CISL (AM)
{{Infobox radio station
| logo = SN650Vancouver.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| name = CISL
| city = Vancouver, British Columbia
| area = Greater Vancouver
| branding = Sportsnet 650
| frequency = 650 kHz
| repeater = {{Radio Relay|96.9|CJAX-FM HD3|Vancouver}}
| airdate = May 1, 1980
| format = Sports
| affiliations = Vancouver Giants Radio Network
Vancouver Canucks Radio Network
Toronto Blue Jays Radio Network{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/schedule/blue-jays-radio-network|title = Blue Jays Radio Network}}
Seattle Mariners Radio Network
Infinity Sports Network{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/schedule/|title = Schedule 650 - Sportsnet.ca}}
Abbotsford Canucks Radio Network
| power = 20,000 watts day
4,000 watts night
| class = B
| coordinates = {{coord|49.16638889|N|123.01638889|W|region:CA-BC_type:landmark|display=inline,title|name=CISL Tower}}
| callsign_meaning = "Island" (reference to Lulu Island)
| former_frequencies = 940 kHz (1980–1985)
| owner = Rogers Radio
| licensee = Rogers Media, Inc.
| sister_stations = CJAX-FM, CKKS-FM, CKWX, CHNM-DT, CKVU-DT, Sportsnet Pacific
| website = [http://www.sportsnet.ca/650 sportsnet.ca/650]
| webcast = [http://player.sportsnet650.ca/ Listen Live]
}}
CISL (650 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Vancouver, British Columbia, and serving the Greater Vancouver radio market. It is owned by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media and airs a sports format branded as Sportsnet 650. It is the flagship station of the Vancouver Giants, Vancouver Canucks, Abbotsford Canucks, and is the Vancouver affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/|title = Sportsnet 650 - Sportsnet.ca}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/schedule/blue-jays-radio-network|title = Blue Jays Radio Network}} On weekdays, local hosts are heard most of the day, while the Infinity Sports Network is heard late nights and weekends.
CISL's radio studios are located at 2440 Ash Street in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver. By day, CISL is powered at 20,000 watts; to avoid interference at night to other stations on 650 AM, it reduces power to 4,000 watts. CISL uses a directional antenna at all times with a three-tower array. The transmitter is on Nelson Road off British Columbia Highway 91 on Lulu Island.[https://fccdata.org/?call=cisl&ccode=2&city=&state=&country=CA&cansvc=B&party=&party_type=CDN&lang=en FCCdata.org/CISL]
History
=940 AM=
CISL originally signed on the air on May 1, 1980, at a frequency of 940 kHz and a power of 2,500 watts. The call letters were pronounced "C-Isle". The licence was granted to South Fraser Broadcasting, a group controlled by Michael Dickinson.Decision CRTC 79-521, New AM radio station at Burnaby, CRTC, 1979 Dickinson's previous broadcast experience included a stint at Vancouver radio stations CHQM-AM-FM.
The original music content was primarily middle of the road songs, branded as AM Gold Music Radio. The playlist consisted of titles released from 1955 to the-then present with the newscasters and announcers placing an emphasis on the community of Richmond (the ISLand in CISL).
=Move to 650 AM=
About 1985, the frequency was changed to 650 kHz (CFML's former frequency) and the daytime power increased to 10,000 watts, still at the same Richmond transmitter site. The antenna tower array was changed from four to three towers).[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1984/DB84-59.HTM Decision CRTC 84-59][http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1985/DB85-1212.htm Decision CRTC 85-1212]
On December 27, 1988, CISL shifted to a full-time oldies format, with its playlist featuring music from 1955 to 1975. The new format helped CISL become a major player in the Vancouver radio scene. The original Richmond community programming expanded to include all of the Lower Mainland. CISL enjoyed its greatest ratings and sales success from 1986 to 1989. In 1990, South Fraser Broadcasting was issued an FM license, which went on the air as CKZZ-FM the following year. CISL and CKZZ were sold to Standard Broadcasting in May 1996.{{Cite web|title=1990 CISL 650 Radio "Vancouver's Oldies Station" Canadian TV Commercial|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U9RcXXYL64}}
In September 2007, CISL stopped using the Oldies 650 CISL name and rebranded as SuperHits 650 CISL. The format remained similar. On October 29, 2007, CISL, along with the rest of the Standard Broadcasting stations, were sold to Astral Media.
=Soft AC era=
On November 10, 2008, at 9 a.m., after playing "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans, CISL flipped from oldies to soft adult contemporary. The classic hits/oldies format moved to Rogers-owned CKKS-FM in September (that station has since moved to a modern rock format). The move was a result of Jim Pattison Group flipping CKBD from its adult standards format to an adult album alternative (AAA) format and switching to FM on November 13. The first song on "All Time Favourites" was "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters.
