CBC Radio (Japan)

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
JOAR
Headquarters in Naka-ku, Nagoya
  • Nagoya
  • Japan
Broadcast areaChubu region
Frequencies
  • 1053 kHz (AM)
  • 93.7 MHz (FM)
BrandingCBC Radio
Programming
LanguageJapanese
FormatTalk, Sports, News
AffiliationsJapan Radio Network
Ownership
OwnerCBC Radio Co., Ltd.
History
First air date
September 1, 1951; 74 years ago (1951-09-01)
Technical information
Licensing authority
MIC
Power50kW
Links
Websitehttps://hicbc.com/radio/

CBC Radio (CBCラジオ, CBC Rajio)[1][2][3] is the radio subsidiary of Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, operating as a radio broadcasting station for the Tōkai region (operating only on the Aichi-Mie-Gifu market). Established in 1950, and airing in 1951 as Japan's very-first commercial broadcasting company,[2][4] it is located inside the CBC Broadcasting Hall in Nagoya, Japan. It is one of the core affiliates of the TBS Radio-led Japan Radio Network. It also broadcasts some programs from the National Radio Network through network sales (programs that are not aired on Tokai Radio, such as All Night Nippon among others) despite being a JRN-only station.

Since 2013, after 60 years of operating as a combined broadcasting company, the television and radio entities of Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting were spun-off. CBC Television relinquishes the call sign "JOAR-DTV" in a separation agreement with the Ministry of Communications, and currently uses the "JOGX-DTV" call sign.[5] In 2011, CBC Radio, which was then called as "Technovision Co., Ltd.", then a subsidiary of CBC, changed its name to "CBC Radio Co., Ltd.", with its radio license transferred from CBC two years after.[6] As of today, the "JOAR" call signs remain with CBC Radio.[5]

In terms of affiliation, it is a core JRN full-network affiliate, being one of 4 stations in the country to only be affiliated with the network. Other JRN-only affiliates are: TBS Radio (Flagship), RKB Radio, and RBC iRadio.[7][8]

History

[edit]

In 1992, CBC Radio was put under CBC's subsidiary, "CBC Vision Co., Ltd.", which later became "Technovision Co., Ltd." in 2003. In 2011, the company now operates under its current name, which follows with the passing of the radio license from CBC in 2013[9], effectively splitting the television and radio businesses, and thus converting CBC into a broadcasting holdings company the following year.

In 2015, Complementary FM station operations started alongside Tokai Radio, where CBC Radio can be listened on its Wide FM frequency of 93.7MHz.[10][11]

In 2018, due to interference from foreign signals, the Gifu relay (AM 639 kHz) was shut down. CBC advised its listeners in Gifu City, and surrounding areas to tune their dials to the Wide FM frequency, as the Mikuniyama Complementary FM also serves the wide Gifu area.[12]

On January 9, 2024, CBC Radio filed for a preliminary license to establish its Toyohashi Complementary FM relay service with Tokai Radio,[13] with a full license already in full swing in March 22nd. On March 25, 2024, afternoon programs of both stations were simultaneously aired live, signaling the start of the Toyohashi FM relay service. CBC Radio broadcasts in the area at 91.8MHz[14]

AM to FM transition

[edit]

In 2021, in order to reduce costs in operating AM and FM stations (citing signal problems, aging AM transmitting equipment, and other factors), and also to improve or increase business efficiency and performance in terms of sales and advertisement, the Ministry of Communications announced that the transition from AM to FM will take place on 44 out of 47 prefectures, with a slow phasing out of AM master stations and relays starting in 2023, until the final phase of the transition to take place in fall 2028. This includes JRN's CBC Radio, and NRN affiliate Tokai Radio, as both stations serve the Aichi-Mie-Gifu market.[15][16][17]

