Chuck Mawhinney]] holds the highest number of confirmed kills (103) for any [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] sniper in history
*[[Billy Sing]], an Australian [[World War I]] sniper who had an unconfirmed 201 kills
*[[Adelbert Waldron]], who holds the record for the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history, with 109 kills in Vietnam

==References==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Henderson, Charles W. ''Marine Sniper'', Stein and Day Publishers, 1986. (ISBN 0-425-10355-2)
* Henderson, Charles W. '' Silent Warrior'', Berkley, 2003. (ISBN 0-425-18864-7)
* Chandler, Roy F. ''Carlos Hathcock "Whitefeather"'', Iron Brigade Armory Publishing, 1997. (ISBN 1-885633-09-2)

==External links==
* [http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/corps-stories/heroes/carloshathcock.asp Marine Corps Sniper Carlos N. Hathcock], ''Marine Corps Heroes''.
* [http://usmcscoutsniper.org/sniperpages/Carlos.html Carlos Hathcock], Sniper Central.
*[http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Sniper-93-Confirmed-Kills/dp/0425103552 Marine Sniper 93 Confirmed Kills]

{{US Marine Corps navbox}}
{{VietnamSniper}}

{{Persondata
|NAME=Carlos Hathcock
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States Marine Corps]] [[Sniper]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[May 20]], [[1942]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Little Rock, Arkansas]]
|DATE OF DEATH=[[February 23]], [[1999]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Virginia Beach, Virginia]]
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hathcock, Carlos}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Guerrilla warfare]]
[[Category:Military snipers]]
[[Category:People from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Purple Heart medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star medal]]
[[Category:Sniper warfare]]
[[Category:United States Marines]]

[[cs:Carlos N. Hathcock]]
[[it:Carlos Hathcock]]
[[ja:カルロス・ハスコック]]
[[ru:Хэскок, Карлос Норман]]
[[sl:Carlos Norman Hathcock]]
[[zh:卡羅斯·海斯卡克]]

CFNY-FM

2007-10-01T16:12:34Z

Dvandersluis: Undid revision 161584254 by 76.66.24.222 (talk)

{{Infobox Radio station
| image = [[Image:Edge102.gif]]|
| name = CFNY|
| airdate = [[1960]] |
| frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
| area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
| format = [[modern rock]] |
| owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
| power = 35 kW |
| erp = 100 kW |
| city = [[Brampton, Ontario]] |
| branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
| slogan = |
| class = |
| website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Prior to CFNY the call letters were CHIC FM with a transmitter power of 857 watts ERP mono, enough just to cover the town of Brampton later to become a city. Up to around 1975 the CHIC AM control room operator spun LP's from the third turntable in AM master control. Nonstop full play of each side of the LP with a few stops by the AM operator for ID and to flip the LP over. The music was picked by the AM operator just prior to their shift. Any type of music picked simply from the library almost randomly. This may have been the beginning of CFNY. Listners loved it and at times requested full play of LP's. Sometimes missed by the operator the LP would finish and listners would call in to complain of the dead air. CFNY really means '''Canada's First New Youth'''. In 1976 a new FM studio was built just up the road from the old studio in Brampton on a very limited budget. Engineers Mike Hargrave Pawson and Steve Martak built the new studio and a new transmitter site in Georgetown to increase the coverage from 857 watts to 100kw ERP.

===The Spirit of Radio===

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings.

===Format change and listener rebellion===

Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

===Evolution to [[modern rock]]===

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station — in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. "The Edge" was a common brand name for alternative and modern rock radio stations during the 1990s, and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]].

Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding. (Canadian radio stations are officially required to mention their call letters once an hour, although this rule has not been heavily enforced by the CRTC in recent years.)

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929 in the GTA and 954 in other areas of Ontario.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]] and [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet.

As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent, sensational, news stories delivered in a satirical way.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, every Tuesday morning, though occasionally on other days as well. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of ''[[Breakfast Television]]'', getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected Inside Edge members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on ''[[The Gong Show]]'', in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
* Recently, the show has been pulling pranks on [[Vince Carter]] in hopes to help the [[Toronto Raptors]] win the playoffs. Such pranks included calling his hotel room in Toronto, sending Gay Jeff to offer him a "frontal rub", and calling him in New Jersey.
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the following day. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 p.m. and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 p.m until 7:00 p.m, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. Bookman is himself a former musician, who formed the band [[The Bookmen]] with [[Tim Mech]] in the early 1990s.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 p.m. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between noon and 1:00 p.m., also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around midnight, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 p.m.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans (TV series)]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (i.e., [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 p.m.. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Adam Ricard===
[[Adam Ricard]], Hosts Saturday monring's All Request Breakfast (9-Noon Saturdays), as well as produces [[Dave Bookman's]] "Afternoon Drive Rock and Roll Radio Show"

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Lee Carter (radio)|Lee Carter]]
*[[Nick Charles (DJ)|Nick Charles]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Peter Godwin (singer)|Peter Godwin]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[John Jones]]
*Kneale Mann
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]
*[[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Visnja]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment radio stations|FNY]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-08-05T19:49:05Z

Dvandersluis: /* ''The Dean Blundell Show'' */ simplify

{{Infobox Radio station
| image = [[Image:Edge102.gif]]|
| name = CFNY |
| airdate = [[1960]] |
| frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
| area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
| format = [[modern rock]] |
| owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
| erp = 100 kW |
| city = [[Brampton, Ontario]] |
| branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
| slogan = |
| class = |
| website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. "The Edge" was a common brand name for alternative and modern rock radio stations during the 1990s, and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]].

Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding. (Canadian radio stations are officially required to mention their call letters once an hour, although this rule has not been heavily enforced by the CRTC in recent years.)

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent, sensational, news stories delivered in a satirical way.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, every Tuesday morning, though occasionally on other days as well. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man. Viewers often write in saying how gay Jeff really is, which is pretty gay.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of ''[[Breakfast Television]]'', getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected Inside Edge members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on ''[[The Gong Show]]'', in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
* Recently, the show has been pulling pranks on [[Vince Carter]] in hopes to help the [[Toronto Raptors]] win the playoffs. Such pranks included calling his hotel room in Toronto, sending Gay Jeff to offer him a "frontal rub", and calling him in New Jersey.
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the following day. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 p.m. and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 p.m until 7:00 p.m, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. Bookman is himself a former musician, who formed the band [[The Bookmen]] with [[Tim Mech]] in the early 1990s.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 p.m. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between noon and 1:00 p.m., also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around midnight, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 p.m.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans (TV series)]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (i.e., [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 p.m.. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Adam Ricard===
[[Adam Ricard]], Hosts Saturday monring's All Request Breakfast (9-Noon Saturdays), as well as produces [[Dave Bookman's]] "Afternoon Drive Rock and Roll Radio Show"

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Lee Carter (radio)|Lee Carter]]
*[[Nick Charles (DJ)|Nick Charles]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]
*[[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Visnja]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment radio stations|FNY]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-05-11T21:25:06Z

Dvandersluis: /* Recurring guests */ grammar

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
city = [[Brampton, Ontario]] |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the '90s and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, every Tuesday morning, though occasionally on other days as well. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* Recently, the show has been pulling pranks on [[Vince Carter]] in hopes to help the [[Toronto Raptors]] win the playoffs. Such pranks included calling his hotel room in Toronto, sending Gay Jeff to offer him a "frontal rub", and calling him in New Jersey.
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-05-04T14:47:30Z

