With a flick of a switch, CFOB moved from AM to FM at 9 a.m. yesterday and shocked listeners in Atikokan, who never dreamed they would hear the new signal.
CFOB, formerly found at 640 AM, has became B93. It now can be found at 93.1 FM.
The change not only meant a new logo and letterhead for the station but expanded its signal area by more than a third, manager Hugh Syrja noted yesterday.
“We talked to the reeve in Atikokan and he was sitting in his driveway listening to the station,” Syrja said. “We couldn’t believe it. We just kept saying ‘No you’re not.’ He said ‘Yes I am.’”
The new FM signal can be heard as far as Nestor Falls, Williams Lake, Man., and Crane Lake, Mn..
“The sound is awesome. We’re very pleased that the technicians and announcers all came together,” Syrja said.
In addition to a wider range, Syrja said the strength of the FM signal will prevent interference formerly experienced in buildings with a lot of florescent lights.
CFOB first hit the airwaves here in 1944. And it is still legally known as CFOB even though the on-air name has changed.
“We wanted to create a new identity for ourselves but we won’t want to totally remove ourselves from 55 years of our history,” Syrja remarked.