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CFMI-FM (101.1 Hertz) branded as Rock 101, is a commercial radio radio station in Vancouver. It is owned by Corus Entertainment with studios in Downtown Vancouver, in the TD Tower. The station has a radio format that combines classic hits/classic rock. Key artists include Van Halen, Tom Petty, Alanis Morissette, Fleetwood Mac and Bryan Adams, but not the pop or dance artists heard on many classic hits stations, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna or Whitney Houston.
CFMI is a Class C station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 53,000 (100,000 watts peak). FCCdata.org/CFMI Its transmitter tower is atop Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver.
In its early years, it was a technical innovator of broadcast automation systems. FM Stereo automation systems of the day relied heavily on reel-to-reel tape machines for music. CFMI's automation had no reel machines, but relied totally on cartridge carousels. This allowed greater programming flexibility ("random access"), but no broadcast cartridges of the day could reproduce quality stereo. The response of CFMI's engineers was to invent a new cartridge that could: The Aristocart. Parent company Western International Communications went on to develop a manufacturing division, exporting these improved cartridges to broadcasters around the world. Today's broadcasters use computer systems with large hard drives to reproduce music digitally, and have no need of tape systems. But in its heyday (circa 1975-1990), the Aristocart was an improvement to a technical problem shared by all commercial stereo broadcasters.
Among CFMI's programming innovations was Discumentary, a one-hour musical documentary of programming featuring a particular artist or a particular theme. This was developed in response to the CRTC's requirement for foreground programming. The Discumentary programs were written by Paul Wiggins and voiced by Dave McCormick, then Terry David Mulligan and syndicated throughout Canada, and broadcast internationally on the Anik D satellite. Later, CRTC regulations phased out the need for foreground programming, and CFMI phased out Discumentary.
Over the years, the station added booster transmitters in most of British Columbia. After experiencing technical difficulties related to the location of its main transmitter, CFMI received Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval on July 26, 2011, to relocate that transmitter. The antenna's height above average terrain (HAAT) was reduced from 686 to 386.4 metres in the process. At the same time, its average effective radiated power (ERP) was increased from 37,000 to 53,000 watts (maximum ERP changing from 75,000 to 100,000 watts).
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