CHQM-FM signed on the air on August 10, 1960 with a mainly instrumental easy listening format, several months after its original AM sister station, CHQM, first went on-air on December 7, 1959. The original owner of CHQM-AM and -FM was Vancouver Broadcast Associates Ltd., headed by Bill Bellman and Jack Stark, with the stations' studios and offices, then located on 1134 Burrard Street. On November 4, 1961, CHQM-FM began broadcasting in stereo, and was authorized by the Board of Broadcast Governors to increase its transmission power from 18,950 watts to 100,000 in 1963. The transmitter site was moved from Grouse Mountain to Mount Seymour at this time. CHQM-FM was the second private radio station in Canada to transmit in stereo, and it was the first in the nation to transmit an SCMO subcarrier. This subcarrier was used to transmit background music to stores and businesses throughout the Lower Mainland, and it helped support the FM station during the difficult first two decades when FM audiences were small. Parent company Vancouver Broadcast Associates changed its corporate name to Q Broadcasting Ltd. on August 23, 1969. The two owners had a dispute, and each struggled to control Q Broadcasting through the mid-1970s. In 1979, Stark assumed complete control of the company. Bellman moved on to become a major shareholder in fledgling CKVU-TV, also in Vancouver. CHUM Limited acquired CHQM-AM and -FM on October 17, 1990, on condition from the CRTC that CHUM sell either CHQM-AM or its other Vancouver AM station, CFUN ; CHQM-AM was sold, while the FM made a gradual switch from its longtime beautiful music format to its current format over a six-month period between March and September of 1992, giving Vancouver two adult contemporary stations. Vancouver ended up with three ACs by 1996, when Star 104.9 was expanded to Vancouver. The three-way AC battle ended in 1999, when Rogers acquired the station and changed to alternative rock as "Xfm", which later became AC/smooth jazz as "Clear FM". CKKS switched formats to Jack FM on Boxing Day2002, leaving QM as the sole AC in Vancouver. On July 12, 2006, CTVglobemedia announced it would acquire CHUM Limited, which includes CHQM. The transaction was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007, and CHQM became a CTVglobemedia station on June 22. On September 21, 2008, in order for the Jim Pattison Group's later launch of 100.5 The Peak, rival AC station CKCL-FM flipped to classic hits as FM 104.9, making CHQM once again the only AC station in the market. Although KAFE in Bellingham has an adult contemporary format, and is easily receivable in Vancouver, the station itself does not target the Vancouver area. By 2010, sister station CJMJ-FM in Ottawa dropped the remaining 1960s songs, although, for a time, 1960s songs could still be found on CHQM. They have since dropped these as of 2013. Currently, CHQM competes against Rogers Radio's adult hitsCJAX and Stingray Radio's cluster of AC CHLG and hot adult contemporaryCKZZ, as well as adult album alternative rival CKPK.
Contests
The most famous contest on 103.5 QM/FM is their game "Beat the Bank" in which players will call in. The lucky caller would get to open "vaults". When they choose to open the "vaults", they hear the sound effect of a creaking door. Once they open the very first door, they have a voice saying an amount of money, in which they get to choose or say that they would like to keep opening vaults to get a larger amount of money. Each door gives a larger sum. If they open a vault with the alarm sounding, they lose all their money and therefore do not receive any money as a prize; however, the station will provide losing contestants with a gift certificate. After the player either loses or chooses an amount of money, every vault is explored until the alarm sounds. The last vault opened before the alarm is discovered is announced as the maximum possible prize that could have been claimed during that session. Other contests when players call in, players usually have to answer a question or a series of questions to win a prize, which are usually tickets to go see a concert live in Vancouver.
In 2016, CHQM-FM signed on HD Radio services, marking the first BellMedia station to do so. They also signed on HD2 and HD3 sub-channels, which air simulcasts of sisters CKST and CFTE, respectively.