Dvandersluis: Undid revision 128188319 by Beefjerkyboy (talk)

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
city = [[Brampton, Ontario]] |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-04-30T12:12:19Z

Dvandersluis: Undid revision 127114720 by Beefjerkyboy (talk) NPOV

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-04-26T14:47:01Z

Dvandersluis: rvv

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the hosts, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!"
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 5,000 segments have been produced.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-04-23T18:02:29Z

Dvandersluis: Undid revision 125235026 by 24.213.94.2 (talk)

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, Todd Shapiro, and producer Jason Barr, discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 4,700 segments have been produced<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-04-23T14:17:22Z

Dvandersluis: rvv to previous version 115127760 by SmackBot

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, Todd Shapiro, and producer Jason Barr, discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 4,700 segments have been produced<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-03-14T17:29:46Z

Dvandersluis: c/e lead, added some references

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]], broadcasting at 102.1 [[FM radio|FM]]. While the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite press release
| url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-394.htm
| title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-394
| publisher=[[CRTC]]
| date=[[2006-08-23]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref> the studios and transmitter are located in downtown [[Toronto]], in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]]. As of the end of 2006, the station holds a 4.6% share<ref>The estimated total hours tuned to the station, as expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio.</ref> of its [[media market|market area]].<ref name="BBM2006">{{cite press release
| title=Top-Line Radio Statistics - Toronto CTRL S4 2006
| publisher=[[Bureau of Broadcast Measurement|BBM Canada]]
| url=http://www.bbm.ca/en/BBM_Canada_S4_2006_Top-line_Radio_Report_final.pdf
| format=PDF
| date=[[2006-12-04]]
| accessdate=2007-03-13
}}</ref>

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world{{fact}}. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''. The radio station is currently owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].

The station's program director is currently [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, Todd Shapiro, and producer Jason Barr, discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 4,700 segments have been produced<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-03-14T16:08:19Z

Dvandersluis: /* ''The Dean Blundell Show'' */ arranged recurring guests by day of the week, parsing, replace reference for Jackass appearance

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM until 9:30 AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, Todd Shapiro, and producer Jason Barr, discussing ongoing news and events in an often humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* "Gay Jeff", a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, appears Tuesday morning, beginning in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community; however, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though, similarly to with Jeff, conversations tend to degrade into requests for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".
* "Psychic Nikki" often comes in on Friday mornings, and discusses her [[psychic]] visions regarding celebrities, the show's hosts, and callers.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro often play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.fradical.com/The_Edge_Jackass.htm
|title=Edge's Blundell back on air today
|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]
|date=[[2004-03-30]]
|first=John
|last=Kryk
}}</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 4,700 segments have been produced<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==

{{FootnotesSmall|resize=80%}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-03-14T15:52:45Z

Dvandersluis: cleaning up changes made, remove unimportant info

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

In 1993, CFNY sponsored [[HoocLyne Entertainment]] and the wild comic book [[FLOYD]] by running multiple radio ads throughout October and November of that year.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

CFNY is available nationwide in Canada on the [[Expressvu]] satellite TV system, channel 955. It is also available via [[Rogers Cable|Rogers Digital Cable]] on channel 929.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".
* [[Gay Jeff]], a homosexual friend of Todd Shapiro, began appearing on the show, Tuesdays, in February 2007. Jeff and the hosts discuss topics related to the gay community and, much like the [[Josey Vogels]] segments, these discussions usually degrade into the hosts questioning Jeff about his sexual exploits or opinions and perceptions as a gay man.

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>http://www.fradical.com/Complaint_to_TPS_re_Jackass_CFNY_FM.pdf</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==

===Alan Cross===
{{main|Alan Cross}}
Alan Cross started at CFNY in October 1986 doing the overnight show. He now holds the position of [[program director]] for the station. He also hosts the ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]'', which runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and is rebroadcast Mondays at 11:00 PM. As well, he creates a daily, minute-long segment of the ''Ongoing History'', that is played sporadically during the day's commercial breaks (as well as via a [[podcast]]); upwards of 4,700 segments have been produced<ref>{{cite episode
| title = 500th Show
| series = The Ongoing History of New Music
| serieslink = The Ongoing History of New Music
| credits = Alan Cross (writer/host), Rob Johnston (producer)
| station = CFNY-FM
| city = Toronto
| transcripturl = http://www.edge.ca/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?rem=21235&pge=1&arc=2
}}</ref>

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah===
[[Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah|Adwoa]], winner of the "Edge Moderately Paid Employee" contest in February 2005, reports on traffic during The [[Dean Blundell]] Show (morning drive) and with [[Dave Bookman]] (afternoon drive). While not a host herself, occaisonally Blundell and Bookman engage Adwoa in banter.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Sandra Plagakias]]
*[[Carlos Benevides]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==References==

{{FootnotesSmall|resize=80%}}

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations in Canada|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-02-25T20:03:32Z

Dvandersluis: ←Undid revision 110715318 by 65.92.72.241 (talk)

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and [[KDGE|102.1 The Edge]] in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.
* The "Edge Youtube Challenge", in which listeners post videos on [[YouTube]]. The videos must include the Edge logo, and "102.1 The Edge" in the video title. 4 prizes of $1000, and 1 grand prize of $5000 are to be rewarded.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2004]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>http://www.fradical.com/Complaint_to_TPS_re_Jackass_CFNY_FM.pdf</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor is from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]<ref name=BTAYLOR>{{cite web| title = 102.1 EDGE Biography: Barry Taylor| url=http://www.edge.ca/bio/barry.cfm| accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> and usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans %28TV series%29]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Radio stations in Central Ontario|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations|FNY]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

Pibb Xtra

2007-02-12T20:41:12Z

Dvandersluis: /* In popular culture */

[[Image:Pibb Xtra.jpg|thumb|160px|right|A bottle of Pibb Xtra]]
'''Pibb Xtra''' (previously sold as '''Mr PiBB''') is a carbonated soft drink marketed by [[The Coca-Cola Company]].

==History==
Introduced in July [[1971]] to compete against the popular drink [[Dr Pepper]], Pibb has a small but loyal following in many parts of the [[United States]], especially the South. Many hold that Mr PiBB had a flavor distinct from and far more nuanced than Dr Pepper, with slight hints of both [[root beer]] and chocolate soda. A diet version was also available into the [[1990s]] in some markets, notably Texas. Some Pibb soda cans were uniquely shaped; instead of the traditional cylinder, the can had [[facet]]ed sides.

The Coca-Cola Company even held a "Pibb Girl" contest in [[1980]], where a girl who matched a particular face (created as a composite of celebrities) would have won cash and prizes. The contest was dropped, however, after critics observed that the celebrities, and thus the composite and presumably the eventual winner, were all Caucasian.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

Mr PiBB's slogan in the late 1990s was "Put it in your head," and the can featured an odd cartoon head drawn in a squiggly scribble style.

In [[2001]], a new flavor called Pibb Xtra was introduced with added cinnamon and cherry flavor, replacing the original Pibb flavor in many parts of the U.S., although some regions had both variations for sale at the same time. Pibb Xtra is often described as "spicier" and more similar to Dr Pepper than Mr PiBB.

