EZ Rock
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media Radio (Bell Media) |
| History | |
| Founded | by Telemedia |
| Launch date | June 30, 1995 |
| Coverage | |
| Availability | British Columbia |
| Links | |
| Website | (see each station's articles) |
EZ Rock is a brand of adult contemporary radio stations heard primarily in Canada. The branding was originally created by Telemedia in the mid-1990s for its adult contemporary stations, and based on the call sign of its former Toronto flagship CJEZ (now adult hits-formatted CHBM).
Despite the pronunciation of the letter "Z" as "zed" in Canadian English, the name is pronounced "E-Zee Rock" (as in "Easy Rock") using the American English pronunciation of the letter, not "E-Zed Rock".
Depending on the station, the slogan will be Today's Best Variety or More Music Variety.
History
Ownership of the EZ Rock brand passed from Telemedia to Standard Broadcasting in 2002, to Astral Media in 2007, and to Bell Media in 2013.
On August 29, 2013, Rogers Media's EZ Rock stations in Northern Ontario re-branded to "KiSS"; these stations were former Standard stations that were acquired by Rogers in 2002.[1][2]
As of January 2021, the EZ Rock branding is mostly heard on Bell Media-owned stations in British Columbia making it the last Canadian province to use the EZ Rock branding since the other stations have rebranded to Move Radio.
Programming
The EZ Rock stations are generally programmed independently, although special Canadian content versions of shows such as Delilah and the John Tesh Radio Show are heard across the network. Some stations in smaller markets may also share voice-tracked programming in weekend and overnight slots.
EZ Rock stations by province
The following radio stations in Canada use the "EZ Rock" branding, and are all owned by Bell Media Radio:
Note: British Columbia is currently the last Canadian province to use the EZ Rock branding on its radio stations.
- Summerland - CHOR-FM
- Penticton - CKOR
- Osoyoos - CJOR
- Salmon Arm - CKXR-FM
- Revelstoke - CKCR-FM
- Golden - CKGR-FM
- Invermere - CKIR
- Trail - CJAT-FM
- Nelson - CKKC-FM
- Prince Rupert - CHTK-FM
- Terrace - CFTK
- Kitimat - CKTK-FM
Former EZ Rock stations
All stations are owned by Bell Media Radio, unless otherwise specified.
- Fredericton - CIBX-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 2000 until 2005)
- Woodstock - CJCJ-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1999 to 2009)
- Orillia - CICX-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1996 until 2002; former Standard/Rogers station owned by Larche Communications)
- Ottawa - CJOT-FM (identified as EZ Rock from May 27, 2010 until June 30, 2011, former flagship station; now owned by Corus Radio)
- Toronto - CHBM-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1995 to 2009 using the CJEZ-FM callsign, former flagship station; now owned by Stingray Group)
- London - CIQM-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1996 to August 17, 2012)
- North Bay - CHUR-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1999 to August 29, 2013; owned by Rogers Sports & Media)
- Sault Ste. Marie - CHAS-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1999 to August 29, 2013; owned by Rogers Sports & Media)
- St. Catharines - CHRE-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 2001 to December 27, 2020). CHRE-FM was the last radio station in Ontario to use the EZ Rock branding which is currently used at a number of radio stations in British Columbia.
- Sudbury - CJMX-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 1999 to August 29, 2013; owned by Rogers Media)
- Timmins - CKGB-FM (identified as EZ Rock from 2001 to August 29, 2013; owned by Rogers Media)
References
- ^ "Rogers Preparing To Rebrand Four Ontario EZRocks," from Radio Insight, 7/8/2013
- ^ "EZ Rock radio stations eager to dump their branding," from Canada.com, 7/8/2013 archived 2013-07-11 at the Wayback Machine