Broadcast History - December 10

[jon]

In 1959 at 5:00 p.m., CHQM-AM Vancouver signed on to 1320 KHz with 10,000 watts, the frequency recently vacated by CKNW. CHQM's license allowed them to broadcast with less attenuation of the higher frequencies, to maximize the fidelity on most AM receivers. Exactly 8 months later, CHQM-FM signed on to 103.5 MHz with 18,950 watts, simulcast with CHQM-AM in mono. Stereo came to CHQM-FM on November 4, 1961, after both the on-air and production control rooms had been completely overhauled with all stereo equipment; only the Newsroom, which had its own board, remained in mono until the stations moved out of their original 1134 Burrard Street location in March 1994. The building was built on a slope, which meant that whenever either of the men's washrooms flooded, you could just open the back door and water would flow down through the record library, right beside the large collection of Vivaldi LPs, past Librarian Jurgen Goethe's desk, through a back office, out the door, across the parking lot and into the storm sewer drain in the alley.



In 1962, CFMW-FM St. Norbert, just outside Winnipeg, signed on with 354,000 watts on 98.3 MHz. On October 11, 1965, the CBC purchased CFMW, tranforming it into CBW-FM. It was the CBC's first stereo radio station. It was partially simulcast with CBW-AM in mono. The rest of the time, stereo tapes and discs of CBC-FM network programming were played, as there was not yet an FM network connection to Winnipeg. The city of license was changed to Winnipeg in 1965, but the transmitter remained in St. Norbert until 1986 when it was moved to Starbuck with a power decrease to 160,000 watts.

In 1983, Spence Caldwell died in a car crash. He had introduced CKWX founder Sparks Holsted to Harold Carlson (Taylor Pearson Carson) and they partnered together to expand CKWX. Spence was hired as General Sales Manager soon after. Despite losing out to John Bassett for Toronto's first private TV station license, Spence and long-time associate Gordon Keeble was approved by the BBG to create CTV in 1961.

In 1997, CJOK-AM Fort McMurray was approved for a flip to FM, on 93.3 Mhz with 10,700 watts. The station originally signed on to 1230 KHz on January 1, 1973, at 12:01 a.m., with 1000 watts day and 250 watts night. And, in those early years, was the only non-local station regularly heard in Yellowknife at night.



In 2002, CJCI-AM Prince George was approved for a flip to FM, on 97.3 MHz with 12,000 watts. The station had originally signed on August 5, 1970, on 620 KHz with 10,000 watts. An FM sister station, CIBC-FM, signed on in 1983, on 94.3 MHz.