In 2005, Coke introduced Pibb Zero, a sugar-free version of Pibb Xtra, in [[Texas]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Missouri]]. Coke reports that there are no plans to introduce Pibb Zero to the rest of the U.S.; however, it has been spotted in grocery stores in the South and in parts of the Midwest.

== Availability ==
Pibb Xtra is widely available in the southeastern United States, parts of the Pacific Northwest and other areas of the country, depending on the local Coca-Cola bottler. It is rare-to-nonexistant in other parts of the U.S., notably the [[New York metropolitan area]]. It can be found in both fountain form (in restaurants) or canned/bottled in vending machines or grocery stores. Pibb Xtra can sometimes be found in southern-themed food stores in those parts of the US where it is not widely available. Pibb Xtra is also available in the [[Mariana Islands]]. Shortly after the introduction of Pibb Xtra, Mr PiBB was discontinued altogether.

== Identity crisis ==
Longtime fans who have always drank Mr. Pibb often refer to Pibb Xtra as "Mr PiBB", even though it is a slightly different drink. This is largely due to habit and the longtime use of the Mr PiBB moniker. Also, several fountains and vending machines still have Mr PiBB labels, even though it has been replaced by Pibb Xtra since 2001.

== Imitators ==
[[Piggly Wiggly]], a grocery store chain located mainly in the American South and Midwest, sells a similar beverage called "Mr Pig."

== In popular culture ==
*The product was mentioned in a ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch, "[[Lazy Sunday]]," on December 17, 2005: "Mr PiBB plus [[Red Vines]] equals 'crazy delicious.'"
[[Image:CrazyDelicious.JPG|180px|thumb|right|<math>Mr. PiBB+ Red Vines=Crazy Delicious</math>]]

*Comedian [[Mitch Hedberg]] once quipped of the drink, “Mr Pibb is a replica of Dr Pepper, but it's a [[bullshit]] replica. Dude didn't even get his degree!”

*In the animated TV series ''[[American Dad]]'', Stan Smith's favorite soda is Mr Pibb. It's the soft drink that his wife Francine used to introduce herself to Stan. In the later season 2 episode [[A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial]], after learning that Mr. PiBB was being discontinued in favor of PiBB Xtra, Stan and Francine start a [[grassroots]] campaign in a stolen "Pibb-mobile" to save the original Mr PiBB.

*In episode number 6 ("The Drill Machine") of ''[[The Skeletor Show]]'', Skeletor and friends travel to the centre of the earth only to leave almost immediately, due to the lack of Mr Pibb ("Sorry, mac! Here at the centre of the earth we've only got [[Dr Pepper]]!").

*In an episode of the animated TV series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', Bart and Lisa stay with their spinster aunts Patty and Selma, who offer them [[soy milk]], [[Clamato]], or Mr Pibb to drink. Bart and Lisa decline. In another episode, at a comic book convention, [[Comic Book Guy]] attempts to sell a collection of Little Lulu comics that had been damaged by Diet Mr Pibb.

*On [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]], Mr. Pibb is a key ingredient in the making of a "Killer Shrew" drink. Some other ingredients in this ridculously sugary concoction include [[circus peanuts]], [[Good & Plenty]], chocolate [[ice cream]], marshmallow [[Peeps]], [[Cap'n Crunch]] cereal, vanilla [[icing]], [[maple syrup]], and various other candies.

*A Mr Pibb [[video game]] was released for [[Personal computer|PC]] in 1998 by [[BrandGames]], in which you play as Mr Pibb in a school full of cartoonish [[zombies]]. It was an [[First-person shooter|FPS]] and consisted of only one (although quite long) level.

*The title of the song "Dr. Pibb" by [[The Malfated]] is an [[amalgamation]] of the names [[Dr Pepper]] and [[Mr Pibb]].

*Popular [[webcomic]] [[8-bit Theater]] character Fighter cites a conspiracy in that both Mr Pibb and Dr Pepper don't use [[periods]] in their [[abbreviation]] early on in the series.

*In the movie ''[[Slither (2006 film)|Slither]]'', a character laments the fact that no Mr Pibb had been packed in the cooler of snacks he'd taken with him on a stakeout.

*In [[George Carlin]]'s bit about motel names, part of the chain of events he mentions is going down to the soda machine and getting two cans of Mr Pibb, going on to say that it's all that's left in a motel soda machine on Sunday morning, along with Diet [[Shasta]] Orange, and "that yellow can of [[Canada Dry]] [[Tonic Water]] that nobody wants!"

== External links ==
* [http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/detail.jsp?brand_id=221 Mr Pibb/Pibb Xtra brand information on Coca-Cola website]

[[Category:Coca-Cola brands]]
[[Category:1972 introductions]]

CFNY-FM

2007-01-12T14:56:27Z

Dvandersluis: /* Barry Taylor */

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2006]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>http://www.fradical.com/Complaint_to_TPS_re_Jackass_CFNY_FM.pdf</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]. Taylor poses a question, "What is your favourite movie to watch while experiencing 'the 420'", and then runs down the top five listener responses.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

==Notes==
<references/>

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-01-12T14:53:29Z

Dvandersluis: /* Martin Streek */ Personal information does not belong here, as it does not relate to him being a CFNY DJ

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2006]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>http://www.fradical.com/Complaint_to_TPS_re_Jackass_CFNY_FM.pdf</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except the topic is based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

==Notes==
<references/>

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2007-01-12T14:51:53Z

Dvandersluis: /* ''The Dean Blundell Show'' */ reword

{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]] (in the [[Toronto Eaton Centre]]), and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Sounds.asp?SearchText=Ellwell reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding (Canadian radio stations are required to mention their call letters once an hour).

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* [[Jackass]] co-stars [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]] were guests on the show on [[March 26]], [[2006]], in order to promote their "Don't Try This at Home" tour, leading to the suspension of Blundell, Barr and Shapiro for the week following. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O used multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience.<ref>http://www.fradical.com/Complaint_to_TPS_re_Jackass_CFNY_FM.pdf</ref>

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The 4:20 Thought", much like the Barry Interesting Survey, except the topic is based on [[420 (cannabis culture)|cannabis culture]]
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing, as well as the voice clip of [[Cyborg]] (from the children's show [[Teen Titans]]) saying "BOO-YA!". Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He is of Welsh descent, was born [[June 16]], [[1964]], and grew up in Meadowvale in western Mississauga. He attended [[Erindale Secondary School]] where he served as student council president in [[1983]].

He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Depeche Mode and The Clash.

Martin has been voted DJ of the year many times in Now Magazine's year-end public ballot.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[John Jones]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Kim Hughes (radio)|Kim Hughes]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

==Notes==
<references/>

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-11-21T14:55:23Z

Dvandersluis: /* Past personalities */ disambig, rm Dave Bookman (current DJ, self redir)

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Airchecks.asp reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. It later became public that the "suspension" was a publicity stunt.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge Nine Inch Nails fan. He constantly plays the industrial beats, during his live to air shows.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)|Pete Fowler]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills (radio host)|Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff (DJ)|Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid (DJ)|Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott (DJ)|James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Neil Morrison|Brother Bill]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool (DJ)|Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary (DJ)|Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-11-20T15:20:27Z

Dvandersluis: rvv to previous version by Nhl4hamilton

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Airchecks.asp reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. It later became public that the "suspension" was a publicity stunt.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge Nine Inch Nails fan. He constantly plays the industrial beats, during his live to air shows.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Dave Bookman]]
*[[Brother Bill]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-11-13T19:29:55Z

Dvandersluis: /* recurring guests */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Airchecks.asp reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. It later became public that the "suspension" was a publicity stunt.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge Nine Inch Nails fan. He constantly plays the industrial beats, during his live to air shows.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Dave Bookman]]
*[[Brother Bill]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-11-13T19:29:44Z

Dvandersluis: /* ''The Dean Blundell Show'' */ added recurring guests section

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]]. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadio.asp online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/Airchecks.asp reading her résumé over the air].

