CING-FM
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CING is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 95.3 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. The station airs a country music format branded as The New Country 95.3.
CING was launched in 1976 by Burlington Broadcasting, at 107.9 FM. Initially an oldies station licensed to Burlington, the station switched to a dance music format in 1989. The station applied to the CRTC a number of times in the 1980s for frequency changes in the hopes of better reaching the more lucrative Toronto market, but was denied each time.
In 1997, the station was acquired by Shaw Communications. Following the change in ownership, Energy's format shifted from a dance music format to a mainstream CHR format. Dance, rap, hip-hop, rock, and pop all received equal airplay. A minor name change also took place, with Energy 108 changing to Energy Radio. Under Shaw's ownership, several other stations in Ontario, including CKDK in Woodstock, CHAY in Barrie and CKGE in Oshawa, became rebroadcasters of CING's Energy Radio format. Shaw's radio operations were, in turn, spun off to the Corus Entertainment division in 1999.
In 2001, CING and Hamilton's CJXY swapped frequencies. CING moved to its current 95.3, and CJXY took over the 107.9 signal. The frequency switch brought with it a change in the network's sound, with the maintstream CHR format making way for a Hot Adult Contemporary format. With CING now available over a wider geographic area, the other stations dropped their CING simulcasts in 2002. The new format mirrored the Adult Top 40 format of Toronto's market leader, 104.5 CHUM FM, which sealed Energy's fate. In the August of 2002, the station adopted its current country format.
