Fort McMurray residents were scratching their heads overnight Sunday as Harvard Media’s 100.5 CRUZ FM (CHFT-FM) started airing Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” on repeat.
“Rickrolling” as it’s known, rose to popularity in 2006-07, whereby an unsuspecting victim would unwittingly click on a seemingly unrelated link, and instead be subjected to the video of the popular 1987 pop tune. CRUZ FM started airing a 15-hour “Rickroll” at 7 p.m. Sunday. Spanning different languages and versions, Fort Mac residents began to question on social media whether the station had been hacked.
At 10:05 a.m., the station debuted the “All New” CRUZ FM featuring a rock-forward playlist and hits from bands like The Tragically Hip, Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Seven Mary Three, Finger Eleven and Beastie Boys.
The format change is a harder rock departure from Harvard’s other CRUZ FM-branded stations in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Yorkton, which air mainstream rock formats.
“The ALL NEW Cruz FM will be heard solely through the 100.5 frequency in Fort McMurray,” Harvard Media said in a release. “Fort McMurray is a unique market with a young, hardworking population—the median age is just 34. With so much of the core workforce in the oil sands, where cell phone use and streaming are heavily restricted, radio plays a crucial role in keeping people entertained and informed during those long 12-hour shifts. That’s why we’ve adapted our station to better serve this audience. We’re bringing a fresh mainstream rock format focused on the 2000s to now while still keeping our classic rock foundation. We’ve also cut down commercial stop sets to deliver 55 minutes of music every hour.”
The changes include launching a live, local late afternoon/evening drive show from 4 – 8 p.m. with host Jordan Keating, who also serves as program director for Harvard’s Fort McMurray station group.
The on-air lineup is rounded out by:
– Cruz Mornings with Steve Reeve 5:30 – 10 a.m.
– Cruz Middays with Sean McEwen 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
– Cruz Afternoons with Mark & Jess 1 – 4 p.m.
– Cruz Evenings with Chad & Evan 8 p.m. – 12 a.m.