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===recurring guests===
* Sex columnist [[Josey Vogels]], every Wednesday morning. Each week she brings a sex-related topic up for discussion, though conversations tend to degrade into requests by the DJs for information about her own sexual exploits.
* The "Blind [[Film criticism|Movie Reviewer]]", [[Derek Welsman]], every Thursday morning. [[Blindness|Legally blind]] (he has stated he can see about 10–12%), Welsman, who is also a [[advertising|commercial]] producer for the radio station, talks about a movie he's seen recently, from the perspective of a blind person. Each movie reviewed is assigned a score of one to five "[[star (classification)|blurries]]", and each review ends with Welsman's [[catch phrase]], "and that's the way I see it!".

===Contests===
More so than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000. On October 27th The Edge announced that James McAndrew was the winner with his "fart on command" talent.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. It later became public that the "suspension" was a publicity stunt.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM. Martin is also a huge Nine Inch Nails fan. He constantly plays the industrial beats, during his live to air shows.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Sandra Crawford]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Pete Fowler (DJ)]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]
*[[Pete Griffin]]
*[[Lee Carter]]
*[["Live" Earl Jive]]
*[[Beverly Hills]]
*[[David Marsden]]
*[[Jim Duff]]
*[[Scott Eagleson]]
*[[Jim Reid]]
*[[Mary Ellen Beninger]]
*[[Dani Elwell]]
*[[Alan Ericson]]
*[["Deadly" Hedley Jones]]
*[[James Scott]]
*[[Phil Evans]]
*[[Dave Bookman]]
*[[Brother Bill]]
*[[Norah Fountain]]
*[[Ron Bruchal]]
*[[Peter Goodwin]]
*[[Skot Turner]]
*[[Kneale Mann]]
*[[Eddy Valiquette]]
*[[Ivar Hamilton]]
*[[Craig Venn]]
*[[Nick Charles]]
*[[Mike Hanafin]]
*[[Rick Charles]]
*[[Hal Harbour]]
*[[Visnja]]
*[[Brad McNally]]
*[[David Hight]]
*[[Daddy Cool]]
*[[Josh Holliday]]
*[[Kevin O'Leary]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-10-20T20:39:29Z

Dvandersluis: /* Martin Streek */ rv NIN fan statement: nn as this is about him as Edge DJ

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. It later became public that the "suspension" was a publicity stunt.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[Advertising|commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-10-16T12:43:14Z

Dvandersluis: /* Martin Streek */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the "Spirit of Radio" era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Pete Fowler]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Ted Danson]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-10-16T12:42:57Z

Dvandersluis: /* Past personalities */ rvv

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small – in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the ''live-to-air'' broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is and is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three ''live-to-air'' broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Pete Fowler]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[Maie Pauts]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]
*[[Ted Danson]]
*[[Artie Funkhouser]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-09-29T12:59:06Z

Dvandersluis: /* ''The Dean Blundell Show'' */ added $50,000 gong

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.
* The "$50,000 Gong", loosely based on [[The Gong Show]], in which listeners come to the Edge studios and present their talent (either by demonstrating something sufficiently impressive or sufficiently disgusting) to the on-air personalities, who hit a [[gong]] if they don't like it. The listeners who don't get "gonged" qualify for the final round, where one listener will be awarded $50,000.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Pete Fowler]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-09-29T12:53:34Z

Dvandersluis: /* History */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx online radio stream].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indie Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Pete Fowler]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-09-25T12:28:19Z

Dvandersluis: /* Other on-air personalities */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian punk act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Früvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darryl Spring===
Darryl started at CFNY in June of 2005 and hosts some overnight shows along with Friday and Saturday Evenings (Countdown to the Kingdom and Countdown to Club 102 at the Phoenix). Darryl also has some interactive contests like the Edge Artist Showdown and the Album Title Challenge. On occasion he'll fill in for club DJ Craig G, or Club Host Martin Streek.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Sandra===
Sandra hosts overnights between midnight and 5:30 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. She also works weekend mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon on Saturdays and until 10:00 AM on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Burns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Pete Fowler]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ EDGE.CA]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-08-16T15:24:42Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, John "JD" Davies) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-08-16T00:56:44Z

Dvandersluis: rv to prev v

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, J.D.) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-08-14T14:52:38Z

Dvandersluis: /* Darrin Pfeiffer */ rm wikilink from section heading (WP:MOS)

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, J.D.) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song "Fire in the Head" (from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album) as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

===Darrin Pfeiffer===
[[Darrin Pfeiffer]], the drummer for the [[United States|American]] [[pop punk]] band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], joined CFNY in 2005 after moving to Toronto with his Canadian-born wife Vicky Montgomery. He currently hosts the overnight slot on Sundays.

===Past personalities===
*[[Steve Anthony]]
*[[Don Berns]]
*[[Pete Cugno]]
*[[Dan Duran]]
*[[Howard Glassman|Humble Howard]] and [[Fred Patterson]]
*[[Liz Janik]]
*[[Skip Prokop]]
*[[David Haydu|Geets Romo]]
*[[Reiner Schwarz]]
*[[Chris Sheppard (DJ)|Chris Sheppard]]
*[[George Stroumboulopoulos]]
*[[Erella Vent]]
*[[Ted Woloshyn]]

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-08-03T19:56:36Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */ more info

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam Ricard, and another station staffer, J.D.) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. On the off-chance that there's a tie (very occasionally a judge will abstain), a coin has been flipped to select the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-24T03:01:12Z

Dvandersluis: rv to previous version by 70.153.0.215, redundant to wikilink

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existent ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premiere, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam, and another station staffer, J.D.) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-19T21:01:08Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */ More clarification about TUTD

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, and two others (usually his producer Adam, and another station staffer, J.D.) then vote, by "[[secret ballot]]" – they each write down their choice, and then reveal them to the other judges – on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-19T20:54:01Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */ New rule updates

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were supposedly suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor. Later the firing was revealed to be a publicity stunt, intended to make the show seem more edgy.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Two players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, his producer Adam, and another station staffer, J.D., then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek, now in his mid-40s, is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free), except for live ads imploring people to visit the club, after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-17T01:03:25Z

Dvandersluis: /* History */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music. Fans of the station's programming during the [[1980s]] can now listen to rebroadcasts of vintage radio from the CFNY archives, via a 24/7 online radio stream[http://www.spiritofradio.ca/SpiritRadioOnline.asx].

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Three players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, his producer, Adam, and another station staffer, J.D. then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. In the case of a three way tie, one of the three gets to cast the deciding vote, with that responsibility rotating each day. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Phoenix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free) after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-13T21:00:27Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */ Added new Tums Up Tums Down rules from today's version

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music.

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Three players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. Bookman, his producer, Adam, and another station staffer, J.D. then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. In the case of a three way tie, one of the three gets to cast the deciding vote, with that responsibility rotating each day. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Pheonix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free) after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-13T20:52:49Z

Dvandersluis: /* Contests */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music.

