CHOU (AM)

City Montreal, Quebec
Branding CRMO Radio Middle East
Frequency 1450 kHz (AM) & 104,5 (FM)
Format multilingual
Predominantly Arabic
Power 2,000 watts daytime
1,000 watts nighttime
ERP 49 watts (FM)
Class B (AM)
Callsign meaning Chou (شو) means "What?" in Arabic
Owner Radio Moyen-Orient
Website www.1450am.ca - CHOU 1450 AM

CHOU (Arabic: إذاعة الشرق الأوسط‎‎ Idhā‘at ash-Sharq al-’Awsaṭ ; French: Radio Moyen-Orient ; English: Middle East Radio) is a multilingual Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec. Its studios are located on de Meulles Avenue in the Cartierville section of Montreal.

Ownership and History

CHOU broadcasts on 1450 kHz with a power of 2,000 watts as a class B station, using an omnidirectional antenna. It was originally authorized to use only 1,000 watts; the power increase was implemented after being authorized in 2008.[1]

The station is owned and operated by 9015-2018 Québec inc., an independent company doing business under the name "Radio Moyen Orient du Canada". The broadcaster received approval to broadcast by the CRTC on March 15, 2006,[2] and began broadcasting on January 18, 2007. The AM signal replaces a previous SCMO (Subsidiary Communications Multiplex Operations) service located under the main carrier of CISM-FM.[3] The SCMO service went on the air in 1996.[4] The founder / owner and general manager of the station is Antoine (Tony) Karam.

The 1450 kHz frequency was previously used by CHEF, a station in Granby, approximately 60 km (37 mi) east of Montreal. That station stopped operations in 1996.[5]

On October 1, 2013, CHOU submitted an application to the CRTC for a new FM transmitter at St-Léonard, on the east end of Montreal Island, which was to operate at 104.5 MHz with 50 watts.[6] The application was denied by the CRTC on October 7, 2014, as they felt that there were no broadcasting deficiencies of the 1450 AM signal within its immediate broadcast area, which includes St-Léonard, in addition to interference concerns with CKDG-FM 105.1, and CBME-FM's 104.7 transmitter in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, on the west side of Montreal.[7][8] However, just 17 months later, on February 26, 2016, the CRTC reversed course and approved the transmitter application.[9][10]CHOU is currently broadcasting its signal on a FM retransmitter with a height of 60 meters, from 500 meters of the Sami Fruits store located near Pie-IX Blvd, which covers only Eastern Montreal at a low power of 49 watts. But its signal, can be very well heard in Western Montreal also, in Ahunstic and even in Laval there is no problem. It's sound quality is really improved on the new FM signal compared to its AM signal on 1450 AM, which has a bad sound quality. Its signal is broadcast in mono like 95,1 (SRC), 88,5 (CBC Radio One) and the 104,7 (CBC Radio One for Western Montreal area) FM signals in Montreal. Near the transmitter in Pie-IX Blvd, even on 104.7 FM where is the CBC Radio One signal, we can hear the interference from the CHOU's FM transmitter because it is where the CHOU's FM signal is the strongest.

Format

The station has a variety format which mainly targets the local Arabic community; most of its programming is accordingly done using the various Arabic dialects including:

The station regularly covers local, artistic and religious events for many MENA (Middle East and North Africa) communities in Quebec and Canada.

CHOU also carries news and discussion programming from Voice of Lebanon and Monte Carlo Doualiya.

CHOU also runs a two-hour weekly show in Armenian.

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-87, CHOU Montréal - Technical change, CRTC, April 28, 2008
  2. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-82, Ethnic AM radio station in Montréal, CRTC, March 15, 2006
  3. ↑ Decision CRTC 96-634, Approval of an SCMO service in the Arabic language, CRTC, September 17, 1996
  4. ↑ CHOU 1450 AM - Profile
  5. ↑ Decision CRTC 96-71, Revocation of CHEF Granby, Quebec, CRTC, February 28, 1996
  6. ↑ 2013-1302-2, CHOU new FM transmitter (pending approval), CRTC, October 1, 2013
  7. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-522, October 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Fagstein: "CRTC denies application for FM retransmitter for CHOU 1450 AM", October 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2016-72, February 26, 2016.
  10. ↑ Fagstein: CRTC approves low-power FM retransmitter for Radio Moyen Orient

External links

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