On the anniversary of the creation of Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, which will fall on December 15, 2025 (at the time of this writing, the said date is currently marked as "Tentative"), CBC Radio will implement an AM radio suspension in several areas in the Aichi-Mie-Gifu market, which includes Toyohashi (1485kHz), Nakatsugawa (1557kHz), and Owase (801kHz). At the time of this writing, it is still being planned, and after the AM suspension takes place on those areas, the main Nagoya AM frequency - 1053kHz, and the AM relays in Takayama (1557kHz), Kamioka (Hida) (1062kHz), and Kumano (720kHz) will be the only AM frequencies not included in the suspension announcement, and will continue to broadcast until further notice.[18] CBC Radio listeners were encouraged by the station to listen to the main Mikuniyama FM frequency at 93.7MHz, & the Toyohashi FM relay at 91.8MHz.

Offices

[edit]

Currently, CBC Radio operates on the following offices:

About the Tokyo Branch of CBC Radio

[edit]

The Tokyo Branch of CBC Radio, which is housed at the Chiyoda Kaikan building, and managed by parent company, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, has facilities being used for program recordings, and in some cases, it can be used for live broadcasts through a direct line that is connected straight to the station's main headquarters in Nagoya. Also, it has dedicated lines to different radio stations across Tokyo, including JRN flagship TBS Radio, which can directly feed programs from CBC's Tokyo Offices over to CBC's Nagoya main broadcasting hub.

Programming on CBC Radio

[edit]

CBC Radio airs programming mainly from the Japan Radio Network as a full-network station, and one of JRN's key stations. They also produce their own local programming, and also airs other programming from other radio stations and production companies. Programs aired on the station include:

NRN Programming on CBC Radio

In some cases, CBC Radio, despite being a JRN-only affiliate, and one of the network's key stations, also airs some programming from rival network NRN, which cannot be aired by its Nagoya key station, Tokai Radio (SF). The main reason for this, in case of All Night Nippon, NRN's flagship late-night program series, is because of Tokai Radio airing its own blend of local late night programs, such as "Midnight Tokai", which started in 2000. Despite requests from its mother network to air it, Tokai Radio refused, as "Midnight Tokai" and its past and present local late night programming became popular to its listeners. Currently, Tokai Radio airs some of ANN's program series including "All Night Nippon MUSIC10", and "All Night Nippon Zero", which are airing before and after Tokai Radio's local late night offerings.

The flagship All Night Nippon program is currently aired on its regular timeslot by CBC Radio, as well as Audrey's All Night Nippon, which airs every Saturday night/Sunday early morning. Fellow JRN key station, RKB Radio also shares the same case, but unlike CBC Radio, which airs the flagship program, they only air the "SixTONES' All Night Nippon Saturday Special" every early Sunday morning at 12:00mn/24:00 JST, instead of key Fukuoka NRN station KBC Radio. KBC only airs the Saturday editions of All Night Nippon & All Night Nippon Zero at 1:00am/25:00JST & 3:00am/27:00 JST every Sunday morning respectively.

Other programs aired on CBC Radio that are from NRN include:

Current Broadcasting Frequencies

[edit]
CBC Radio (AM)
Master Station Call sign Frequency Output Remarks
Nagoya (Nagashima)[19] JOAR 1053 kHz 50kW Transmitting station is located in Nagashima-cho, Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture. The current "JOAR" call sign has been with the radio station since its creation in 1951, and remained that way when the radio license was kept by the succeeding company, "CBC Radio Co., Ltd.". CBC Television relinquished the use of the "JOAR-DTV" callsign in 2013 in favor of "JOGX-DTV" as a part of a separation agreement between the company and the MIC[5] as CBC becomes a holdings company a year later.
Relay Station Call sign Frequency Output Remarks
Toyohashi JOAE (Discontinued) 1485 kHz 100W Toyohashi's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Ueno (Iga) Ueno's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Owase JOAW (Abolished. Currently used by MegaNet affiliate, FM COCOLO.) 801 kHz Owase's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Takayama JOAO (Discontinued) 1557 kHz
Nakatsugawa JORO (Discontinued)
  • The call sign "JORO" was used by CBC's Nakatsugawa AM radio relay in 1964, but later abolished the use, which in turn, became the new call sign for Ryukyu Broadcasting's English radio service (then KSBK) after Okinawa was returned to Japan by the US, but didn't stayed that long as the English-only broadcast lasted for a year, eventually signing off in 1973[20] after the MIC refused or declined RBC to have the station's licensed renewed. RBC used the call sign again that same year, but this time, its for the station's Miyakojima relay. This lasted until 2005 when its AM relay is abolished, and replaced with an FM relay for the mentioned area.
  • Nakatsugawa's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Shinshiro Shinshiro's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Gero 1062 kHz Gero's relay is one of 6 CBC AM Radio relays that will be affected by the upcoming AM broadcasting suspension on December 15, 2025.[18]
Kamioka (Hida)
Kumano 720 kHz