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The "Moderately Paid Employee Program" in which the winner, Adwoa Nsiah Yeboah, was awarded a position at the station as its helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Three players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. The station staff then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Pheonix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free) after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-13T20:24:33Z

Dvandersluis: /* Dave "Bookie" Bookman */

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music.

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The Moderately Paid Employee Contest in which the winner would be awarded a position with The Edge as a helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Three players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. The station staff then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe Tavern]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Pheonix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free) after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-13T19:31:13Z

Dvandersluis: Added Other on-air personalities section

{{Infobox Radio Station |
image = [[image: Edge102.gif]]|
name = CFNY |
airdate = [[1960]] |
frequency = 102.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] ([[FM radio|FM]]) |
area = Primary: [[Toronto, Ontario]]; Secondary: [[Buffalo, New York]] |
format = [[modern rock]] |
owner = [[Corus Entertainment]] |
erp = 100 kW |
branding = "102.1 The Edge" |
slogan = |
class = |
website = [http://www.edge.ca/ www.edge.ca] |
callsign_meaning = '''C F N'''ew '''Y'''outh (a popular humorous [[backronym]] is '''C''' '''F'''uck '''N'''ew '''Y'''ork) |
}}
'''CFNY-FM''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[radio station]]. Although the station's official [[city of license]] is [[Brampton, Ontario]], the studios and transmitter are located in [[Toronto]], and the station targets the entire [[Greater Toronto Area]].

For some time in the [[1980s]], its free-format programming was considered unique, and the station garnered wide respect around the world. This rarely translated into profits, however, and after being sold and re-sold several times to larger and larger media companies, the station now plays a conventional [[modern rock]] format with the branding '''102.1 The Edge'''.

The station's program director is [[Alan Cross]], who is also the host of the station's most famous program, ''[[The Ongoing History of New Music]]''. CFNY is also host to one of the more popular morning programs in Toronto, ''The Dean Blundell Show''.

==History==
CFNY originally started operating in [[1961]], as an [[FM radio|FM]] rebroadcast of an [[AM radio|AM]] station, [[CIAO (AM)|CHIC]]. The nearby [[Humber College]] provided a steady stream of young employees, who were encouraged to play their own selections in the evening. In the mid-[[1970s]], the owners decided to give the station a brand of its own, creating CFNY in [[1977]].

Things started changing when [[David Marsden]] joined as program director in [[1978]], and started a format that ignored the charts, and played any well-produced alternative music. The station started to sound like a "slick" version of a college radio station. At the time alternative was still very new, but it was also in 1978 that [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[punk rock]] took off, and soon the station became known as one of the few commercial stations that played alternative music. Canadian [[punk]] act The [[Forgotten Rebels]] paid homage to CFNY in the liner notes of their 1979 album ''In Love With The System''.

Fans started referring to it as ''the spirit of radio'', which was used as their catchphrase for some time. (This slogan also inspired the [[Rush (band)|Rush]] song, "[[The Spirit of Radio]]".) Fans were loyal but few, and with a measly 857 watts of power, broadcast from a house in [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], a suburban town northwest of Toronto, the problems of attracting new listeners were many. In [[1979]], the original owners were involved in an unrelated court action and forced to sell the station. The new owners started the process of moving the antenna to the [[CN Tower]] in [[1983]].

With the Canadian economy in [[recession]], and interest rates high, the new owners sold the station to media conglomerate [[Selkirk Communications]]. At first, Selkirk did not change the format, and completed the move to the CN Tower. By [[1985]], the station had reached new heights of popularity, capturing over 5.4% of the Toronto area listeners, and becoming internationally famous for its music mix. For a brief period, it was also available on satellite across North America, although this also led to the introduction of more "popular" music.

The station was particularly well respected for introducing new acts which other stations wouldn't play because they were too small -- in the early [[1980s]], Canadian artists such as [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Rough Trade (band)|Rough Trade]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Jane Siberry]], [[54-40]], [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Spoons]] were among the acts championed by CFNY. CFNY also created Canada's first independent music awards, the [[U-Knows]] (a pun on Canada's mainstream [[Juno Award]]s). In [[1986]], the station held a listener contest to rename the awards, which were redubbed the [[CASBY Award]]s, for "Canadian Artists Selected By You".

In [[1988]], the station turned its first profit. However, this was not enough for Selkirk, which sought higher ratings. Late that year, it switched to a mostly [[top 40]] format, leaving its alternative format for weekends and late night. At first, there was a listener rebellion. Their phone-in show at noon was an all-request hour, and invariably the requests were for alternative songs. However, the management soon put a stop to this, telling DJs to refuse such calls and only select requests from the top 40. Soon, most of the staff resigned, or were fired.

Loyal listeners soon began signing petitions, and filed an intervention with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) opposing the station's 1989 licence renewal. Radio analyst reports suggested that 100,000 new listeners had been gained by the change. However, this hid the fact that the market share dropped considerably, to 4.3%.

In [[1989]], Selkirk was acquired by [[Maclean-Hunter]], who committed to returning the station to an alternative format. Instead of reviving the old freeform programming, however, Maclean-Hunter tweaked the station's programming to create a more conventional [[modern rock]] station. In the early [[1990s]], the station again became an important outlet for new Canadian music, with acts such as [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[The Lowest of the Low]], [[Rheostatics]], and [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]] counting CFNY as their first major radio supporter. However, with alternative rock being the decade's dominant genre, CFNY did not sound as distinctive compared to other radio stations as it had in the 1980s, so it never fully regained its former level of influence and respect.

The change also masked, rather than solving, morale problems at the station; in [[1992]], DJ Dani Elwell resigned from the station by reading her résumé over the air.

When Maclean-Hunter was purchased by [[Rogers Communications]] in [[1994]], CFNY was one of the stations sold off by Rogers to [[Shaw Communications]], which in turn spun its radio holdings off to [[Corus Entertainment]], CFNY's current owner, in [[1999]].

In the mid-1990s, the station dropped its old branding, becoming ''102.1 The Edge''. Later it became ''Edge 102'' before reverting to ''102.1 The Edge''. Although CFNY remains the station's official call sign, it was never mentioned on-air for many years. In August [[2005]], however, the station began airing some new identification breaks which used both the CFNY calls and the Edge branding.

==International reach==

102.1 The Edge has long enjoyed a unique position among radio stations as an international station, as its signal is so strong that it is widely available in two of the top fifty media markets in North America. Its signal from Toronto beams from the [[CN Tower]] throughout the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]-[[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] [[New York State|NY]] market, in addition to Toronto. CFNY pulls a share of between 0.6% and 1.1% in the Arbitron radio rating in Buffalo, which has compelled the other Buffalo rock stations to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian music, with bands such as [[The Tragically Hip]], [[Moxy Fruvous]], and particularly [[Our Lady Peace]] enjoying far higher sales in Buffalo than elsewhere in the United States. "The Edge" radio format was the most common slogan for Alternative and New Rock radio stations during the 90's and was created by a U.S. consulting firm called [[Jacobs Media]]. Some other stations using the format include Buffalo station [[WEDG|WEDG 103.3 The Edge]], and 102.1 The Edge in Dallas, Texas.