On December 23, 2009, CISL filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requesting permission to broadcast up to 20% of its programming in Russian during the 2010 Winter Olympics.[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-804.htm Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-804] The programming was to be supplied by Moscow radio station AvtoRadio.Etan Vlessing, "[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3i662cd5cc93e733438b8369e316fbfd4c Russian radio broadcasting from Olympics]", The Hollywood Reporter, 2010-01-28 This application received approval on January 26, 2010.[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-35.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-35]
=Ownership changes=
In March 2013, the Competition Bureau approved a proposal by Bell Media to acquire Astral Media, under the condition that it divest itself of several television services and radio stations. Following the closure of the merger in July 2013, CISL was placed in a blind trust pending its eventual sale.{{cite web|last=Biblic|first=Mirko|title=Re: Voting Trust Agreement between BCE Inc. and Pierre Boivin, the trustee Application No. 2013-0243-9 – Approved|date=27 June 2013|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2013/lb130627.htm|publisher=CRTC|access-date=5 July 2013}}{{cite web|title=Competition Bureau OK's BCE-Astral deal, with conditions|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/competition-bureau-ok-s-bce-astral-deal-with-conditions-1.1326790|publisher=CBC News|access-date=March 5, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Bell moves closer to Astral with sale of TV assets|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/bce-to-sell-assets-to-corus-as-part-of-astral-deal/article9272784/|publisher=The Globe and Mail|access-date=5 March 2013}}
On August 26, 2013, Newcap Radio announced it would acquire CISL along with four other former Astral Media radio stations held under Bell Media's blind trust for $112 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1215153/newcap-signs-agreement-with-bell-media-to-acquire-five-radio-stations-in-toronto-and-vancouver|title=Newcap signs agreement with Bell Media to acquire five radio stations in Toronto and Vancouver|publisher=CNW|access-date=26 August 2013}} The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 19, 2014, and the sale closed on March 31, 2014.[http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2014/2014-129.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-129]{{cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1325013/newcap-radio-receives-crtc-approval-to-purchase-stations-in-toronto-and-vancouver|title=Newcap Radio receives CRTC approval to purchase stations in Toronto and Vancouver|work=Canada Newswire|date=March 19, 2014|access-date=March 20, 2014}}
On April 8, 2014, Newcap applied to move the CISL transmitter site to the former CKBD site, due to the imminent expiration of the lease on the transmitter site in August, and the unstable ground at that location.{{cite web|url=https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/DocWebBroker/OpenDocument.aspx?AppNo=201402784|title=CRTC Application 2014-0278-4|access-date=9 April 2014}} The application was approved on August 14.{{cite web|url=http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2014/2014-431.htm|title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-431|date=14 August 2014|access-date=16 August 2014}} The move included a boost in the daytime power to 20,000 watts, coupled with a reduction in CISL's nighttime output to 4,000 watts. On August 25, 2014, CISL changed its branding to Smooth & Easy, CISL 650 AM.
=Flip to sports=
On April 25, 2017, Rogers Media announced that it would acquire CISL, and switch the station to a sports format branded as Sportsnet 650 later in the year. The move came as Rogers had acquired the radio rights to the Vancouver Canucks hockey team beginning in the 2017–18 season. The station would also assume the Toronto Blue Jays radio rights in Vancouver in the 2018 season. Both teams were previously broadcast by Bell Media's TSN Radio stations CFTE and CKST.{{cite web|title=Sportsnet launching all-sports radio station in Vancouver|url=https://theprovince.com/sports/sportsnet-launching-all-sports-radio-station-in-vancouver|website=The Province|publisher=Postmedia|access-date=25 April 2017}}
Rogers unveiled the station's programming lineup on August 23, 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/sportsnet-650-gets-set-to-unveil-new-lineup|title=Sportsnet 650 unveils its full lineup|date=2017-08-23|work=The Province|access-date=2017-09-04|language=en-US}} The sale of the station was completed on August 27, 2017, with CISL ending music programming at 10 p.m. that evening. The final song on CISL was "American Pie" by Don McLean; by coincidence, the song was cut off right on the beginning of the titular lyric, specifically cutting off on the words "Bye bye". After a week off air, the station re-branded as Sportsnet 650 on September 4, becoming the first station from the Sportsnet Radio group to not use "The Fan" branding.{{cite web|author=Brown, Scott |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-radio-steve-darling-to-co-host-sportsnet-650-morning-show |title=Vancouver radio: Steve Darling to co-host Sportsnet 650 morning show |work=Vancouver Sun |location=Canada |date=5 July 2017 |access-date=30 July 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/sports-talk-showdown-vancouver-set-to-become-radioactive-monday|title=Sports talk showdown: Vancouver set to become 'radioactive' Monday|date=2017-08-31|work=The Province|access-date=2017-09-04|language=en-US}}
On August 28, 2017, CISL began digitally rebroadcasting on the HD Radio signal of co-owned CJAX-FM, using its third subchannel.
Logos
| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" style="border:1px solid #aaa" |
| align=center
!height="150px" bgcolor="#F9F9F9" | 150px !height="150px" bgcolor="#F9F9F9" | 150px !height="150px" bgcolor="#F9F9F9" | 150px !height="150px" bgcolor="#F9F9F9" | 150px |
| width="150px" colspan="1" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | –2007
!width="150px" colspan="1" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | 2007–2008 !width="150px" colspan="1" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | 2008–2014 !width="150px" colspan="1" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | 2014–2017 |
|---|
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sportsnet.ca/650 Sportsnet 650]
- [https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/british-columbia/british-columbia-vancouver/cisl-am/ CISL (AM)] at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
- {{FCC-LMS-Facility|98782|CISL}}
- {{RecnetCanada|CISL}}
{{Vancouver Radio}}
{{Rogers Communications}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisl (Am)}}
Category:Richmond, British Columbia
Category:1980 establishments in British Columbia