Abolished Relays - Gifu (639 kHz, 500W) - Abolished in October 2018 due to nighttime interference, and the establishment of the Mount Mikuni (Mikuniyama) Wide FM station, making it possible to receive FM waves across the city of Gifu and surrounding areas.

CBC Radio (Wide FM/Complementary FM)
Station Frequency Output Remarks
Nagoya (Broadcasting as Mikuniyama/Mount Mikuni FM Station) 93.7 MHz 7kW Preliminary license for this station was issued on May 13, 2015, with regular broadcasting activities started on October 1st of the same year. [11][10]
Toyohashi FM Station 91.8 MHz 50W Preliminary license for this relay was issued on January 9, 2024,[13] with regular broadcasting commencing on March 25 of the same year.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "会社案内トップ 会社情報". Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "About CBC". Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  3. ^ "Corporation - Company Information". Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting - hicbc.com (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "100th Anniversary of Broadcasting - Broadcasting History Timeline -1950s". NHK Bunken (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "中部日本放送株式会社所属放送局の識別信号（呼出符号）の変更". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). March 29, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  6. ^ "株式会社CBCラジオの中波放送局の免許承継". soumu.go.jp. March 27, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  7. ^ "JRN". TBS Holdings. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  8. ^ "TBS Networks". TBS Holdings. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  9. ^ "株式会社CBCラジオの無線局免許継承を許可". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). March 27, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "CBCラジオ及び東海ラジオのFM補完中継局が10月1日から本放送開始". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "AMラジオ2社のFM補完中継局に予備免許 名古屋都市圏におけるラジオ受信環境の改善". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). May 13, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "ＣＢＣラジオ岐阜放送局の閉局に関するお知らせ". RadiChubu by CBC (Article no longer exists in the site) (in Japanese). July 28, 2018. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "株式会社CBCラジオ及び東海ラジオ放送株式会社に豊橋FM補完中継局の予備免許 ＜令和6年3月目途にワイドFMで聴取可能となる予定です＞". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). January 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "株式会社CBCラジオ及び東海ラジオ放送株式会社の豊橋FM補完中継局に免許 ＜豊橋市とその周辺都市の一部のAMラジオ放送がFMラジオ放送で聴取可能に＞". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). March 22, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  15. ^ "Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications | Promotion of Broadcasting Policy | Special Measures for the Suspension of AM Station Operations" (PDF). Ministry of Communications (Japan). Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  16. ^ "Special measures regarding the suspension of AM station operations". Ministry of Communications (Japan). Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  17. ^ "44 of 47 AM radio stations in Japan to switch to FM by 2028". Mainichi Shimbun/The Mainichi. June 16, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g "AM局の運用休止に係る特例適用措置の適用について | RadiChubu-ラジチューブ-". RadiChubu by CBC Radio (in Japanese). September 1, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  19. ^ "無線局免許状等情報 - 株式会社ＣＢＣラジオ". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). 20 February 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  20. ^ "沖縄総合通信事務所 > 情報通信のあゆみ > 1973年昭和48年". Ministry of Communications (Japan) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2025.
[edit]