In addition, the station broadcasts [[streaming audio]] over the Internet. As a result of these factors, CFNY frequently promotes itself as one of the most listened-to radio stations in the world — the station did, in fact, rank tenth in a [[2002]] [[Arbitron]] survey of the world's most listened-to Internet radio streams. [http://www.arbitron.com/NEWSROOM/archive/03_12_02.htm]

==''The Dean Blundell Show''==
''The Dean Blundell Show'' airs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM until 9:30AM. The show consists of the host, Dean Blundell, the producer, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro, who discuss ongoing news and events in a sometimes humorous and cynical fashion. It is known for its listener contests, charity work, colourful guests, and Blundell's rants. Every morning Dean Blundell presents "The Edge Files", a look at some recent news stories delivered in a satirical way. Their most preferred story seems to deal with pain in the genital region, especially those that deal with the loss of genitalia.

===Contests===
Moreso than any other of the regular shows on the station, the Dean Blundell Show regularly runs a variety of contests, which often lead to much larger prizes than the other shows' contests. Contests have included:
* The Moderately Paid Employee Contest in which the winner would be awarded a position with The Edge as a helicopter traffic reporter.
* "The Mister Man-Boobs Contest", "The Cougar Hunt", "The Edge Ultimate Ugly Contest", and "Buns of Steel Contest"
* A series of Wheels, loosely following the [[7 Deadly Sins]]. Each of these "Wheel" contests consist of a series of random challenges (oft-repeated challenges involve stunts done in front of the live tapings of [[Breakfast Television]], getting onto other radio stations to promote the show/contest, and marketing the radio station), determined by a spin on the wheel, and posed either to a certain number of selected [[Inside Edge]] members, or as an open challenge to all listeners. The winners of these challenges are given one or more spaces on the final spin of the wheel, where the person landed on wins a giant prize. To date, there have been Wheels of Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and most recently, Pride.

The show also has a number of recurring games, with smaller prizes. These include:
* Stump The Show, where callers try to stump the hosts with a question. Due to a convoluted series of rules (including not being able to say "um", "uh" or "no"), this game is generally won by the show, rather than a caller (in which case no prize is awarded).
* "Wha' Happened?", in which callers try to impress the hosts with strange stories of problems in their lives. Blundell, Barr and Shapiro tend to prefer stories dealing with flatulence, sexual mishaps, and the like.
* "What's Wrong With You?", a similar call-in contest to "Wha' Happened" except listeners share interesting and often disgusting, crude or sexual stories about what's wrong with them or their family.

===Trivia===
* During the [[National Hockey League]] playoffs, Blundell, Barr and Shapiro usually play pranks on the team that the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] are facing.
* The trio were suspended for a week once by program director Alan Cross for failing to end a show after the guests, [[Steve-O]] and [[Chris Pontius]], said multiple expletives on-air and then Steve-O proceeded to urinate on the station floor.

==Other on-air personalities==
===Josie Dye===
Josie Dye generally is on-air between the ''Dean Blundell Show'' and 2:00 PM. Her show consists mostly of music, interspersed with different stories that Dye either finds in the news or relates from her own personal experience. "The Nooner", an hour-long [[All Request]] period between 12:00PM and 1:00PM, also takes place during Dye's show, to which she often assigns an arbitrary theme (previous themes have included gay music to correspond with Toronto's [[Pride Week]], cover songs, and live sessions, which she has stated is her favourite theme). She also runs a small survey every day in order to pick the last song played on The Nooner, which is generally between two choices, and relate to the theme, if there is one for that day.

Dye runs two regular contests:
*"Guess this Edge Artist", in which she gives a series of three or four clues pointing towards a [[musician]] or [[music group|group]], whose music is played on the radio station. In order to win, players must call in (other forms of entry, such as email, are not accepted) with the correct answer.
*"Retro Recall", a contest that takes place daily during the Nooner. A very short clip from the beginning of a [[retro]] (defined as ten years old, or older) song is played, and the first caller who correctly identifies both the group or musician and the song title wins (after which the full song is played).

Josie Dye also hosts the live to air broadcast from Republik nightclub, Friday nights from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM.

===Dave "Bookie" Bookman===
Dave Bookman currently works the "afternoon drive" timeslot, from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM, though he joined the radio station in [[1991]] (and is one of only three on-air personalities from that time that are still at the radio station), as a street reporter for their no longer existant ''Live in Toronto'' show. Bookman often talks about his love of [[sport]]s, [[soap opera]]s and [[independent music]], and also often has interviews with various [[musical artist|artist]]s, [[sports commentator]]s and [[movie reviewer]]s. As well, he is often given brand new music to premier, or concerts to announce on his show.

Bookman currently runs two regular contents:
*"Bookie's College of Musical Knowledge", a trivia game involving three categories (generally about or related to music, but occasionally about other subject matters, most notably ''[[The Simpsons]]''), three answers and three contestants. The first contestant picks the category, and gets a question and three [[multiple choice]] answers to choose from. If answered wrongly, the question is posed to the second, and then the third, contestant. Before getting answers, Bookman always inquires as to where the contestant is calling from, and recommends a nearby place to visit, if he knows of one.
*"Tums Up or Tums Down" is a new contest, which began on [[12 July]], [[2006]]. Three players relay something they feel passionately for or against, giving it a rating of "[[Thumbs up|Tums up]]" or "[[Thumbs down|Tums down]]" accordingly. The station staff then vote on which player's answer was best, with the majority vote getter being the winner. The contest is not currently sponsored by the [[antacid]] company; rather, the phrase is just used as [[wordplay]].

Bookman also hosts ''Bookie's Free Nu Music Nite'', Tuesday nights at the [[Horseshoe]], and the ''Indy Hour'' program, an hour dedicated to independent music programming, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM.

===Barry Taylor===
Barry Taylor usually works Monday - Wednesday evenings, from the end of Bookman's show until around 12 AM, and starting at noon on weekends. He also co-hosts Punkorama, an hour of programming dedicated to [[punk rock]] music, Tuesday nights at 11 PM.

Instead of contests, Taylor has a number of regular, usually listener-interactive, programming:
*"Ask a Calendar Girl", with [[Julie Hinton]]. It generally includes the pair posing a relationship-themed question to the listeners, and then discuss the called in answers. It runs from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday nights.
*"The Awesome Lyric Challenge", in which Taylor and J.D., another staff member, choose a song to dissect, picking their favourite lyrics, and then pose them against each other for the listeners to vote on. It takes place Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*"The Barry Interesting Survey", an online and call-in survey dealing with a usually music-themed topic.
*"The Barry Funny Joke", admittedly self-written jokes that Taylor describes as describes his self-written jokes as "experienced best sometime after [[420 (cannabis culture)|4:20 PM]]". The joke and punchline, which is essentially a pun, are both deadpanned twice in succession, followed by a sound clip that generally involves a [[shotgun]] cocking and firing. Examples of Barry Funny Jokes:
**What football team would you hire to help you with moving? The [[Green Bay Packers]].
**What does a hip administrative assistant drink? [[Kool Aid]].

Taylor also runs various small segments involving himself "talking" to celebrities (who are actually just recordings). The people he talks with often include [[Chad Kroeger]] of [[Nickelback]], [[Chewbacca]], and, most commonly, [[Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)|Jeff Martin]] of [[The Tea Party]] – Taylor likes to play a clip of the word "You" from the beginning of the song ''Fire In The Head'' from the [[1995]] ''[[The Edges of Twilight]]'' album, as often as possible.

Taylor also hosts the ''[[Steam Whistle Brewing|Steam Whistle]] Indy Club'' every Friday and Saturday night at the station's storefront studio.

