CHOA-FM

CHOA-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 96.5 FM in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The station has an adult contemporary format branded as Wow 96.5.

Logo for Planète, 2008-2015

CHOA-FM

City	Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
Frequency	96.5 MHz (FM)
Branding	Wow 96.5
Programming
Format	Adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner	Cogeco
History
First air date	1939 (on AM) 1990 (conversion to FM)
Former call signs	CKRN (1939-1990)
Former frequencies	1240 kHz (1939-?) 1400 kHz (?-1990)
Technical information
Class	C
ERP	61.1 kW peak horizontal polarization only
HAAT	204 meters (669 ft)
Links
Website	abitibi.wowfm.com//

Owned and operated by Cogeco following its 2018 acquisition of most of the stations formerly owned by RNC Media, the station aired an adult contemporary format from its inception, both under independent branding and as an affiliate of Astral Media's RockDétente network. The station briefly adopted a modern rock format branded as Radio X after RNC Media acquired CHOI in Quebec City in 2006, but later reverted to the Couleur FM name and format, and was rebranded as Planète in 2008. The Radio X branding later resurfaced at sister stations CHGO-FM and CJGO-FM.

CHOA also has rebroadcast transmitters in Val-d'Or (103.5)[1] and La Sarre (103.9).[2] RNC applied in 1996 to convert CHOA's retransmitter in Val-d'Or into an originating station, but was denied because the market could not support a new commercial station.[3]

In December 2014, it was announced that CHOA-FM would become an affiliate of Cogeco's Rythme FM network, starting on March 9, 2015.[4] The station was the second Rythme FM outlet owned by RNC, with CHLX-FM Gatineau being the first.

On August 7. 2017, CHOA dropped the "Rhythme" brand and re-branded as Wow FM. CHLX had similarly re-branded.[5]