CJAX was the first conventional radio station in North America to adopt the Jack FM branding, officially classified as a "variety hits" or "adult hits" format. Most Jack FM stations play a wide mix of music from the late 60s through the 90s, as well as some current adult contemporary/hot adult contemporary singles. It formerly used the slogan "Playing what we want", promoting itself as having a larger and more varied playlist than any other commercial radio stations. About 60% of Jack FM stations don't have DJs, just non-stop music; and its format doesn't allow requests from listeners.
History
In 1980, Selkirk Communications launched CJAZ at 92.1 FM in Vancouver, with an all-jazz music format, transmitting from Salt Spring Island at 100,000 watts. Although overall regional coverage was very good, poor stereo reception in the key Vancouver area led the station to change frequencies and transmitter site to 96.9 MHz and Mt Seymour in 1984, transmitting at 75,000 watts. Low ratings led to a format change on September 15, 1985, when the station adopted an urban adult contemporary format, rebranded as FM 97 and the call sign was changed to CKKS-FM. This was followed about a year later by a switch to the "adult contemporary music" format and another on-air rebranding as 97 Kiss FM. Four years later, the station was sold to Maclean-Hunter Ltd, and in 1994 it became a part of Rogers Broadcasting. The adult contemporary format would also arrive on CHQM-FM, which dropped its easy listening format in 1992, and surpassed CKKS as Vancouver's leading AC station, becoming Vancouver's most-listened-to FM station later on. In 1988, West Coast Community T.V. Association received CRTC approval to add a very low-power transmitter at 102.7 MHz in Ucluelet to rebroadcast the programming of CKKS-FM. The call sign for the Ucluelet transmitter is CIWC-FM. In December of 2002, the station's adult contemporary format was dropped in favour of Christmas music. On Boxing Day, at 8 a.m., CKKS flipped to adult hits as Jack FM. The first song on "Jack" was "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. The flip resulted at the end of the 10-year adult contemporary war in Vancouver, which meant that CHQM-FM became the only AC station in the Vancouver market. Given the "attitude" inherent in the Jack brand, it was felt that the call sign "CKKS" would maintain an undesirable association with Kiss-FM's "soft favourites" identity. As it turned out, in 2001, Corus Entertainment had abandoned the old CKLG call sign formerly assigned to one of its Vancouver AM stations. Rogers applied to transfer these letters to Jack FM, and the station's call sign became CKLG-FM shortly thereafter. This was in part an attempt to trade on CKLG-AM's history as a popular Vancouver music station in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The move was successful, as Jack-FM's ratings increased dramatically, at one point briefly surpassing traditional market leaderCKNW before settling into the upper rankings in the Vancouver market. The CKKS callsign was subsequently given to a Sechelt rebroadcaster of CISQ-FM in Squamish, British Columbia. Coincidentally, the Jack FM format was cloned on a Calgary radio stationApril 1, 2003, on the same frequency as CKLG, and also owned by Rogers Communications. That station was formerly urban CHRK, as the station changed calls to CKIS-FM and later to CJAQ-FM. As a result, Jack FM Toronto was the third Jack FM outlet in Canada. In July 2012, the station adopted the "Playing whatever! Whenever!" slogan. The station also added in more recent adult contemporary/hot adult contemporary songs. On May 22, 2013, the CRTC approved Rogers' application to relocate its Whistler transmitter, CKLG-FM-1, from its current location to the CBC-owned tower in Whistler. This relocation will result in a decrease in the average effective radiated power from 586 to 474 watts as well as an increase in the effective height of antenna above average terrain from -306.2 to -238.3 metres. In August 2014, the stations changed its call sign from CKLG-FM to CJAX-FM. The CKLG-FM call sign was transferred to Rogers-owned CIEG-FM Egmont. In May 2016, CJAX signed on HD Radio operations. On June 23, 2016, CJAX added a simulcast of sister CKWX on its HD2 sub-channel. On August 28, 2017, CJAX added a simulcast of CISL to its HD3 sub-channel.
Controversy
In 2005, some members of Vancouver's Indo-Canadian community accused the station of racial insensitivity with regards to its advertising strategy. The ads in question featured Vijay Chandra, a Fijian radio engineer for the station with a strong Indian accent, singing to promote Jack-FM's "Larry and Willy show". The complaints stem from a perception that viewers are intended to laugh at Chandra's accent, rather than at the ad copy itself, and that similar lyrics performed without an accent would not be considered humorous.
