CHWE-FM

CHWE-FM (106.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba owned by Evanov Radio Group. The station broadcasts a CHR/Top 40 format branded as Energy 106.

CHWE-FM
CityWinnipeg, Manitoba
Broadcast areaWinnipeg Capital Region
Frequency106.1 MHz (FM)
BrandingEnergy 106
SloganAll The Hits
Programming
FormatCHR/Top 40
Ownership
OwnerEvanov Radio Group
CKJS, CFJL-FM
History
First air date
July 29, 2011
Former call signs
CFJL-FM (2011)
Call sign meaning
Contemporary Hit Winnipeg Energy (format, broadcast area and branding)
Technical information
ClassC1
ERP40,000 watts
HAAT175 meters (574 ft)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websiteenergy106.ca

CHWE-FM's studios and offices are at 520 Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg, with sister stations CKJS and CFJL-FM. The transmitter is located at Duff Roblin Provincial Park.

History

On May 8, 2009, Evanov Radio Group was granted approval by the CRTC to launch a new Winnipeg radio station on the 106.1 FM frequency.[1] At first it was rumored that the company was going to launch another "Jewel" radio station, similar to CKDX-FM and various other stations around Ontario, as the Winnipeg station was registered as CFJL-FM.

On June 8, 2011, the station began testing its signal by playing non-stop commercial free music with a new music genre each week. Listeners could email the radio station to report any signal interruptions and suggest the genre of music that they wanted it to play before it launched on July 29.

On July 29, 2011, at 12 p.m., CFJL launched with a CHR/Top 40 format as Energy 106, Winnipeg's New #1 Hit Music Station. It pledged to play 10,000 commercial free songs in a row.[2] The first song played on "Energy" was "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull (featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer). Starting on October 14, the station began broadcasting live club music from local Winnipeg nightclubs Friday and Saturday nights. On October 19, the station added a full-time airstaff. Due to CFJL's success, Evanov Radio Group renamed struggling sister station CKHZ-FM in Halifax as Energy 103.5 on January 6, 2012. (However, CKHZ would continue to suffer from poor ratings, and would flip to country in September 2015.)

On November 26, 2011, CFJL changed its call sign to CHWE-FM, to match the "Energy" moniker. The CFJL call sign would move to its sister station, 100.7 The Breeze, which dropped its classic rock format that same day. That station became Jewel 101 FM in January 2014, and then Hot 100.5 in February 2017.[3]

CHWE's top 40 format leaned toward dance music at first. The strategy paid off in the Numeris ratings, where in its first book it took a 6.9% share of the audience.[4] The station has since moved to a more mainstream Top 40 direction.

In August 2020, Dave Wheeler, formerly of CITI-FM, was announced as the station's new morning host beginning August 31. The hiring proved controversial, as he had originally been fired from CITI in 2018 after making transphobic comments on his morning show. The station's program director defended the hiring, stating that Wheeler had "changed to fit us". Wheeler stated that "I have done a lot of work on me. It's profoundly personal when you take a deep look inside. I have put it all in the rear-view."[5][6]

References
  1. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-258
  2. Winnipeg Free Press: New radio station hopes to add Energy to city
  3. https://radioinsight.com/headlines/116584/winnipeg-gets-hot-for-90s-hits
  4. "Winnipeg radio ratings surge" from Winnipeg Sun (December 3, 2011)
  5. Abas, Malak (2020-08-25). "Provocative DJ Dave Wheeler gets a new mic". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  6. Arsenault, Mike (2020-08-26). "Dave Wheeler's return to radio causes backlash in Winnipeg". Winnipeg. Retrieved 2020-10-06.

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