CHLX was licensed by the CRTC in 2001, and launched on September 23, 2002.[1]
It was briefly branded as Classique 97,1[2] before becoming Couleur FM, airing classical music. In 2008, after a licence amendment was accepted by the CRTC, it became Planète 97,1, an adult contemporary-formatted station, with 20% of its airtime devoted to jazz.[3]
On July 11, 2014, it was announced that CHLX would flip to Hot AC as 97.1 Rythme FM on August 25, as part of a licensing deal between Cogeco and RNC.[3][4] CHLX became the first non-Cogeco station to carry the Rythme FM format (other than CJEC-FMQuebec City, which was briefly affiliated with Rythme FM after being sold by Cogeco to another broadcaster). As of October 2014, it was still broadcasting two hours a day of jazz music,[5] but since June 2017 the CRTC amended the licence removing the requirement to broadcast such genres.[6]
In January 2017, the station dropped Rhythme FM and re-branded as Wow 97.1.