===Martin Streek===
Martin Streek is another of the three remaining personalities from the spirit of radio era. He currently hosts the ''Thursday 30'', a four hour long show that counts down the top 30 songs of the past week (collected via record sales and listener voting), as well as introduces new music (a segment called the "Groundbreakers"), and flashes back to a previous year's countdown, as Streek recalls the top five songs of that week in a certain previous year.

Streek also hosts three live to air broadcasts from [[nightclub]]s: Friday nights at the Kingdom in [[Burlington, Ontario]], Saturday nights at the Pheonix, and Sunday nights at Velvet Underground, both in [[downtown]] [[Toronto]]. All shows run from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM, and are broadcast without interruption (ie. [[commercial]]-free) after about 10:00 PM.

==See also==
* [[List of radio stations in Ontario]]
* [[Edgefest]]

==External links==

* [http://www.edge.ca/ Official Site]
* [http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ spiritofradio.ca, a CFNY historical fan page]

{{Toronto FM}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Toronto|FNY]]
[[Category:Corus Entertainment]]
[[Category:Modern rock radio stations]]
[[Category:Brampton media]]

CFNY-FM

2006-07-03T17:10:31Z

Dvandersluis: No need for an Edgefest section with zero information

Kieron Gillen

2006-06-28T14:07:45Z

Dvandersluis:

'''Kieron Gillen''' is a [[British]] [[comic book]] [[author]] and [[Computer and video games|computer games]] journalist, who has worked for a lengthy list of publications, including ''[[PC Gamer|PC Gamer UK]]'', ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', ''[[Amiga Power]]'', ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper (where he wrote the first long-form videogame review in a mainstream newspaper [http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1569772,00.html]), ''[[Edge (games magazine)|Edge]]'', ''[[Game Developer Magazine|Games Developer]]'', ''Develop'', ''MCV'', ''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[PC Format]]'', among others. Gillen is notable for his [http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html manifesto] for [[New Games Journalism]], more simply the model of [[new journalism]] applied to [[videogames journalism]]. Gillen is a fan of the work of videogame developer [[Warren Spector]] writing positive pieces on Spector's games, most notably the [[Ion Storm]] produced games [[Deus Ex]] and [[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]. This stemmed largely from Gillen's love of the now-defunct [[Looking Glass Studios]], where Spector also worked.

In [[2000]], Gillen became the first-ever videogames journalist to recieve an award from the ''Periodical Publishers Association'', for [http://www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms.pl/710 New Specialist Consumer Journalist].

Gillen has also been invited as a guest speaker at games-industry conferences [http://www.nextwave.org.au/freeplay/05speakers.htm] [http://animex.tees.ac.uk/speakers_details.cfm?speaker_id=79].

Gillen's carreer also focuses on the comics he writes for both online and in print; he has worked for ''Warhammer Monthly'' and ''Chaos League''.

Since [[2003]], Gillen has worked on a comic strip for the official [[Playstation Magazine|Playstation Magazine UK]] entitled ''Save Point'', with Jamie McKelvie as graphic artist. [http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tynxQAKQskcJ:uk.playstation.com/features/featureStory.jhtml%3FstoryId%3D106410_en_GB_FEAT%26linktype%3DFSOF+Save+Point+Gillen+McKelvie&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5].

His current project is the musical fantasy Phonogram, written by Gillen and drawn by long-time collaborator McKelvie. The project has already garnered the [http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Phonogram/Phonogram01Pre.html appreciation] of respected comic industry veteran [[Warren Ellis]]. The first issue is to go on sale in August [[2006]].

==External links==
*[http://www.kierongillen.com/ Official homepage]
*[http://www.phonogramcomic.com/ Phonogram homepage]
*[http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html New Games Journalism Manifesto by Kieron Gillen]
*[http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk PC Gamer UK forum]

[[Category:British journalists|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:British comics writers|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:Living people|Gillen, Kieron]]

{{comics-writer-stub}}
{{journalist-stub}}

Kieron Gillen

2006-06-28T14:05:20Z

Dvandersluis: Fixed links

'''Kieron Gillen''' is a [[British]] [[comic book]] [[author]] and [[Computer and video games|computer games]] journalist, who has worked for a lengthy list of publications, including ''[[PC Gamer]]'', ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', ''[[Amiga Power]]'', ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper (where he wrote the first long-form videogame review in a mainstream newspaper [http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1569772,00.html]), ''[[Edge (games magazine)|Edge]]'', ''[[Game Developer Magazine|Games Developer]]'', ''Develop'', ''MCV'', ''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[PC Format]]'', among others. Gillen is notable for his [http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html manifesto] for [[New Games Journalism]], more simply the model of [[new journalism]] applied to [[videogames journalism]]. Gillen is a fan of the work of videogame developer [[Warren Spector]] writing positive pieces on Spector's games, most notably the [[Ion Storm]] produced games [[Deus Ex]] and [[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]. This stemmed largely from Gillen's love of the now-defunct [[Looking Glass Studios]], where Spector also worked.

In [[2000]], Gillen became the first-ever videogames journalist to recieve an award from the ''Periodical Publishers Association'', for [http://www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms.pl/710 New Specialist Consumer Journalist].

Gillen has also been invited as a guest speaker at games-industry conferences [http://www.nextwave.org.au/freeplay/05speakers.htm] [http://animex.tees.ac.uk/speakers_details.cfm?speaker_id=79].

Gillen's carreer also focuses on the comics he writes for both online and in print; he has worked for ''Warhammer Monthly'' and ''Chaos League''.

Since [[2003]], Gillen has worked on a comic strip for the official [[Playstation Magazine|Playstation Magazine UK]] entitled ''Save Point'', with Jamie McKelvie as graphic artist. [http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tynxQAKQskcJ:uk.playstation.com/features/featureStory.jhtml%3FstoryId%3D106410_en_GB_FEAT%26linktype%3DFSOF+Save+Point+Gillen+McKelvie&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5].

His current project is the musical fantasy Phonogram, written by Gillen and drawn by long-time collaborator McKelvie. The project has already garnered the [http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Phonogram/Phonogram01Pre.html appreciation] of respected comic industry veteran [[Warren Ellis]]. The first issue is to go on sale in August [[2006]].

==External links==
*[http://www.kierongillen.com/ Official homepage]
*[http://www.phonogramcomic.com/ Phonogram homepage]
*[http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html New Games Journalism Manifesto by Kieron Gillen]
*[http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk PC Gamer UK forum]

[[Category:British journalists|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:British comics writers|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:Living people|Gillen, Kieron]]

{{comics-writer-stub}}
{{journalist-stub}}

Kieron Gillen

2006-06-28T14:00:41Z

Dvandersluis:

'''Kieron Gillen''' is a [[British]] [[comic book]] [[author]] and [[Computer and video games|computer games]] journalist, who has worked for a lengthy list of publications, including ''[[PC Gamer]]'', ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', ''[[Amiga Power]]'', ''[[Wired]]'', [[The Guardian newspaper]] (Where he wrote the first long-form videogame review in a mainstream newspaper [http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1569772,00.html]), ''[[Edge (games magazine)|Edge]]'', ''[[Game Developer Magazine|Games Developer]]'', ''Develop'', ''MCV'', ''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[PC Format]]'', among others. Gillen is notable for his [http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html manifesto] for [[New Games Journalism]], more simply the model of [[new journalism]] applied to [[videogames journalism]]. Gillen is a fan of the work of videogame developer [[Warren Spector]] writing positive pieces on Spector's games, most notably the [[Ion Storm]] produced games [[Deus Ex]] and [[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]. This stemmed largely from Gillen's love of the now-defunct [[Looking Glass Studios]], where Spector also worked.

