About Jack 96.9 (CJAX)

Jack 96.9 (CJAX)

Jack 96.9 (CJAX-FM) is Vancouver's adult hits radio station — the first conventional radio station in North America to adopt the "Jack FM" branding, with its famous "Playing what we want" attitude. Owned by Rogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts on 96.9 MHz from Mount Seymour with a wide mix of music from the late 1960s through the 1990s plus current adult hits. Its history stretches back to March 1, 1980, when it signed on as CJAZ-FM with an all-jazz format, and it has worn the call signs CJAZ, CKKS, and CKLG before becoming CJAX in 2014.

Overview

CJAX-FM is a commercial FM station licensed to Vancouver, British Columbia, owned by Rogers Radio (Rogers Sports & Media). It broadcasts on 96.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 32,000 watts (70,000 watts maximum, Class C) from a transmitter atop Mount Seymour. Its studios are located at 2440 Ash Street in Vancouver's Fairview neighbourhood.

The station's format is adult hits (classified as "variety hits"), and programming is simulcast on a 1,430-watt repeater, CJAX-FM-1, in Whistler. Sister stations in the Rogers Vancouver cluster include CKKS-FM, and the television outlets CKVU-DT and CHNM-DT. The call sign is designed to sound like "Jack."

History

In 1980, Selkirk Communications launched CJAZ at 92.1 FM in Vancouver with an all-jazz format, transmitting from Salt Spring Island at 100,000 watts. Although overall regional coverage was very good, poor stereo reception in the key Vancouver area led the station to change frequencies and transmitter site to 96.9 MHz and Mount Seymour in 1984, transmitting at 75,000 watts.

Low ratings led to a format change on September 15, 1985, when the station adopted an urban adult contemporary format — the first in Canada — rebranded as "FM 97," with the call sign changed to CKKS-FM. About a year later, the station switched to adult contemporary and rebranded as "97 Kiss FM." The station was sold to Maclean-Hunter in the late 1980s, and in 1994 it became part of Rogers Broadcasting.

On December 26, 2002, at 8 a.m., CKKS flipped to adult hits as "Jack FM" after a month of Christmas music — the first conventional station in North America to adopt the Jack branding, with the slogan "Playing what we want." Given the "attitude" inherent in the Jack brand, the soft-sounding CKKS call sign was deemed undesirable, so Rogers applied to transfer the heritage CKLG call sign (abandoned by Corus's AM 730) to the station; the call sign became CKLG-FM in 2003. In August 2014, the call sign changed from CKLG-FM to CJAX-FM, designed to sound like "Jack."

CJAX's distinction is historic: on December 26, 2002, at 8 a.m., it became the first conventional radio station in North America to adopt the "Jack" branding — the variety-hits/adult-hits format ("Playing What We Want") that would spread across the continent. The station's own history, though, starts March 1, 1980, as CJAZ-FM on 92.1 MHz with an all-jazz format, launched by Selkirk Communications. Poor stereo reception prompted the September 15, 1985 move to 96.9 MHz with Canada's first urban adult contemporary format as "FM 97" (CKKS-FM); about a year later it became "97 Kiss FM" with adult contemporary.

The Jack flip required new calls: "CKKS" carried too much Kiss-FM soft-favourites baggage for the attitude-driven Jack brand, so Rogers took the abandoned CKLG calls from Corus's former Vancouver AM station and became CKLG-FM, then CJAX-FM in August 2014 ("JAX" sounding like "Jack"). The 32,000-watt (70,000 maximum) Class C signal from Mount Seymour — 707.4-metre HAAT — blankets Greater Vancouver, with a 1,430-watt Whistler repeater (CJAX-FM-1) extending the brand to the resort corridor.

The studios at 2440 Ash Street in Vancouver's Fairview neighbourhood house the Rogers Vancouver cluster alongside CKWX (News 1130), CISL (Sportsnet 650), and CKKS-FM. The Jack format — wide mix from the late 1960s through the 1990s plus current and recent AC and hot AC singles, voiced by the sardonic "Jack" character — has proven remarkably durable: more than two decades on the same brand, with shows like "Christy & Fraser" and personalities like Jason Manning carrying the attitude-forward presentation that made the station a format pioneer.

The Jack flip was a clean break with a single song: at 8 a.m. on December 26, 2002, after a month of Christmas music, CKKS signed off and relaunched as 96.9 Jack FM with AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" — ending Vancouver's ten-year adult-contemporary war and leaving CHQM-FM as the market's only mainstream AC station. The gamble worked: ratings rose dramatically, at one point briefly surpassing traditional market leader CKNW before settling into the upper ranks. A 1,430-watt repeater, CJAX-FM-1, carries the format to Whistler (approved in 2000), and the station's reach extends to Ucluelet through the CIWC-FM transmitter.

The Jack years have seen constant reinvention. In 2009, Rogers laid off the entire air staff except morning hosts Larry & Willy — midday host Pam Stevens, PM drive host Kelly Latremouille, and promotions coordinator May Lam among those departing — and named Murray Brookshaw program director. In July 2012 the station adopted the "Playing Whatever! Whenever!" slogan and added more recent AC and hot AC songs. June 2017 brought a new drive-time lineup: The Paul and Kuss Show with veteran host and stand-up comedian Paul Brown and longtime TV meteorologist Michael Kuss on weekday mornings (5:30–9 a.m.), and Kenny Jones — returning after a stint in Ottawa — on afternoon drive (2–7 p.m.), chasing adults 25–54 with a sweet spot at 35–49. In 2020, Justin "Drex" Wilcomes took mornings; after a heart attack and surgery in fall 2022 he returned by spring 2023, though his show was cancelled in April 2024. In January 2025, Ronnie Stanton joined as lead music director and drove the station's ratings from 13th to 5th. The studios are at 2440 Ash Street in Vancouver's Fairview neighbourhood, with the listener line at 604-280-JACK (5225) and jack969.com as the web home.

Programming

Jack 96.9 plays a wide mix of music from the late 1960s through the 1990s, plus some current and recent adult contemporary and hot adult contemporary singles, under the banner "We play what we want." The station is known for minimal DJ chatter and a "no-repeat workday" guarantee, targeting adults 25–54. Its signature features include local community event coverage and promotions tailored to the Lower Mainland audience.

The station balances the national Jack FM branding with local Vancouver content, including a morning show with local hosts discussing Lower Mainland issues, traffic, and news.

Coverage and Audience

CJAX's signal from Mount Seymour covers Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, with the Whistler repeater extending coverage into the Sea-to-Sky corridor. The station is a workplace staple in Vancouver, consistently performing strongly in the 25–54 demographic, competing with Rogers' own music outlets, Corus's rock stations, and Bell Media's pop and AC stations.

Ownership

CJAX-FM is owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media (Rogers Communications), one of Canada's largest broadcasters. Rogers acquired the station in 1994. Earlier owners included Selkirk Communications (1980–late 1980s) and Maclean-Hunter (late 1980s–1994).

Digital Presence

Jack 96.9 streams live through Rogers' digital platforms and maintains active social media accounts promoting its hosts, contests, and events. The station is associated with the jack969.com web portal; Wikipedia lists jack969.com as the station's official website.

The station's history — from the 1980 CJAZ jazz launch through the Kiss FM years to the pioneering 2002 Jack flip — is documented by the Canadian Communications Foundation's broadcasting-history.ca project and in CRTC licensing records.