CHMB (AM)
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| City | Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| Broadcast area | Metro Vancouver |
| Branding | AM1320 CHMB (English) 華僑之聲 (Chinese) |
| Frequency | 1320 kHz (AM) |
| First air date | December 10, 1959 |
| Format | Multicultural (12 languages) |
| Power | 50,000 watts (Day & Night) |
| Class | B |
| Transmitter coordinates | 49°09′51″N 123°02′34″W / 49.164301°N 123.042701°WCoordinates: 49°09′51″N 123°02′34″W / 49.164301°N 123.042701°W |
| Callsign meaning | C H Mainstream Broadcasting |
| Former callsigns | CHQM (1959-1994) |
| Owner | Mainstream Broadcasting Corporation |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www.am1320.com |
CHMB is a Canadian AM radio station, broadcasting from Vancouver, British Columbia on 1320 kHz. The station airs a Chinese language programming format. CHMB's studios are located on Marine Drive in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, while its transmitters are located on Lulu Island near Richmond.
CHMB and CJMR are the only stations in Canada which broadcast on 1320 kHz.
CHMB is owned and operated by Mainstream Broadcasting Corporation, a British Columbia media company owned and operated by Vancouver businessman James Ho. Mainstream began broadcasting in 1973 as Overseas Chinese Voice (OCV). In 1993, OCV programming was incorporated into the multicultural AM radio station of CHMB AM 1320, which broadcasts to Vancouver’s multicultural community.
CHMB broadcasts to Vancouver's Chinese-speaking community, and in 12 other languages: Portuguese, Brazilian, Filipino, Greek, Japanese, Tamil, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish.
Mainstream Broadcasting Corp., CHMB AM 1320 winner of the 2015 Jack Webster Award - Best Reporting Chinese Language.
CHMB began as an English-language station that was called CHQM. It signed on the air on December 10, 1959, as an easy listening station under the ownership of Vancouver Broadcast Associates Ltd. with 10 kW of power. CHQM's sister station, CHQM-FM, first aired on August 10, 1960 as a simulcast of the AM station, airing 19 hours a day. CHQM and CHQM-FM went to 24-hour broadcasting on September 1, 1962.
In November 1966, CHQM increased its transmission power to 50 kW. On August 23, 1969, corporate parent Vancouver Broadcast Associates changed its name to Q Broadcasting Ltd. Jack Stark, who had co-founded the company with Bill Bellman, became the sole owner in 1979. In September 1984, CHQM began airing the "Music of Your Life" format from 6 p.m. to midnight daily while retaining its main easy listening format for the balance of its broadcast day.
On January 1, 1990, CHQM dropped its longtime easy listening format for an adult contemporary format and began using the on-air brand Lite 1320. CHQM and CHQM-FM were purchased by CHUM Limited on October 17 that year, but due to Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations of the time (which allowed ownership of only one AM and one FM station in the same market), CHUM had to sell either CHQM or its other Vancouver AM outlet, CFUN; CHUM chose to sell CHQM.
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