In [[2000]], Gillen became the first-ever videogames journalist to recieve an award from the ''Periodical Publishers Association'', for [http://www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms.pl/710 New Specialist Consumer Journalist].

Gillen has also been invited as a guest speaker at games-industry conferences [http://www.nextwave.org.au/freeplay/05speakers.htm] [http://animex.tees.ac.uk/speakers_details.cfm?speaker_id=79].

Gillen's carreer also focuses on the comics he writes for both online and in print; he has worked for ''Warhammer Monthly'' and ''Chaos League''.

Since [[2003]], Gillen has worked on a comic strip for the official [[Playstation Magazine]] [[UK]] entitled ''Save Point'', with Jamie McKelvie as graphic artist. [http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tynxQAKQskcJ:uk.playstation.com/features/featureStory.jhtml%3FstoryId%3D106410_en_GB_FEAT%26linktype%3DFSOF+Save+Point+Gillen+McKelvie&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5].

His current project is the musical fantasy [[Phonogram]], written by Gillen and drawn by long-time collaborator McKelvie. The project has already garnered the [http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Phonogram/Phonogram01Pre.html appreciation] of respected comic industry veteran [[Warren Ellis]]. The first issue is to go on sale in August [[2006]].

==External links==
*[http://www.kierongillen.com/ Official homepage]
*[http://www.phonogramcomic.com/ Phonogram homepage]
*[http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html New Games Journalism Manifesto by Kieron Gillen]
*[http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk PC Gamer UK forum]

[[Category:British journalists|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:British comics writers|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:Living people|Gillen, Kieron]]

{{comics-writer-stub}}
{{journalist-stub}}

Kieron Gillen

2006-06-28T14:00:17Z

Dvandersluis: Cleaned up article

'''Kieron Gillen''' is a [[British]] [[comic book]] [[author]] and [[Computer and video games|computer games]] journalist, who has worked for a lengthy list of publications, including ''[[PC Gamer]]'', ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', ''[[Amiga Power]]'', ''[[Wired]]'', [[The Guardian newspaper]] (Where he wrote the first long-form videogame review in a mainstream newspaper [http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1569772,00.html]), ''[[Edge (games magazine)|Edge]]'', ''[[Game Developer Magazine|Games Developer]]'', ''Develop'', ''MCV'', ''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[PC Format]]'', among others. Gillen is notable for his [http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html manifesto] for [[New Games Journalism]], more simply the model of [[new journalism]] applied to [[videogames journalism]]. Gillen is a fan of the work of videogame developer [[Warren Spector]] writing positive pieces on Spector's games, most notably the [[Ion Storm]] produced games [[Deus Ex]] and [[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]. This stemmed largely from Gillen's love of the now-defunct [[Looking Glass Studios]], where Spector also worked.

In [[2000]], Gillen became the first-ever videogames journalist to recieve an award from the ''Periodical Publishers Association'', for [http://www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms.pl/710 New Specialist Consumer Journalist].

Gillen has also been invited as a guest speaker at games-industry conferences [http://www.nextwave.org.au/freeplay/05speakers.htm] [http://animex.tees.ac.uk/speakers_details.cfm?speaker_id=79].

Gillen's carreer also focuses on the comics he writes for both online and in print; he has worked for ''Warhammer Monthly'' and ''Chaos League''.

Since [[2003]], Gillen has worked on a comic strip for the official [[Playstation Magazine]] [[UK]] entitled ''Save Point'', with Jamie McKelvie as graphic artist. [http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tynxQAKQskcJ:uk.playstation.com/features/featureStory.jhtml%3FstoryId%3D106410_en_GB_FEAT%26linktype%3DFSOF+Save+Point+Gillen+McKelvie&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5].

His current project is the musical fantasy [[Phonogram]], written by Gillen and drawn by long-time collaborator McKelvie. The project has already garnered the [http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Phonogram/Phonogram01Pre.html appreciation] of respected comic industry veteran [[Warren Ellis]]. The first issue is to go on sale in August [[2006]].

==External links==
*[http://www.kierongillen.com/ Official homepage]
*[http://www.phonogramcomic.com/ Phonogram homepage]
*[http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html New Games Journalism Manifesto by Kieron Gillen]
*[http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk PC Gamer UK forum]

[[Category:British journalists|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:British comics writers|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:Living people|Gillen, Kieron]]

{{comics-writer-stub}}
{{journalist-stub}}

Kieron Gillen

2006-06-28T13:59:56Z

Dvandersluis:

'''Kieron Gillen''' is a [[British]] [[comic book]] [[author]] and [[Computer and video games|computer games]] journalist, who has worked for a lengthy list of publications, including ''[[PC Gamer]]'', ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', ''[[Amiga Power]]'', ''[[Wired]]'', [[The Guardian newspaper]] (Where he wrote the first long-form videogame review in a mainstream newspaper [http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1569772,00.html]), ''[[Edge (games magazine)|Edge]]'', ''[[Game Developer Magazine|Games Developer]]'', ''Develop'', ''MCV'', ''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[PC Format]]'', among others. Gillen is notable for his [http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html manifesto] for [[New Games Journalism]], more simply the model of [[new journalism]] applied to [[videogames journalism]]. Gillen is a fan of the work of videogame developer [[Warren Spector]] writing positive pieces on Spector's games, most notably the [[Ion Storm]] produced games [[Deus Ex]] and [[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]. This stemmed largely from Gillen's love of the now-defunct [[Looking Glass Studios]], where Spector also worked.

In [[2000]], Gillen became the first-ever videogames journalist to recieve an award from the ''Periodical Publishers Association'', for [http://www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms.pl/710 New Specialist Consumer Journalist].

Gillen has also been invited as a guest speaker at games-industry conferences [http://www.nextwave.org.au/freeplay/05speakers.htm] [http://animex.tees.ac.uk/speakers_details.cfm?speaker_id=79].

Gillen's carreer also focuses on the comics he writes for both online and in print; he has worked for ''Warhammer Monthly'' and ''Chaos League''.

Since [[2003]], Gillen has worked on a comic strip for the official [[Playstation Magazine]] [[UK]] entitled ''Save Point'', with Jamie McKelvie as graphic artist. [http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tynxQAKQskcJ:uk.playstation.com/features/featureStory.jhtml%3FstoryId%3D106410_en_GB_FEAT%26linktype%3DFSOF+Save+Point+Gillen+McKelvie&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5].

His current project is the musical fantasy [[Phonogram]], written by Gillen and drawn by long-time collaborator McKelvie. The project has already garnered the [http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Phonogram/Phonogram01Pre.html appreciation] of respected comic industry veteran [[Warren Ellis]]. The first issue is to go on sale in August [[2006]].

==External links==
*[http://www.kierongillen.com/ Official homepage]
*[http://www.phonogramcomic.com/ Phonogram homepage]
*[http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/ngj.html New Games Journalism Manifesto by Kieron Gillen]
*[http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk PC Gamer UK forum]

[[Category:British journalists|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:British comics writers|Gillen, Kieron]]
[[Category:Living people|Gillen, Kieron]]

{{comics-writer-stub}}
{{videogames-journalist-stub}}