CIDC-FM

CIDC

Orangeville, Ontario
Broadcast area	Toronto, Ontario
Frequency	103.5 (MHz)
Branding	"Zee 103-dot-5"
Programming
Format	Rhythmic/Dance Top 40
Ownership
Owner	Evanov Radio Group
History
First air date	1995
Call sign meaning	CI Dufferin Communications (Former owners)
Technical information
Class	C
ERP	30,700 kW
Links
Website	http://www.z1035.com/

CIDC (Z103.5) is a Rhythmic/Dance Top 40 radio station that serves Central Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Although they are licensed to Orangeville, and still have a transmitter there, the station's studios are located in Toronto. The station is owned by Evanov Communications. It fills the market's Top 40 niche and includes a certain degree of dance music in its playlists, similar to CKOI-FM in Montreal. The station can be heard as far south as St. Catharines.

History

An application was made to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a radio station to serve Orangeville after the community felt it did not receive adequate warning after the area was struck by a tornado on May 31, 1985. CRTC approval was given for the station on September 10, 1986. The station's frequency allocation was moved from Guelph to Orangeville to allow for the service. CIDC was launched on May 1, 1987 on 103.5 FM with an ERP of 50,000 watts from a site located northwest of the town. The height of the hill (527.3 m / 1,730 ft) and tower (98.1 m / 322 ft) made the station antenna (0.6 m / 2 ft) higher above sea level than the CN Tower.

On September 28, 1994, the CRTC approved the ownership transfer of Dufferin Communications from its shareholders to CKMW Radio Ltd., operator of Brampton multicultural station CIAO (AM). The station was branded Hot 103 dot 5 in 1995, playing only dance music. The station then began adding more R&B and pop tracks to its Top 40/dance playlist in February, 1998, and was renamed Hits 103.5.

On July 28, 2000 approval was given to relocate the transmitter site from 6 km west of Orangeville town hall to 11 km east of Orangeville town hall and decrease the stations power from 50,000 watts to 30,700 watts.

On January 1, 2001, the station was renamed in imitation of New York station Z100 and became known as Z103.5 (pronounced "zee"), though they retained their CIDC call letters.

Until the summer of 2006, Z103.5 was the only radio station in Canada that played dance music since Energy 108 changed formats. It should be noted that it was the only Top 40 station left in Toronto after Kiss 92 became Jack FM in 2003. For a brief period in 2001, Foxy 88.5 also played dance music but poor ratings led it to switch to an oldies format.

In the summer of 2006, Evanov launched a new station in Halifax, Nova Scotia patterned after CIDC. It uses the Z103.5 moniker but features a different logo and slogan. In Halifax Regional Municipality, this is the first station of its kind.

Programming

The station airs the syndicated Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 and American Top 40 on the weekends.

From 5 a.m. - 9 a.m. weekdays, Z103.5 has Scott Fox & The Z103.5 Morning Show.

Despite the decrease in dance music, the station's highest rated program continues to be The Drive @ 5 Street Mixwith DJ Danny D. The show is mixed live entirely with vinyl. A similar show, The Power Mix with DJ Spence Diamonds, used to air three nights a week. The show, which features urban music, was cut back to one night in the fall of 2005.

Z103.5 also had a weekly show on Sundays called the Freestyle Frenzy, hosted by Z103.5 veteran Tony Monaco. It was solely a show of freestyle music and mixes. It aired from June 4, 1995 to January 2004, then Evanov Communications, who owns the station ,cancelled it and made the time slot available for regular programming, and soon to be part of Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 countdown.

DJs

• Dave Blezard - Mornings
• Richard Correll - Swing Announcer
• Mike "The Party Dog" Devine - Swing Announcer
• Stacey Englehart - News Announcer
• Chris Evans - Midday
• Scott Fox - Mornings
• Ashley Greco - Mornings
• Lisa Griffin - Saturday Mornings
• Norman Long - News Announcer
• Tony Monaco - Evenings
• Matt 'The Hammer' Wreggitt - Afternoon Drive

Concerts and live-to-air programs

The station annually hosts a number of live concert events. Past and present concerts include the Hot Rush (created in 1993, now Summer Rush), Euro-Freestyle Invasion (now Euro Invasion), and Partymania. Most of the concerts are sold-out because they are mostly filled with performances by dance artists that usually don't get much publicity. Interestingly, its sister station in Halifax also started holding a similar Summer Rush concert in 2007, usually around the same time as its Toronto sibling.

The station also hosts live-to-airs from various Toronto-area nightclubs three or four nights per week. Wednesdays have been from Club Menage since 2002. Thursdays have been from Sugar Daddy's and Fridays have been from Metro Bar. Saturday nights has stabilized lately at Distrikt, after a more than decade-long run at club Paparazzi came to an end, also in 2003. Sundays, it's the live to air partymix from Afterlife Nightclub.

See also

• List of radio stations in Ontario.

External links

• Official Z103.5 website
• Technical Info from Recnet