CJRT-FM

In 1949, the station first signed on as an educational FM station. It was owned by the Ryerson Institute of Technology, which later became Toronto Metropolitan University.[7] The JRT in the station's call sign stands for "Journalism Radio Technology."[7] The station was operated for the training of students, supervised by professional instructors.[7] It broadcast from 3 pm to 9 pm on weekdays during the school year.[7] CJRT-FM originally broadcast on 88.3 MHz until it moved to its current 91.1 MHz frequency in 1950.

In 1964, a professional staff was hired, with the broadcast schedule increased from 7 am to midnight seven days a week.[7] A few years later, training of students ceased.[7] It played classical, jazz, and folk music, with educational and public affairs programming, children's shows, and comedy from the BBC.[7]

In 1965, Ted O'Reilly began hosting The Jazz Scene and remained with the station for 37 years.[7]

In 1973, Ryerson, announced its intention to surrender the broadcast licence of CJRT-FM due to financial restraints. A year later in 1974, Ontario Premier Bill Davis announced that the provincial legislature would pass legislation to create a corporation to run the station and buy the license.[7] The station received money from the Ontario government and from companies and listeners through fundraising.[7]

In 1975, Glen Woodcock began hosting The Big Band Show, which is still running more than 45 years later.[7][1]

In co-operation with Ryerson and York University's Atkinson College, CJRT offered several on-air Open College courses from 1971 to 2003. In 2003, the service was transferred to Ryerson's G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, which offers distance education through the internet, print, and recorded media rather than on radio. In its last years, Open College broadcasts aired Sunday mornings from 6 am to 8 am.[8]

Following Ryerson's loss of ownership of CJRT in 1974, CKLN-FM was licensed as Ryerson's campus radio station from 1983 to 2011[9] followed by CJRU since 2016.[10]

In 2001, the station switched to an all-jazz format and rebranded as JAZZ.FM91.[7] The transition saw the addition of several long-time hosts, including Brad Barker and John Devenish.

After nearly 14 years occupying Ryerson University property at 150 Mutual Street, CJRT moved to its current street-front facilities at 4 Pardee Ave. in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto.[7] By this point, the station had added several more on-air personalities including Heather Bambrick, Bill King, Jaymz Bee, Walter Venafro, Danny Marks, who remain with the station to this day.[1]

Then-president and CEO Ross Porter stepped down in June of 2018, following an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct and creating a toxic work environment, and was replaced by Charles S. Cutts. Porter stated that his resignation as CEO was in order to spend more time with his ailing wife, and he continued broadcasting with the station, as well as being given the title of president emeritus.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

The conflict resulted in the departure of a number of on-air staff and a decline in donations to the station. An opposition group, called Save JAZZ.FM91, was founded in July 2018 in an attempt to overturn the station's board of directors. After a legal battle over whether or not the opposition group should be allowed access to the station's membership list, a general meeting of the membership held on February 15, 2019, succeeded in removing the board by a vote of 446 to 435, electing a new board composed of the dissident group.[17] The new board changed the station's management, appointing Lorie Russell as vice-president and managing director. The board reinstated a number of broadcasters who had been ousted by the previous management, while Porter ended his program.[18]

Following Russell's departure,[19][20] Dana Wigle was named general manager of JAZZ.FM91 in December of 2020.[7][21] Under new management, JAZZ.FM91 won several broadcasting awards[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] and expanded its digital presence with the addition of podcasts,[33] specialty channels[34][4][35] and virtual concerts.[36]